CLEVELAND, Tenn. – During a timeout with 6:26 left in Bradley Central’s basketball game Friday against Livingston Academy, Bears coach Kent Smith told his team that the outcome probably was going to come down to the last possession.
How right he was.
A steal by Bryce Copeland in the final seconds enabled the Bears to claim a 66-65 victory over the Wildcats in the Murmaid Mattress Thanksgiving Classic at Cleveland High School.
“As we get more game experience in tough game situations, we’ll continue to get better,” Smith said.
The Bears (2-0) had to clamp down on 6-foot-9 center Logan Ramsey and 6-6 forward Mason Ramsey, who finished with eight and 17 points. Bradley’s tallest starters are James Stovall and Hunter Chastain, each of whom stands 6-3. Miles Morgan and Matt Whitmire also provided key minutes against the tall duo.
Smith praised the play of Chastain, noting he “used his body well inside. He boxed out the big guy and got him frustrated.”
BRADLEY CENTRAL 66, LIVINGSTON ACADEMY 65Livingston 18 12 17 18 – 65Bradley 14 19 17 16 – 66Livingston Academy (65) – Jake Huitt 15, McCoin 3, Eldridge 1, Hayes 5, Hill, Reeder 6, Mason Ramsey 17, Kailen Melton 10, L. Ramsey 8.Bradley Central (66) – Justin Houston 14, Johnson 3, Christian 2, Johnston 5, James Stovall 13, Hunter Chastain 10, Morgan 5, Whitmire 2, Bryce Copeland 12.3-point goals: Livingston 8 (Huitt 3, Melton 2, McCoin, Hayes, M. Ramsey); Bradley 5 (Houston, Johnson, Johnston, Stovall, Copeland). Record: Bradley 2-0.
Mason Ramsey fouled out.
“They didn’t dominate inside, and I thought the guards did a good job of helping out,” Smith said. “Even once they took the lead, we never got rattled.”
The Bears trailed 18-14 at the end of the first quarter, but a 13-3 run gave them the lead. They led by three at halftime and kept an edge until a layup by Livingston’s Colby Reeder put the Wildcats up 52-50 a minute into the fourth quarter.
There were four ties and four lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. Bradley took the lead for good at 61-59 on two Justin Houston free throws with 1:40 remaining.
Two freebies apiece by Stovall and Morgan stretched the lead to 65-61, but a three-point play by Logan Ramsey trimmed the gap to a point. The teams traded free throws, but after a miss by Reeder, a Bear knocked the ball out of bounds with 5.7 seconds remaining.
Livingston set up a play for Logan Ramsey, but he bobbled the post-entry pass and Copeland was able to recover the loose ball to seal the win.
Bradley had four players in double figures, led by Houston with 14. Stovall had 13, while Copeland had 12 and Chastain tallied 10. Jake Huitt had three 3s and 15 points for Livingston, while Kailen Melton had two 3s and 10 points.