ATHENS, Tenn. - "Round five" was the appropriate name Tyner boys' basketball coach Keitha Booker gave Thursday's Region 3-AA high school championship game. Not only was it the fifth meeting of the season between his Rams and Brainerd - each team winning twice - but the undertone relating to a heavyweight prize fight was befitting.
The Panthers defeated Tyner 66-62 at McMinn County. If there is to be a "round six," it will take place in the state tournament at Murfreesboro. Both teams advance to Monday's sectional games, where winners move on to the tournament at Middle Tennessee State University.
Brainerd (28-5) will host Livingston Academy and Tyner (26-4) will play at Region 4 winner Macon County. Games are set for 7 p.m. local time of the host school.
McMinn Central won the Region 3 girls' title, cruising past Sequoyah 82-40. Girls' sectionals are Saturday.
McMinn Central (28-3) will host Macon County. Sequoyah (13-14) will play at Region 4 champion Upperman.
Brainerd didn't take the lead for good until tournament most valuable player Jessie Walker broke a tie at 61 with two free throws with 16.4 seconds remaining. Still, nothing was secured until Jamaul Herman Jr., who scored all six of his points in the final 45 seconds, made two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
With the Panthers leading by two, Tyner inbounded with 9.6 seconds to play and got the ball in the hands of guard Kevin Cameron. He drove right and forced up a shot that hit the backboard, but Brainerd coach Levar Brown said he couldn't rest easily until one of the Panthers secured it.
"I was afraid he might throw it off the glass to himself and go get it," Brown said. "We wanted to make sure we had a body on him between him and the basket. It worked out for us."
With the Rams down three a little earlier, Cameron drew the attention of the defense and passed to Jerrion Christopher, whose 3-pointer from the left corner created the 61-61 score with 27 seconds to go.
"We wanted to get the ball in his hands," Booker said of Cameron, who led Tyner with 19 points. "We thought he might get double-teamed and that maybe he could find the open man. Unfortunately it just didn't go our way tonight."
The Panthers led at the ends of each of the first two quarters and were up 38-25 after Joseph Norwood made two free throws with 6:35 to go in the third quarter. But the Rams scored the next 14 points for a one-point lead, and it went back and forth the rest of the way.
"We'd been in that situation before," Booker said. "You've got to keep fighting. We've gotten to this point playing good, solid defense. Basically, that was what we were going to have to do to get back in the game."
Walker topped Brainerd with 15 points. Point guard Kentrell Evans, who drew praise from his coach for "refusing to let us lose," contributed 12.
Christopher and substitute Jeremy Elston had 12 points apiece for Tyner.
' McMinn Central girls 82, Sequoyah 40: The Lady Chiefs scored the first seven points, but by the time the first quarter ended McMinn Central was ahead 20-12.
"We just needed to calm down a little bit, I thought," McMinn Central coach Johnny Morgan said of the slow beginning. "Sometimes we come out a little too high for a game. We just needed to settle down a bit."
Tournament most valuable player Jacobi Lynn helped spark the first-quarter turnaround with 10 of her game-high 28 points.
"We're a smart team," Morgan said. "I think the girls will find anybody that's going to be able to score."
Jordan Wright didn't score in the first quarter but ended up with 20 points for the Chargerettes, who led 41-15 shortly before halftime.
Reserve Mallorie Harrell led Sequoyah with 18 points, including four 3-point goals. Madi Haymes added 12 points.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter.com @KelleySmiddie.