Dupree saves Arlington’s season on defense
ARLINGTON – Arlington girls basketball coach Ashley Shields repeated her message on defense over and over as she exhausted her timeouts against Clarksville Northwest.
"I knew this was going to be a defensive game,” Shields said.
No one understood the assignment quite like Taylor Dupree.
With less than a minute left, following free throws from Alindsey Long, Clarksville Northwest was looking to retake the lead. After two missed attempts, the Vikings got an offensive rebound for one more shot.
Dupree extended her arm, swung and sent the shot back to the free throw line from the bottom right side of the lane. The Arlington fans erupted as Brittani Wells collected the loose ball, forcing Clarksville Northwest to foul again.
"I just knew when she got that rebound,” Dupree said, “I needed to block it right now. It's now or never.”
Her block helped the Tigers (27-4) seal a 49-43 win over Clarksville Northwest on Saturday night in the Class 4A sectional round. The Tigers advanced to their fifth-straight state tournament appearance.
Dupree's presence on defense has been a factor all season and through the postseason; it gives Arlington a sense of security.
"She's our shot-blocker,” Shields said. “Sometimes it can be a struggle for our guards because they rely on Taylor so much and Taylor is standing right there, waiting on anybody to come to the hole.”
To complement her defensive performance, Dupree, a Southern Arkansas signee, added 10 points.
As the state tournament begins Wednesday in Murfreesboro, defense is going to continue to be an emphasis for the Tigers. Arlington has only won one game in their six appearances. The state quarterfinal game has been the biggest problem for the Tigers.
The best chance Arlington had was in the 2019-20 season before COVID-19 halted the state tournament as the Tigers defeated Brentwood in the quarterfinals. That was the season before Shields was hired.
Arlington gets another opportunity and it's going to come down to defense. It starts with Dupree.
“Her presence means a lot to us,” Shields said. “I have to have Taylor out on the floor at all times.”
And Dupree isn't planning on leaving empty-handed.
“I just wanted to go back for my final year,” Dupree said. “Once we get down there, we just have to focus and show up.”