Beech boys season ends with third loss to Lebanon

Beech came up short for the third time this season against Lebanon, losing 75-65 in the District 9-AAA quarterfinals on Friday night.

“Lebanon is very talented,” Beech coach Kip Brown said. “They might be the most talented team in our district. They made enough plays to keep us from getting a lead. They hit all their free throws down the stretch and we just couldn’t catch up.”

Lebanon coach, Jim McDowell admits he was worried when Beech (16-15, 6-9 in 9-AAA) cut the Blue Devils (21-7, 11-4 in 9-AAA) lead to just two in the third quarter.

“In my seven years, this is the deepest and toughest our league has been,” McDowell said. “We knew we were going to be in for a war and I’m just glad that our guys were able to maintain their composure and make some stops to get the win.”

Beech senior, Jayson Brown led all scorers with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Buccaneers to break through.

“We had a lot of adversity this year,” Kip Brown said. “I just talked to the kids about how it’s made us stronger. We had a fun season, it’s a great group of guys,” Brown said. “I’m going to miss coaching these seniors.”

With the win, Lebanon has now won six straight and McDowell says his team is right where it needs to be.

“We’ve been locked in down the stretch," McDowell said. "We beat a good team tonight. We were able to make enough plays and made some stops when we needed to.”

“Gallatin is going to be tough, they’re number six in the state,” McDowell said. “Last time we played them we played well and it wasn’t their best night. I’m sure Coach Luna won’t let them forget that.”

Reach Andrew Preston at APreston@tennessean.com or 615-259-8015 and on Twitter @AndrewPreston33