CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Through hours of video study and spending the majority of their practice time on the defensive end of the basketball court, the Bradley Central Bearettes continue to thrive off an ability to slow their opponents’ roll.
A historic 40th region championship was secured by the No. 2 state-ranked Bearettes with a 46-35 win Wednesday night over a talented Stone Memorial squad. The visitors in the 3-AAA title game did not make a shot from the field in the fourth quarter until the final buzzer sounded in Jim Smiddy Arena.
“Even on nights when you are not scoring or shooting like you want to, you can still win if you focus and play strong on defense,” veteran Bradley Central coach Jason Reuter said. “We haven’t made any videos or sold any DVDs on how to play defense, we just are playing really hard, together and preparing well for other teams.”
Despite a major size advantage and their status as the only in-state opponent to beat the Bearettes (30-3) this season, the Panthers’ road to state became a whole lot tougher with the loss.
Stone Memorial (23-6) ended the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 27-26 lead but found it tough to score any points until it was too late.
On the way to a region MVP award, Bradley Central junior Anna Walker was one of the few to stand out from the field in a battle of defensive juggernauts. Walker’s 3-pointer from the top right of the arc to put the Bearettes up 31-27 with 6:05 remaining improved the Samford committed-player to 6-of-6 from the field, which accounted for half of her team’s makes.
As the paint was being denied by Bearettes defenders, sophomore leader Jamaryn Blair continued to take hard bumps. She turned fouls into points in a big way from the free-throw line, where she was 11-of-12 in the fourth quarter to finish with a game-high 16 points. She made 12 of her 14 free throws in the game.
“We stood our ground and were ready,” said Blair, who drew 13 fouls. “Defense is key and so are free throws, especially down the stretch. We have grinded all season to execute late.”
Bradley Central senior Kaleigh Hughes also stepped up with a pair of 3-pointers and a clutch offensive putback with 1:57 left to stretch the lead to 35-28.
Reuter commended the defensive efforts of senior post Hannah Lombard, who held Lipscomb-committed Emma Capps to nine points. Stone shot 1-of-10 from the field in the fourth quarter and 29.4 percent for the game.
Bradley Central will host Oakland at 7 p.m. Saturday for a shot at a repeat trip to Murfreesboro for the state tournament.
The Lady Patriots (21-10) fell 48-35 to Riverdale (29-1) in their region championship game Wednesday.
“It’s a big deal to have your home crowd behind you,” said Walker, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots while going up against a talented sophomore post in Tessa Miller (14 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks).
“Playing at home is worth a few points. We are ready to go, and I know our fans are.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.