Tight-knit Senators’ ‘light flipped on’ in State Tourney run

February 21, 2024 by Ken Lay

Norris Middle School boys basketball coach Travis Tummel makes it no secret that his philosophy is different than most other coaches.

“I have a different philosophy than other people,” Tummel said. “I’m more about teaching kids how to play basketball than I am about teaching them how to run plays.

“When it’s loud, they can’t always hear me, but they know how to play.”

That philosophy paid dividends for the Senators, who recently concluded their 2023-24 season on the Volunteer State’s grand stage, the TMSAA Class AA Tournament in Smyrna.

Norris had a tough draw when it opened tournament play against Thompson’s Station Middle School on Friday, Feb 9, at Stewarts Creek Middle School in Smyrna.

Thompson’s Station, which would eventually win the 2024 state title on Feb. 10, defeated the Senators, 51-26, in the state semifinals.

Norris, which finished the season with an overall record of 21-8, fell behind, 14-7, in the first quarter and trailed, 35-14, at halftime. Thompson’s Station, which edged Bellevue, 38-34, to leave the Midstate with the state championship plaque, led the Senators, 45-22 heading into the fourth quarter.

Waylon Tummel led Norris with 16 points in the semifinals. Colton Lawson added seven points and Joshua Sharp finished with three points for the Senators.

In the third-place game, contested on Feb. 10, at Stewarts Creek, Norris dropped a close game to Inman, falling, 40-35. The Senators had an 18-10 lead at halftime before a 21-7 third-quarter run by Inman turned the tide.

In the consolation game, Michael Young led a balanced scoring attack for the Senators. He had 10 points. Waylon Tummel, the sectional tournament Most Valuable Player, scored nine. Lawson had six, while Sharp and Braxton Foust finished with five points apiece.

Coach Tummel said that he was pleased with his team’s performance during the recently-completed season.

“This team was really close and tight-knit,” coach Tummel said. “They love and care about each other and they just want to win. We have a really good group of kids.

“Everything really fit together. Most of these guys have been with me for three years now and when we played in the sectional semifinal, the light bulb just flipped on. They believed and that was a beautiful thing to watch. I scheduled hard.”