MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Bradley Central sophomore Harmonie Ware did everything in her power Wednesday to help keep the Bearettes dancing in the TSSAA Class 4A BlueCross Basketball Championships.
Ware had the most important box-out move of her prep career as she got in perfect position under the left side of the basket to haul in an airball and put it back up for the winning shot at the buzzer in a 55-53 quarterfinal victory over reigning state champion Bearden, which had been unbeaten this season.
Ware was mobbed by her teammates after helping the Bearettes improve to 33-1 as they hunt for the storied program’s seventh state title. They will face Cookeville (31-4) in a semifinal at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center. Cookeville defeated Blackman 53-51 Wednesday.
“I could tell it was going to be an airball, so I went and got it,” Ware said. “When the ball left my hands, I knew it was going in. I was extremely excited. We practice last-second situations all the time. This was a serious moment. We locked in and found a way to finish it.”
Meanwhile, Kimora Fields continued her sensational debut season for Bradley Central.
Despite going up against 6-foot-3 Florida State signee Avery Treadwell, the 6-foot freshman dominated underneath the basket. Fields led her team with 22 points, shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 6-of-9 on free throws in 21 minutes. She has made 68.6% (242 of 353) of her field-goal attempts this season.
“There was a big crowd, and everybody is here watching you,” Fields said. “There is a lot of pressure, but you can’t let it get to you. I just had to stay calm and play basketball and do my part for our team.”
Ware also led a 12-0 run to start the third quarter for the Bearettes, who were up 21-18 at halftime. Ware started the third with a pair of 3-pointers, while her mid-range jumper with two minutes left in the quarter provided Bradley with its biggest lead of the game at 43-27. She finished the game with 16 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
“We have had some great Bearettes,” Bradley Central coach Jason Reuter said. “We have been here 33 times, more than anybody in the state. I don’t want to sell anybody short, but this is a pretty strong duo. I have the big inside (Kimora) and a slasher in Harmonie who can shoot the 3 ball and drive well. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
Bearden (35-1) would not give in as freshman guard Natalya Hodge did not back down despite shooting just 1-for-10 in the first half. Hodge scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half, which included an extremely difficult driving layup with 37 seconds left to tie the game at 53.
Bradley Central senior captains Sloan Carpenter and Hannah Jones fouled out with 5:06 and 2:42, respectively, left in the fourth quarter. Jones finished with 10 points and three steals.
But another senior, Erika Swick, played a crucial role in helping the Bearettes live to play another day at state.
Before the winner from Ware, Swick called a heads-up timeout when she did not see an open teammate on the inbound pass, helping the Bearettes avoid a five-second call that would have given possession to Bearden. It was then Swick’s shot that fell short to set up Ware.
“We are blessed,” Reuter said. “Erika was not supposed to play again this year. She injured her foot three times. She played 18 minutes today and inbounded the ball for us at the end on the game-winner. She gave us some much-needed senior leadership with two of our captains out.
“We changed our play after her timeout, and thank God Erika shot an airball, because Harmonie put it right in.”
Friday's first Class 4A semifinal is at 11 a.m. Eastern and pairs Bartlett (33-7) and Green Hill (18-16). Those teams played their quarterfinals Tuesday night, with Bartlett winning 57-37 against Sevier County and Green Hill beating Clarksville 55-45.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
Updated with more information at 6 p.m. on March 8, 2023.