Brainerd, Central set up Region 3-AA title showdown

Central's McClendon Curtis (32) blocks the shot of Red Bank's Will Davis (2).  The Central Purple Pounders faced the Red Bank Lions in the semi-finals of the Region 3-AA basketball tournament at East Ridge High School Tuesday March 1, 2016.
Central's McClendon Curtis (32) blocks the shot of Red Bank's Will Davis (2). The Central Purple Pounders faced the Red Bank Lions in the semi-finals of the Region 3-AA basketball tournament at East Ridge High School Tuesday March 1, 2016.

It took a little extra effort late, but the stage is set for the fourth round of this year's Brainerd/Central boys' basketball matchup. And this time the Region 3-AA championship and the right to host a sectional game are on the line.

Brained held off a late Tyner rally for a 63-58 win, while Central beat Red Bank 66-52 at East Ridge to set up Thursday's 7 p.m. region title game. Both winners dispatched their semifinal opponents for the fourth time this year as well.

"It's awfully tough to beat any team four times in a season, but especially a really good team, and Tyner is really good," said Panthers coach Levar Brown, whose team lost two regular-season games to Central before winning last week for the district championship.

Both Brainerd (25-5) and Central (19-5) reached the state tournament last season. The region champion will host a sectional game Monday, while the runner-up must travel.

Although Brainerd maintained a double-digit lead for much of the game, Tyner began a rally early in the fourth quarter that trimmed the deficit to four less than two minutes into the final period. Even after Brainerd pushed the lead back to six with just over two minutes remaining, the Rams closed within two with 44 seconds to go before Brainerd put the game away by making four of four free throws and a dunk for its 11th straight win.

"We had some seniors that were in tears in this one because they knew this was it," said Brown, whose team was led by Jesse Walker's 20 points and Dejuanta Ross's 18. "I told them before the game that the clock was at 11:59 and at the stroke of midnight their Brainerd careers would be over. They didn't want it to be midnight, so they found a way to get it done at the end."

Although Central wound up winning by a much wider margin, it certainly didn't come easily as leading scorer Ryan Montgomery began the game on the bench with a sprained ankle. But with his team struggling in the first half the senior began bugging Purple Pounders coach Rick Rogers to go in.

"I kept saying, 'Let me go, Coach,'" Montgomery said afterward. "Finally he asked me what I thought I could do, and I said I can do everything."

Montgomery wasn't able to do quite everything, but once he entered the game, just his presence was a boost and the Pounders responded with a 6-0 run that extended a slim three-point lead to a more comfortable cushion.

"There was some doubt in my own mind before the game about whether I'd be able to play," said Montgomery, who rolled his ankle during a Sunday workout and sat in a hallway with two ice bags wrapped around the sore ankle after Tuesday's game. "But once it started and I knew I had to get out there for my team. I didn't want our season to end because I couldn't contribute. I didn't want to remember that I didn't even play in my last high school game, so I just had to block out the pain and go."

Central (19-5) continued to pull away with a 10-2 run to begin the second half, and the lead never dipped below eight the rest of the way. Rodney Benford led a balanced Central offense with 15 points, while Terron Hayes added 14, Emmanuel Lane 12 and 6-foot-7 McClendon Curtis 11. Montgomery finished with five.

"He really gave us an emotional lift," Rogers said. "His ankle swelled up like a tennis ball and I really didn't think he would be able to play, but I'm really glad he did.

"This is always the scariest game of the tournament because you've worked so hard to get to this point and one loss ends it all. Now we've bought ourselves at least two more games."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.

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