Brainerd’s Jameka Brown (5), Hixson’s Jada Johnson (3) and Brainerd’s Chelsea McClendon (24) react after a missed foul shot Friday at Brainerd High School’s gym.Brainerd’s girls snatched away victory Friday.
More precisely, the Lady Panthers’ Jumeka Brown snatched the ball away from Hixson in the final half minute of their District 6-AA high school basketball game at Brainerd. Afterward, teammate Ebony Calloway snatched a rebound in the lane.
The baskets that ensued after those plays enabled Brainerd to defeat the Lady Wildcats 41-39.
Coming into the game the teams were tied for second in the district standings behind Central (10-1 6-AA), which has a game left Tuesday against Tyner but has clinched the top seeding for next week’s district tournament. Byes go to the top two teams, and Brainerd (15-7, 9-2) can secure the No. 2 slot by beating Tyner today at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re extremely happy about that,” Brainerd coach Tyrus Ward said of his team’s position. “A first-round bye is what we wanted, but we’ve still got to go out and play like everybody else. We’re anticipating a great tournament. It’s something we’ve been talking about since last May.”