There are quite a few all-star types playing basketball for Dobyns-Bennett’s Region 1-4A boys champion. Like all five starters.
And then there is McKinley Tincher, an all-star caliber sixth man.
Gritty, heady, tough and capable on both ends of the floor, Tincher — all 160 pounds of him — is D-B’s consummate Swiss army knife. The senior never knows where he’ll contribute next.
Fortunately for veteran Indians coach Chris Poore, Tincher can shoot it, score it, pass it, share it, handle it, value it, rebound it, trap it, steal it and defend it.
A 6-foot swingman set to be a starter until senior Carter Metz transferred from Cherokee to D-B last summer, Tincher has adjusted to his role of coming off the bench. He even embraces it.
“Everything fits perfectly,” Tincher said of D-B’s seven- man rotation, which also includes physical, 190-pound backup forward Greg Allen. “It’s a lot of fun, a lot of fun.”
Tincher was in the middle of all the fun last Thursday night, knocking down a pair of 3-point shots and scoring eight points as D-B smoked Science Hill 68-48 to win the region. His 3-pointer from the corner pushed the Tribe to a quick 9-2 lead and it was all downhill from there.
“We took offense to them coming on our floor and beating us (52-49 in overtime on Feb. 19) and we weren’t about to let that happen again,” Tincher said. “So we came out here and everybody was firing, everybody was making shots. It was an unbelievable experience.”
Tincher marveled at the shooting display 5-8 junior Jonavan Gillespie delivered in the first half, as well as the dominant second-half game of Region 1 MVP Malachi Hale, a 6-4 senior.
Gillespie swished 4 of 5 3-point tries over the first two quarters to lift D-B to a 39-20 halftime bulge before Hale flashed his next-level skills, continually getting to the rim in a 27-point outing.
“Malachi was unstoppable,” Tincher said. “They tried so many people guarding him, but he is just unstoppable. And he makes it really easy for us shooters because we spread the floor and he can drive it and then kick it out to us for open looks.
“And Jonavan, he can’t miss a shot. He’s like that. He’ll come in straight from football and do the same thing right away. He never loses that stroke. And he’s so fun to play with.”
In the region semifinal two nights earlier, Tincher did his work on the defensive end, taking turns with Gillespie at making life hard for Morristown East standout guard Micah Simpson, a 2,200-point career scorer who managed to make just 8 of 24 shots in D-B’s 59-55, grind-it-out win.
Tincher, who collaborated with Metz to limit Science Hill’s physical Keynan Cutlip to just 11 points in the regional final, realizes his value and appreciates the faith that Poore continually exhibits.
“It means a lot that the coaches have that trust in me to go out and guard (the other team’s) best player every night,” Tincher said. “And not just me, but a couple other people like Jonavan two nights ago against Micah and Carter tonight against Keynan. We got it done collectively.”
The Indians (28-6) host Farragut in Monday night’s sectional round, the winner advancing to Murfreesboro with a spot in the Class 4A tournament.
For Dobyns-Bennett’s six-man core of third-year veterans — Tincher, Hale, Gillespie, Metz, senior Jack Browder and junior Brady Stump — it’s crunch time.
“Most of us have played together for four years now and we’re looking for us guys in our senior year to get to state,” Tincher said. “We plan to get that done (in the sectional) on Monday.”
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Tough Tincher is Tribe's do-it-all all-star sixth man - Kingsport Times News
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