TCA holds off Hillcrest for first Rumble in the South win

Tri-County Academy opened up an eight-game slate in the “Rumble in the South” boys’ basketball event with a thrilling 55-52 win over Hillcrest Christian on Monday morning at Mississippi College. 

It was the first time that the Rebels have participated in the prestigious event and just shows the positive trajectory that the Tri-County program has been on in recent years. 

“I have been watching this event for over ten years, so when we got the invitation, we were really excited, and it was a no-brainer,” Tri-County Academy Head Coach Joshua Osborne said. “You are not getting invited to this event if you’re not a good basketball program and so for us to be considered is an honor and speaks to where we are as a program and as a team.”

After jumping out to a nine-point lead at the halftime break, Hillcrest battled back into the game, but thanks to some key buckets from the Rebels’ three leading scorers in Dean Gibson, Cooper Johnson, and Grayson Rymer, Tri-County was able to answer and hold onto a three-point victory.

“Those three are a very high percentage of our scoring and with a lot of teams you would have other players wanting a bigger piece of that, but our guys have done a great job of recognizing that’s what they do best and filling the roles around them that we need to win,” Osborne said. 

While all three of those scorers were in double figures, Gibson especially had a phenomenal performance, tallying 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists on the game. 

“His approach to the game from last year to this year has taken a huge leap,” Osborne said. “He’s a guy we lean on and need to score points down the stretch for us to be successful.”

Defensively, Tri-County did a phenomenal job of putting relentless defensive pressure on Hillcrest, forcing 26 turnovers.

With the win, the Rebels now sit at 17-5 on the season and have their eyes on finishing district play strong and a deep postseason run. 

“As you get deep into a postseason run, you’re going to be playing three or four games in a week, so this event is going to help prepare us for that,” Osborne said. “We like being pushed and having to fight, so an event like this in the middle of district play is great for that.”

Tri-County will wrap up their season with matchups against Clinton Christian, Manchester Academy, and Winston Academy, before the district tournament begins on January 30th.