Tyner beats state-ranked rival Brainerd, 49-37

Brainerd's Kentrell Evans (10) blocks the view of Tyner's Kevin Cameron (3) as he drives to the basket in first half action Tuesday night.
Brainerd's Kentrell Evans (10) blocks the view of Tyner's Kevin Cameron (3) as he drives to the basket in first half action Tuesday night.

Since the boys' basketball season began, Tyner has believed it can be a state tournament contender. Tuesday night, inside the historic Brainerd gym in a battle of state-ranked rivals, the sixth-ranked Rams proved that point with a resounding 49-37 District 6-AA win over their ninth-ranked foe.

The win snapped a five-game losing skid to Brainerd (13-4, 5-1), last year's state runner-up, including a four-point defeat in late December during the Best of Preps tournament.

"To come into their gym and win like this, this should do a lot for our confidence," said Rams wing Jerrion Christopher, who led all scorers with 17 points, including two 3-pointers during a nine-point scoring spree in the third quarter.

"We have felt like we are a state tournament team, and we know that to prove that we have to beat teams like this. Once I attacked the basket a few times, it opened things up for my outside shot and got us going."

Tyner (14-1, 7-0) beat Brainerd's press in the first half, opening the lane for layups and easy baskets. After a back-and-forth first seven minutes, Tyner took its first lead on KeMarcus Young's 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

From that point, the Rams opened the second quarter with a 9-2 surge to begin pulling away. Christopher's second 3-pointer of the third extended Tyner's lead to 13, and the advantage grew to 19 early in the fourth.

"We had talked all week about how important it was to break their press," Tyner coach Keitha Booker said. "We knew if we could do that, we'd have some quick buckets. I thought our kids did a great job of moving the ball around to beat the press and find open teammates.

"This speaks volumes for what type team we can be. We came in and worked to make a statement and got a big win in a tough environment."

Young and Kevin Cameron added 15 and 13 points for the Rams, who next will host East Hamilton in a nondistrict showdown.

"Christopher is our silent assassin," Booker added. "He's led us in scoring about five times this year, but nobody really notices yet. He makes us a much better team."

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

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