MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - For the second straight day Brainerd fought back from a double-digit deficit in the second half at the state basketball tournament. But unlike their semifinal rally, the Panthers were not able to complete the comeback, losing 59-50 to Fulton in the Class AA championship game Saturday night.
The Panthers led early, but a 21-6 run by the Falcons in the second quarter gave the Knoxville team a 14-point halftime lead.
"They brought the fight to us in the second quarter," Panthers third-year coach Levar Brown said. "That quarter won the ballgame for them. It killed us. It was a lack of focus and desire on our part, but we corrected it and came back out in the second half and gave ourselves a chance."
Brainerd picked up the pace in the third, ending the quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to six. The Panthers (30-6) pulled within one on a Malik Beavers free throw with three minutes remaining, but Fulton ended the game on a 10-2 run to claim its third state championship, and first since 2009.
"We put as much pressure on them as we could in the second half, and it paid off and got us back in it," said Panthers junior point guard Kentrell Evans, who finished with 10 points and five assists and was named to the all-state-tournament team along with teammates Jesse Walker, who led all players with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and senior Dejuonta Ross.
"They were getting most of the loose balls and that was really frustrating, especially in the second half," Evans added. "It's disappointing, but we just have to go back to work and try to get back again next year and take that last step."
Brainerd, which was making its second straight state tournament appearance and has three starters returning next season, was looking to claim its first state title in 24 years.
The Panthers made just one of eight 3-point attempts and committed 15 first-half turnovers.
"The game was won on the glass, with their second-chance points, and because of that second-quarter run they made," Brown said. "They wanted it more than us for a stretch, and it cost us. We dug ourselves into too much of a hole and couldn't climb out. We gave it all we had, and I thought when we got within one that if we could ever tie it or take the lead we had it.
"Our guys played extremely hard and have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm proud of the way they fought to get here and how hard they played tonight."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.