MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After a back-and-forth first half in which Brainerd led for nearly nine minutes, top-ranked Christ Presbyterian Academy shifted into a gear the Panthers simply don’t have.
The Lions ultimately cruised to a 77-43 victory in the Class AA state basketball tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Middle Tennessee State University.
“They’re legit,” Brainerd coach Levar Brown said afterward, summing up his team’s first experience against a CPA team that is looking to play for the state title for a fourth consecutive year.
The Lions won two straight before losing in last year’s final on a buzzer beater and are now 141-11 over the past four seasons.
The Lions shot an incredible 19-of-23 (83 percent) from the field in the second half, while Brainerd made just 4 of 27 (15 percent) of its second-half shots. The Panthers were 1-of-15 on 3-point attempts.