CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Game in and game out, the Bradley Central girls’ basketball team tries to jump out to a fast start on its opponents. Tuesday night, the Bearettes — namely Caroline Smith — did just that.
Smith had 19 of her career-high 27 points in the first 16 minutes against her former school, and the Bearettes built a 32-point halftime lead on their way to a 66-44 District 5-AAA victory over the Lady Raiders at Jim Smiddy Arena.
Brooke Copeland added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six steals for the Bearettes (10-1, 3-0).
“I didn’t even know. I was just out there playing,” Smith said. “It’s a good feeling to have such a good game.”
Bradley scored the first nine points and built a 20-point lead before the end of the first quarter. That lead reached 32 on a 3-pointer by Kayla Beavers with 1:08 to go in the second quarter, and the Bearettes briefly reached the “mercy rule” plateau in the third quarter.