Springfield and Gallatin matched up on the hardwood Friday for contests that were more history lessons than basketball games.
Gallatin picked up the sweep on the road before beginning district play next week – the girls winning 65-29 and the nightcap finishing 59-40 in favor of the Green Wave – but it was who they did it as that mattered.
Dressed in garnet “Union” throwback jerseys, Gallatin and Springfield, which donned black “Bransford” uniforms, honored the pre-desegregation history surrounding both schools.
“To be able to play for people that represented your culture, that’s a big deal to me as a young Black individual,” said Gallatin forward Sanaa Ricks. “It’s a big part of our history, and it felt good to know that we played for something that didn’t just represent Gallatin but also represented us.”
Bransford and Union were designated for Robertson and Sumner County Black students since as early as 1884, when with just three teachers Bransford first opened its doors.
Springfield and Gallatin absorbed both schools during the desegregation movement, and the Green Wave have recognized their past over the last four years by designating one game in Union’s uniforms. The Yellow Jackets followed suit with Bransford last season.
The two schools were scheduled to play one another in their first “Back in the Day” game last January before inclement weather canceled the event. Friday marked the first time they played each other in the throwback jerseys.
“When we had games like this, against Bransford and Burt (High School in Clarksville) … the gym would always be packed, because they knew they were going to see a show,” said 1970 Union graduate Joseph Malone.
“It was a great rivalry (between Bransford and Union). It was always tight, but I think we respected each other because we knew each other’s talent and we played against them so many times.”
Bransford and Union each made a run to the state basketball tournament before shuttering in the ‘70s – the Lions reached the second round in 1968 while the Red Devils were team runner-up in 1965.
One notable member of Bransford’s run to the tournament was Ted Jamison, who later set records as the first Black player with Lipscomb University baseball.
Through the throwback event, their extended history benefits today’s players and programs. The Green Wave plan to take a trip later this month to the Gallatin Shalom Zone, a community resource center inside the former campus of Union High School.
Bransford’s building was torn down due to deterioration in 2016, but its alumni association still runs strong, fundraising over $4,000 during last season’s rescheduled game against Rossview.
“A lot of these kids, maybe their grandparents went to those schools,” Gallatin girls basketball coach Greta Parker said. “A lot of our kids don’t have a tie to that, so when you do those kinds of things and bring everybody together – which is exactly what desegregation was about – it teaches both sides.”
Even the site of Friday’s game held significance in the Bransford-Union archives. As told by author Ken Abraham in his book “More Than Rivals,” Union’s first game against the Wave came on Springfield’s court during the 1970 District 20 Tournament.
First-year Springfield coach Terrance Williams said the night was unique to his seven-year coaching career and playing days before that.
As a native of West Tennessee, Williams grew up hearing of his grandmother being forced to drink from segregated water fountains. The story of James Meredith, the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi in 1962, also stuck with him through his upbringing.
“I’ve definitely talked to these kids about those types of things,” he said. “For them, they say that’s a long way ago; it’s not really that long ago.”
“I know a lot of other communities that have similar situations, and I hope it expands,” added Gallatin boys coach Bobby Luna. “We need to honor the people who came before us and didn’t have the same opportunity.”
BOX SCORES
GIRLS
Union (65): Sanaa Ricks 14, Maggie Hale 11, Asia Sawyers 10, Ed’Niyah Wilks 9, Je’Leah Cole 6, Faith Hopgood 4, Kenley Jones 4, Laura Conyer 3, Delaney Whited 2, Oakley Bright 2.
Bransford (29): Rayne Erickson 8, Olivia Merritt 6, Taniya Partee 5, Kielee Bradley 3, Tamara Royster 3, Micayla Harrison 2, Shermauria Pope 2.
BOYS
Union (59): Cannon Hale 25, AJ Davis 11, De’costa Ricks 8, RJ Crenshaw 7, Amarius Dunn 6, Kenyi Knight 2.
Bransford (40): Travyion Binford 9, Devon Crenshaw 6, Keimarian Flair 6, Tony Petties 6, Alarric Hudson 4, Kooper Dossett 4, Reggie Jules 3, Demarion Wilson 2.
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