Girls Preparatory School’s Akia Harris, right, sneaks past Harpeth Hall defenders Warner Tidwell and Lauren Grace Himes while driving towards the basket Friday night at the Bruiser’s gym. GPS came away with the win with a score of 70-56.The outcome was never in doubt. But the way GPS went about its business, in a game that would send only the winner to the Division II state basketball tournament, should serve as notice as to just how focused the Bruisers are in defending their state title.
The second-ranked Bruisers never trailed and were able to empty the bench for much of the second half Friday in cruising to a 70-56 victory over visiting Harpeth Hall. GPS (25-4) will play top-ranked Briarcrest Christian in the state tournament semifinals at Lipscomb University next Friday.
“All week the girls were talking about next week and the state tournament,” GPS coach Susan Crownover said. “I kept reminding them that we had to win this game just to get there, but they were very confident. They kept reassuring me that we were going to win this one and get back to the state tournament.
“I thought we came out and played hard and fast from early on and took control. That’s a good sign.”
GPS used a 13-1 run midway through the first quarter to build a lead that never dipped below 12 points the rest of the way. The Bruisers scored 14 of their 24 first-quarter points off turnovers, and it was obvious from the opening minutes that the Bears were no match for the home team’s continuous pressure.
“That’s who we are. That’s our game, running and creating turnovers with our pressure,” Crownover said. “We’re not a half-court team and we don’t want to be one. We have the athletes to make it really tough for anybody to run with us.”
GPS used a 13-4 run to open the second quarter and built a 31-point advantage by the third quarter.
Senior point guard Chadarryl Clay, who earlier in the week had been named one of the state’s three finalists for the D-II Miss Basketball award, led all scorers with 27 points, scoring 16 in the first half.
“It’s hard not to overlook a game like this when you know what’s coming up,” Clay said. “But we’re ready for next week now. We know we’ll need to have high energy the whole game from here on, and we’re ready for that.”