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Wlaf1450For the 23rd time, the Fulton coach has his Falcons team playing in the state basketball tournament
MURFREESBORO, TN (WLAF)- If you ask Hall of Fame Fulton Coach Jody Wright why it was so important last year’s extra young team make the state basketball tournament, he’ll tell you “expectation”. That 2024-2025 team was mainly all freshmen and sophomores and finished 18 & 16. However, its last game, a loss, was in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
That Fulton team was following back-to-back state championship teams; a total of five state titles for Wright. “It was critical for us to get back to the tournament and keep our expectations of making it to state in place,” said Wright.
Wright’s latest team again has made it to the Final 8 playing in Wednesday evening’s quarterfinal round at Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU. The Falcons played higher seeded Portland coming in at 28 & 6 while Fulton entered with a 24 and 9 mark.
Fulton spotted Portland a 2-0 lead before scoring 15 of the next 17 points to take its largest lead of the game at 11, 15-4. It was 15 to 9 after one quarter as Portland clawed back to take another slim edge in the second quarter only to trail 32-30 at halftime.
Portland tied the game at 32-32 to start the third quarter before Fulton went up 35-32 on a Nick Steen three. Fulton never trailed again pulling away in the fourth quarter to win 59-50.
In the game prior to Fulton’s, top seeded Upperman won over South Gibson out of Medina 56-49. Upperman is in Baxter, near Cookeville in Putnam County, and sports Tennessee’s 3-A Mr. Basketball in Ty Cobb.
Wright and his team’s expectations continue on Friday as Upperman, 31 & 5, will play Fulton at 1:45pm ET in the Glass House known as Murphy Center. The winner plays for the state title on Saturday. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-03/20/2026-6AM)