When it comes to spelling "pressure" with the basketball season on the line, the Brainerd Lady Panthers proved Monday night that the first five letters are the most important.
The Brainerd full-court press was a dominating factor against visiting Polk County in a Region 3-AA quarterfinal elimination game. The Lady Panthers forced 23 turnovers in a 62-29 victory.
District 6-AA tournament champion Brainerd (15-12) will square off against 6-AA rival Tyner in the region semifinals Wednesday in Loudon.
"I'm ecstatic with the way we played tonight," said Brainerd coach Tyrus Ward. "The press was one of the things that we started working on the second half of the season, because we knew that we were going to need it down the road. We know that teams for that district (5-AA) are tough and you have to be ready."
The Lady Wildcats (4-20) held strong for a while, trailing by just three points after the first quarter. But over the next two quarters, the heat of the press became suffocating as Brainerd forced 15 turnovers and outscored the visitors by a 37-11 clip.
Jamee Ward, who was responsible for most of the pressure on the Polk backcourt, provided the outside shooting touch and led Brainerd with 19 points. Junior Ebony Calloway was strong on the inside, collecting 16 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
"At this time of year, that's what you need," Coach Ward said of his team's foundational approach. "You need a strong guard and a post player. If you have that and play great defense, you have the formula to move forward in the tournament.
"(Calloway) has come a long way this year, and she has done some great things," he added. "I'm excited for all the girls. They have fought hard, beginning last summer, to get back to where we were last year. We are looking forward to Wednesday."
Jumeka Brown and Keniah Watkins each finished with 11 points for Brainerd, while Mikayla McClary led Polk with 11.
"Tonight was a great experience for our girls and I was proud of the fact they played hard the whole game," Polk County coach Caleb Hindman said. "It was close for a while, but our depth caught up to us. With a team that presses as much as they pressure you, it's tough."
Contact Greg Thompson at sports@timesfreepress.com.