By JIM STEELE
pressbox1.com

HUNTINGDON - After Big Sandy's District 13A championship game with West Carroll at Huntingdon, most people were probably ready for eight hours sleep and a bowl of "Wheaties."

During the contest, fans were probably reaching for nitro glycerin tablets.

Big Sandy upset the top-seeded War Eagles in a 96-93 overtime thriller that had it all. The game was physical. The game was fast-paced. The officials, for the most part, let them play. Players coming off the floor were exhausted, sweating profusely, breathing hard...and it was only the first quarter. There were lead changes, rallies, players fouling out, courageous players who stepped up when it counted.

Simply put, the 2009 District 13A championship was one of the best games I've seen in 32 years of covering high school hoops in West Tennessee.

One sensed early that the game was going to be a track meet and a chess match all at the same time. All one needed to do was look at the previous two games for a clue. West Carroll won by a point in Atwood, 84-83, and Big Sandy won 77-74 at its house.

West Carroll got the upper hand early, but back came Big Sandy. It was a scoring match between the War Eagles' Thomas Greer and the Red Devils' Chris Cox, who finished with 35 and 40 respectively. And both of those players played hard. All of the players played hard.

There was no loafing, no sandbagging, just hard-nosed action. There was a lot of contact, a lot of collision and potential for tempers to get out of hand. But one of the things that impressed me was how much respect the players had for each other. A West Carroll guy would get knocked down, a Big Sandy player was there to pick him up, check if he was okay, pat him on the back, and go on. Same for West Carroll. A War Eagle would knock down a Big Sandy player and he was quick to pick him up and make sure he was okay. In a heated battle, that was good to see.

West Carroll took a lead after one and Big Sandy roared back to knot the score at 40 by halftime. Mumurs echoed throughout Huntingdon's gym that the fans may be there for a while. The game may not be settled in the customary 32 minutes.

Those fans were right. But for a time, it seemed Big Sandy had the game well in hand. The Red Devils had a 12-point lead with just over three minutes to play. But the War Eagles hit some huge shots at the end and had a chance to win it at the free throw line. But soon enough, the 12-point deficit was erased and the game was extended by an extra four minutes.

Soon, West Carroll got in a bit of foul trouble and lost a good chunk of its scoring when Clint McClain and Hayden McClain fouled out. Big Sandy was able to do just enough of the right things to squeak out a 96-93 victory and ending what will go down as one of the most memorable games in the history of those two schools if not West Tennessee.

If you missed it, you missed a good one.

CONTROVERSY AT DISTRICT 13AA - Dyer County spent a portion season ranked No. 1 in the state among the Class AA ranks and finished 30-1. The Choctaws defeated Martin-Westview 75-67 for the District 13AA title at Gibson County. Dyer County also beat the Chargers four times this season. But when it was time to pick 13AA coach of the year, Brian Haskins of the 24-7 Westview Chargers, was selected.

Naturally, this has enraged Dyer County fans, reports Gale Cavness of pressbox1.com. Cavness said that Dyer County went to the state tournament last year, lost four players from that team, and began the 2008-09 season with just one returning starter. Yet here are the Choctaws again, ready to make another tournament run.

Other sources in 13AA say there is a smoldering resentment by other coaches in the league who just don't like DC coach Derek McCord.

Whatever the reason, the selection of Haskins, who is no less deserving, has stirred up a lot of hard feelings over in District 13AA and may spark some embers during the Region 7AA event, slated for this weekend at Gibson County.

MILESTONE - Jimmy Gilliam, of the pressbox1.com crew, reports that Huntingdon's Diedra Jordan eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone during the Huntingdon-Clarksburg consolation game during the 13A tournament at Huntingdon. Jordan, who was named all district, will be honored during a ceremony, perhaps during the Region 7A tournament at Huntingdon this weekend.

If you want photos from the District 13A tournament, go HERE at jgilliam.dotphoto.com/CPListAlbums.asp to find out how to buy them from Gilliam.