To put it simply, Beyuan Hendricks had seen enough. For three years, the Baylor School senior guard had witnessed his school’s chief rival, McCallie, walk out of Chattanooga State’s gym with the Times Free Press Best of Preps basketball tournament trophy.
Saturday night, it was the Red Raiders’ turn.
Hendricks earned tournament MVP honors with 23 points and a dazzling floor game to lift Baylor to its first BOP title, 61-57 over East Hamilton.
“This is my fourth one, and it’s an amazing experience to win it for the first time,” Hendricks said. “Honestly, the first part of the game shaped the game. We came out with a whole lot of energy and we were ready for this matchup.”
After East Hamilton’s Jamaal Walker started the game with a 3-pointer, the Red Raiders (12-0) scored the next 16 points, including five points and three assists from Hendricks. Nick Kurtz had six points during the run and keyed a huge rebounding edge, which was 16-6 after the first quarter.
“It was really important because basically the margin we got out to at the start of the game was the margin they were chasing the whole game,” Baylor coach Mark Price said of the opening surge. “We didn’t feel like we played very well yesterday, so (we came) out here tonight and established ourselves, which was really important.”
The Hurricanes (13-3), who played a total of three overtime periods while winning their first two games, found some energy in the second quarter, using six quick points from Walker – who had a game-high 27 – to cut the margin to four early in the period.
Coach Frank Jones team continued to push in the third period, though the Red Raiders answered each time. Walker had six points to start the quarter, with Cam Montgomery and Darwin Randolph scoring consecutive baskets to cut the lead to 35-30 midway through it.
However, Hendricks hit a pair of 3-pointers, with Blake Pruitt and Lorenzo White adding one each to get the lead back to eight at 49-41 to start the final period.
The Canes had one more push, getting within two on 3-pointers from Randolph and Marcus Long with 10 seconds to play, but Hendricks wasn’t about to let this one get away. Baylor put the ball in his hands, and he hit four free throws to seal it.
“I wanted the ball late, and I knew I had to make the free throws and ice the game,” Hendricks said. “They made a couple of runs on us, but we calmed down and got it done.”
White added 12 points and Kurtz seven points with seven rebounds for Baylor.
“Beyuan was fantastic,” Price said. “When they started pressuring us and it got down to it, he was making the right play every time. He knows he’s the guy who has to make things happen for us, and at times he’s taken us on his shoulders and carried us.
“This week, we had a host of guys who have stepped up. This isn’t a team of stars. It’s a team of role players who have bought into their roles, with some stars mixed in.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.