With the ghosts of the past keeping watch from high above - the oversized pictures of the program's three state championship teams hanging on the wall of the gym's entrance - Brainerd's basketball team gave a performance worthy of the good ol' days.
The Panthers smothered visiting York Institute from every angle of the court, forcing 26 turnovers and cashing those in for an endless barrage of easy buckets in an 87-58 win that assured them a return trip to next week's Class AA state tournament.
In winning their 13th consecutive game and reaching the state tournament for a second straight state season, the Panthers (27-5) also sent a clear message to the other seven AA teams that advanced.
"Last year I think we were just happy to get there," third-year Brainerd coach Levar Brown said. "But this team is on a mission.
"We're a very athletic team but we're also a very smart defensive team and we can go about 12 players deep, so we can just keep coming at people. All of that can be a problem for anybody we play."
The draw for next week's state tournament at Middle Tennessee State University will be held tonight.
Brainerd trailed for all of 32 seconds of the game as York scored first on a free throw, before the Panthers answered with five of the first six field goals. Brainerd forced eight first-quarter turnovers in taking a commanding 15-point lead early, and never allowed the advantage to dip below 13 the rest of the way.
Even with four starters resting on the bench for nearly four minutes of the second quarter, Brainerd maintained the margin.
"Something I've learned in my first two years here is that the kids who prepare hard in practice need to be trusted in the game," Brown said. "If you come to work every day in practice, you'll play, and those kids are doing a great job of keeping the pressure up no matter who's on the floor."
Five times in the first half Brainerd turned a steal in the backcourt into a layup less than six seconds after its previous basket, and at one point in the third quarter the Panthers scored nine points in just over 20 seconds.
"We could tell early on that they weren't ready for the type pressure we bring," said Dajuonta Ross, who was one of four Panthers in double-figure scoring with 17 points. "This is a big confidence boost for us going into next week. And now we've all played in front of that big crowd on that floor, so we know what it takes to keep going."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.