Howard led one time and by two points in the first half of the second boys’ Region 3-AA semifinal Wednesday at East Hamilton. As for the Hustlin’ Tigers’ play in the second half, coach Walter McGary said: “I guess they didn’t want to go home.”
Howard gave up the first point of the second half, which turned out to be Brainerd’s only point of the third quarter. The Tigers then took command with a run of 15 consecutive points and went on for a 48-35 victory in the high school basketball tournament.
Tyner cruised past Red Bank 72-48 in the other semifinal.
Howard (25-3) will play Tyner (20-6) for the championship tonight at 7:30 in the teams’ fifth meeting this season. Each has won twice.
Brainerd (21-12) led by as much as 16-7 early in the second quarter but needed Dammius Bennett’s 35-footer as the first half came to a close to take a one-point lead at the break. That was the last of his 10 points, which led the Panthers.
Brainerd went without a field goal in the second half until Jalen Stallion scored on a drive with 2:40 to play and failed to convert a three-point play. By then Howard’s lead was double digits and it never got below eight the rest of the way.
Tigers point guard Quincy Jones was called for his fourth foul with 48.5 seconds to go in the third quarter, which could help account for their offense looking out of synch at times.
“We’re playing too selfish this late in the season,” McGary said. “To be a good ballclub you’ve got to fight through adversity and come with some intensity. We’re not doing that.”
Reginald Hemphill came off the bench and paced Howard with 16 points.
Red Bank (24-9) may have been fortunate to be within 33-22 after two quarters and not just because Kelvin Clay connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing at the halftime buzzer. Four was the most points the Lions had scored in succession, and that was when Nick Ross made two free throws 1:17 into the game and Kelvin Clay added a layup 30 seconds later for a 6-2 lead.
The only difference in the second half was they scored seven consecutive in one span early in the third quarter and that got them within 37-31. Other than that, there were back-to-back Red Bank baskets not long after the fourth quarter began, but the Rams’ lead never dipped below double digits after 6-foot-9 center Michael Bradley made the first of two free throws at 1:05 of the third.
Tyner’s match-up zone was not only a factor holding the Lions’ point total down but at times it also started the Rams’ running game.
“We kept saying they’re not that big inside,” Tyner coach Gerald Harris said. “We knew they were missing a few pieces. We wanted to rebound, make an outlet pass and run, run, run. We did that and continually ended up with three-on-two and two-on-one fastbreaks.
“They were playing us zone, so if we didn’t have anything in transition we looked to pull it out and move the ball. That makes them have to play defense. We were not looking to take 3s but to get the ball inside.”
Forward Reggie Gilmore was often the beneficiary of entry passes to the low post and led the Rams with 18 points. Point guard Travis Jones got much of his 14 points muscling his way inside. Bradley and Damien Suttles, who had Tyner’s only two 3-point goals, contributed 10 apiece.
Clay’s 15 points topped the Lions. Ross totaled 11.