In a game played to Fulton's tempo and liking, the Falcons (28-6) came out on fire beyond the three point line. Behind the hot hands and red hot 3 point shooting of senior James Gallman (4 for 5) and junior Jalen Steele (3 for 8), Fulton built an 8 point halftime lead. The Knights, who average 71 points per game, were limited to only 15 first half points, due to Fulton's relentless half court defense. At the end of the third period, Sheffield (19-15) went on a 14-1 run to pull within a 34-33 score. Gallman then hit a 3 with 40 seconds left, and junior Robert Boyd then dribbled around the top of the key and swished a deep 3 at the buzzer to preserve Fulton's 42-37 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
During the 4th period, Fulton continued to controlled the clock and the lead, as the Knights were able to cut the lead 4 points after a Cordairo Golden putback to make the score 47-43. Boyd then found soph. Micah Pitchford open underneath for an easy layup and the Falcons used 10-13 freethrow shooting to ice the game.
For the game Fulton shot 49% from the field and a blistering 53% from 3-point range, while giving up just 2 of 9 3-point shooting by Sheffield. They were led in scoring by Steele (16), Gallman (14) and Boyd (14). Boyd also led the Falcons in both rebounds and assists (7). The Falcons will now face Bolivar Central, Friday at 2:30 EST in the SemiFinals.
Game Statistics (TSSAA)
Boyd finished 4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-3 behind the arc and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to complement the nights of Gallman (14 points), Steele (16 points) and Courtland Styles (11 points). Fulton's 3-point shooting (9-for-17) was also noteworthy, and the defending state champions advanced to play Bolivar (27-3) at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Friday.
Steele, who was 3-for-8 on 3s, and Gallman, 4-for-5, were locked in from the start, both sinking their first behind the arc to give Fulton a lead it never relinquished.
"If we don't make 3s in the beginning," said Steele, "we have to go to our second option."
Driving to the hole wasn't necessary. Steele buried his third 3-pointer of the game with 5:01 to go in the third quarter, and Fulton opened a 14-point lead.
Sheffield (19-15) ripped off a 14-1 run over the next 2:53 to pull within 34-33. Gallman hit a 3 with 40 seconds left, and Boyd swished a deep 3 at the buzzer to preserve Fulton's lead (42-37) heading into the fourth quarter.
Boyd got 3 the old-fashioned way early in the final quarter to push the score to 45-39.
Defending champions too much for Sheffield (Commercial Appeal):
MURFREESBORO — In its first state-tournament appearance, Sheffield gave defending Class AA state-champion Knoxville Fulton all it could handle for three quarters before falling, 59-46, in a Class AA state quarterfinal Wednesday at Middle Tennessee’s Murphy Center. Sheffield junior post Cordairo Golden’s 13 points and game-high eight rebounds led a Knights club that cut Fulton’s lead to one point on two occasions late in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 14 points earlier in the period.
Junior guards Chris Crawford and Calvin Rounds each added 10 points for Sheffield, which finished its season at 19-15 after catching fire this postseason. The Knights had lost three of their final four games to close out the regular season.
“At the beginning of the year, one of they things they told me was, ‘Coach, we’re going to state,’” second-year Sheffield coach Clyde Delamar said. “Now, I didn’t know if they really believed that or if it was just talk or what, but they told me that first week of practice, ‘We’re going to state.’
“We want to get back here, but it’s going to be even harder to get here again. It’s tough to get out of Memphis.”
Junior wing Jalen Steele’s 16 points led four Falcons in double figures. Steele connected on just 5-of-15 shot attempts, but did drain three of Fulton’s nine 3-point field goals on the night.
Steele’s 3-pointer with 5:04 left in the third quarter gave Fulton (28-6) its biggest lead of the game at 33-19 before Golden sparked a 14-1 Knights scoring run with a 3-point play in the lane.
Junior forward Robert Shaffer’s 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark of the third capped the spurt, cutting Fulton’s lead to 34-33.
But after James Gallman’s 3-pointer gave the Falcons a 39-35 advantage, junior teammate Robert Boyd added another 3-pointer from the top of the key with four-tenths of a second left in the period to push Fulton’s lead to 42-37 after three.
“Their athleticism was something we worried about,” said Fulton coach Jody Wright, whose Falcons advanced to face Bolivar Central in Friday’s Class AA semifinals. “We had to do some things that we hadn’t done just due to their personnel.”
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