Tullahoma Wildcats senior guard Chad Rusk ripped the heart out of the visiting Coffee Co. Red Raiders, stealing the ball and scoring on a layup as time expired in Tullahoma's thrilling 42-41 win on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at THS.

The victory was a great way for the home team to head into the holidays, a come-from-behind win that sent the student body and team into a wild celebration frenzy at center court as the buzzer sounded. The win perhaps rivals the football team's double-overtime win over Franklin Co. as the top THS athletic moment of 2009.

The Wildcats (1-1, 7-4) aren't concerned with historical context at the moment however, they just know they escaped with a win after playing one of their worst games of the season and helped build much-needed momentum for the second half of the season.

Tullahoma will next participate in the Eagleville Classic Tournament on Monday, Dec. 28 at 7:30pm against the host school. The 'Cats return to regular season action on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, with a trip to Lewisburg to battle non-district foe Marshall Co. District 8-AAA leader Lawrence Co. visits Tullahoma for the next home game on Friday, Jan. 8, with the girls scheduled to tipoff at 6:30pm.

You almost had to be at THS Tuesday night to fully understand how much the majority of the crowd present felt that Coffee Co. had escaped with the upset after Tullahoma missed four free throws in the final minute while the Red Raiders hit all five of their second half free throw attempts.

Fortunately for THS the person who most believed the game wasn't over as the Red Raiders threw the ball in with 6.5 seconds remaining was Rusk, who simply took the ball away at mid-court and raced towards the basket, just getting off the layup as the horn sounded.

Coffee Co.'s crowd stood in stunned silence, while the significant THS student section erupted in euphoria and piled on Rusk and his teammates in the center of the floor. It was a scene seldom enjoyed at Tullahoma on the basketball floor, and one that won't soon be forgotten.

Lost in the magnitude of Rusk's final heroics was the fact that the visiting Red Raiders totally dominated the first half, jumping out in front 12-0 to start the game and leading 14-6 after one quarter. Matt Passarello kept the 'Cats in it early with the first two baskets.

Tullahoma continued its comeback in the second quarter as sophomore Allen Starks asserted himself inside by stepping to the free throw line and converting four straight. Rusk began to connect midway through the quarter and the home team went into halftime trailing by only 23-19. Krys Renfroe helped the Red Raiders to their early lead, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the first 24 minutes.

Rusk, who finished with 13 points, hit a big three pointer early in the third as the 'Cats continued chipping away until they tied the score at 29 apiece with 4:21 left in the third quarter. The 'Cats led 35-33 at the end of the quarter.

After Coffee Co. regained the lead 37-36, sophomore Jared Davis converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 4:35 left to put Tullahoma back on top 39-37. Cory Keeling then hit a floater in the lane to give the visitors a 41-40 lead. Tullahoma missed two free throws with 15 seconds left, leaving the home crowd thinking of what might have been before Rusk's heroics in the final seconds turned the tables and gave THS the win.

Matt Passarello finished with 13 points while Rusk also had 13. Allen Starks finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Davis had three points and also pulled down five boards. Mike Passarello and Jordan Milleville each scored two. Behind Renfroe's 14 points for Coffee Co. was Tyler Clayborne and Keeling with eight points each, Kyle Kirby had five, Hunters Byers four, and Reed Wolfe two for the visitors.

The win for Tullahoma came on the heels of a disappointing 62-46 loss to district foe Columbia on Friday, Dec. 11 in Columbia. Rusk led the Wildcats with 21 points while Milleville had 11, Mike Passarello and Starks scored six each and Davis had two.