Shaking off the haunting memories, Brainerd did something against District 6-AA rival Tyner they could not do last season: win. The Panthers pounced early and held off a late Rams charge to claim a 73-69 victory on their home court.
Brainerd came ready to play, racing out to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter and scoring another 21 points in the second quarter to hit the locker room with a comfortable 41-26 margin over their opponent. However, comfort was not what Tyner had in store for the second half.
“Our defensive intensity rose, and we started to press them more in the second half,” Rams coach Gerald Harris said. “We got some easy baskets — some easy transition baskets — off of turnovers, and I told my guys to keep fighting.”
Brainerd’s hot shooting went cold in the third quarter, and they had only scored six points 3:20 left. Meanwhile, had chipped away at the lead, getting within seven and then five.
The Panthers were able to distance themselves again thanks to their free throw shooting. They hit 10-12 and by the time the 4th quarter came, they led 59-46.
“It was ugly, but I’ll take it,” said Brainerd coach Levar Brown. “It was a fun atmosphere, and that’s a small monkey off our back, beating Tyner. We played 12 deep tonight because of foul trouble and our regular rotation, so it was good to see what the young guys could do in this type of atmosphere.”
Despite falling back by double digits, Tyner would not be denied, and crept back in the final quarter behind Kevin Cameron and Daaron Maston, who scored 16 of the team’s 23 points. Cameron also had 13 points in the third quarter and 37 overall after scoring just two in the first.
“He’s a man,” Harris said. “He plays hard every possession and we really rely on him.”
Said Brown, “He’s a monster.”
Tyner got within four with 25 ticks left, but could not complete the comeback, and Brainerd hit free throws late to pull out the win. Brown credited his team for their mental toughness.
Dajuonta Ross and Marques Tipton put in 15 points each for the Panthers. Cameron added 14 boards and seven steals to his points total.