Brainerd’s boys won two championships in their home gymnasium Friday night. One was real. One was concocted.
The latter was the motivating factor the Panthers used to get themselves pumped for their District 6-AA high school basketball game against neighboring rival Tyner, which put up a fierce effort before falling 54-51 in the last regular-season game for the Rams and the last game of the 2017-18 season for Brainerd.
The Panthers were handed down a postseason ban for this season and next by the TSSAA because of their involvement in a benches-clearing fight with Austin-East on Jan. 27 at Brainerd in which people came down out of the stands and got involved. It is possible for both schools to get reinstated for next postseason, provided they follow guidelines laid out by the state organization.
By winning Friday, Brainerd (20-4, 13-1) ends up the district regular-season champion, despite a forfeit loss to Central during the time their season was suspended while the TSSAA gathered evidence regarding the fight. Coach Levar Brown said because there is no postseason for his team this year, that title is unfulfilling.
However, Mr. Basketball finalist Jessie Walker and the other six Panthers seniors who were celebrated on senior night had a message for the rest of the team.