Best area home-court records since 2001BoysHoward 109-14 .886Bradley Central 97-20 .829Brainerd 85-18 .825Cleveland 84-20 .808Arts & Sciences 83-21 .798GirlsMcMinn Central 121-9 .931Cleveland 88-14 .863Walker Valley 116-19 .859Chattanooga Christian 90-21 .811Grundy County 83-31 .728
Long before Under Armour started proclaiming that “We Must Protect This House,” sports teams at all levels put an emphasis on protecting their home surfaces. Some teams have just been able to do it better than others.
With league races nearing the end, a loss at home becomes devastating for seeding purposes.
“One home loss really hurts you,” LaFayette coach Tommy Swanson said. “You have to be able to win your home games because winning on the road is so difficult in our region [7-AAA].”
In an informal poll taken by the Times Free Press, Bradley Central was selected as the toughest place to get that precious road victory. Since 2001, the Bears have a 97-20 record on the hardwood of Jim Smiddy Arena, which is the second-best mark for a boys’ team in the area. Howard was first, having lost only 14 times in that time frame with 109 wins. Brainerd, followed by Cleveland and Arts & Sciences, round out the top five.