Cousins Rhyne Howard, 23, and Madison Hayes, 14, matchup in a District 5-AAA game Feb. 6, 2017. Howard, a junior, scored 23 points to lead the Bearettes to a 69-38 win. Hayes, a freshman, finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and an assist.It was a family showdown for the District 5-AAA girls' basketball title Monday night at East Hamilton.
Bradley Central junior Rhyne Howard led the Bearettes to a 69-38 win over the Lady Hurricanes, led by her freshman cousin Madison Hayes. The win clinched Bradley 's seventh consecutive district championship.
"A lot of good players lead to these titles that we've had," Bradley coach Jason Reuter said. "I haven't scored one point; I haven't gotten one rebound. I tried to lead these girls from a coaching standpoint and make sure they're as prepared as possible. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work, and a lot of people were involved."
The 25-0 Bearettes - ranked second in the state - have much bigger aspirations than just another district title, but the win was another goal reached.
The Bearettes want to win six titles this season, Reuter said, and have won three so far. The team won its Thanksgiving tournament and Christmas tournament and now the regular-season district title. Next up, Reuter has his eyes set on a district tournament championship before a run through the state tournament.
"There was no celebration dance tonight," Reuter said. "There could have only been disappointment. We expected to win this. No disrespect to East Hamilton: They gave us a whale of a first half."
The young East Hamilton squad scored the first basket of the game when Hayes stole a pass intended for her cousin and passed to Dezah Lacy for a layup.
The defense didn't relent for the rest of the half. The Lady Hurricanes held Bradley to 27 percent shooting and 2-of-16 on 3-pointers. Hayes went to the break with seven points and seven rebounds. However, Bradley held a two-point halftime lead due largely to nine steals and a late run before intermission.
The Bearettes continued to trap and pressure as their defense stole the show in the second half. Howard swiped a pass on the first possession, forced a turnover on the next and the game was never again close. Howard finished with five of her team's 19 steals.
"That's what they do," East Hamilton coach Hunter Gremore said. "They turn you over and get a lot of transition layups."
East Hamilton, which plays three freshmen heavy minutes, is one of the youngest teams in the district, and Gremore looks at Bradley Central as what his team could be in the future.
"All year we've taken steps to get better," he said. "Obviously, Bradley is at a completely different level of basketball. Our goal is to get to that level. We are a long way from that, but we showed a lot of signs tonight of heading in that direction."
If the Lady Hurricanes are going to reach that level, they'll need Hayes to continue to progress. She struggled late in the game as she became frustrated with Bradley's pressure. She finished with seven turnovers and had two points and three rebounds in the second half, but she showed flashes of brilliance both offensively and defensively.
"She has a bright future ahead of her," Howard said. "I mean, she already has colleges looking at her. If she keeps playing the way she's playing, she is going to do big things.
Unity Wood matched Hayes' nine points. Howard's 21 points led Bradley, and Halle Hughes and Kimia Carter each contributed 18.
Bradley Central hosts Ooltewah in its last district game Friday, while East Hamilton plays at Walker Valley. The Lady Hurricanes' Maleiah Moon was injured in Monday's game and did not return.
Gremore believes the injury could be serious, but tests will be done today.
"She's our best defender. The way she went down, she was in a lot of agony and pain. She was hurting. She was hurting bad," he said. "Offensively, we won't miss a whole lot because we have some people who can come off the bench and fill that role. But defensively, there's no one on the team who can play like her."
Contact Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-6757-6361. Follow him on Twitter @THEMarkPace and Facebook at Facebook.com/themarkpace.