Note: This story was updated on March 6 to correct Bradley Central's average for points allowed in postseason games this year.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Bradley Central girls’ basketball team, which boasts a ranking of No. 23 in the country despite having just one senior on its roster, is one step closer to repeating as the TSSAA Class 4A state champion.
For the second straight year, the Bearettes ended the season for a previously unbeaten opponent in the quarterfinal round, this time with a 62-30 thumping of Clarksville on Wednesday at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
Sophomore sensation Kimora Fields picked up right where she left off in Murfreesboro, with the 2023 state tournament MVP and 2024 Miss Basketball finalist scoring 12 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter of a performance that included 13 rebounds and a pair of steals.
The Bearettes (32-1) advance to face Coffee County (34-3) — a 48-39 winner over Dobyns-Bennett in the third quarterfinal of the day — with a tentative tipoff time of noon Eastern on Friday at MTSU. The first semifinal has Bradley Central rival Cleveland (24-9) facing Bartlett (29-10) at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, and the second will begin 15 minutes after that one concludes.
(READ MORE: Lauren Hurst leads Cleveland to first Final Four appearance since 2008)
“When you get this far in the season and are at the state tournament, a large part of the game is mental,” said Fields, who entered Wednesday shooting 71.1% from the field this season. “We just have to dial in and really focus on the small things. We were all locked in and ready to go.”
After extensive video study in an attempt to figure out the best way to stop Clarksville senior guard Imari Berry, Bradley Central had its answer yet again in 6-foot-1 junior TaTianna Stovall, the team's surefire stopper on defense.
Stovall was quick on her feet and rose high off the court to knock Berry off her mark, as the Clemson signee and McDonald’s All-American shot a paltry 5-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-12 from 3-point range, on her way to scoring just 14 points. Berry had averaged 24.1 points this season for the Lady Wildcats (31-1).
“Defense was the difference in the game,” said Jason Reuter, who is in his 14th year as the Bearettes' head coach. “I told them before the game to hold Imari to 20 points or less. TaTianna did nearly 80% of the work against her. Imari is a heck of a player, but TaTianna is also one heck of a defender.”
Halting a perfect season was nothing new for the Bearettes, who ended a 57-game winning streak for Bearden last year, when Fields scored 22 points and Harmonie Ware hit a dramatic shot for the quarterfinal victory at MTSU.
Ware shined once again at the “Glass House,” with the junior totaling 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals Wednesday.
Bradley Central has allowed an average of just 26.3 points per game this postseason, and for the ninth straight time out, the Bearettes imposed a running clock on their opponent via the mercy rule due to a lopsided lead.
“I was really excited about the challenge of guarding Imari today,” said Stovall, who finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists while playing a team-high 28 minutes. “I knew I had to come out and play tight defense and have help from my teammates on screens. I embrace the challenge of guarding the other team’s best player. I wanted to guard a McDonald’s All-American. Games like this only make me better.”
With Fields’ dominant presence down low drawing two and sometimes three defenders, sophomore sharpshooter Addie Geren took advantage of extra space and drilled three consecutive 3-pointers for the Bearettes over the second and third quarters.
Bradley Central was also sparked by junior guard Avary Brewer in the second quarter, while classmate Malia Wilcox had a game-high four steals. The Bearettes turned the ball over just six times as they improved to 45-27 all-time in state tourney games.
Now two familiar foes will meet in the Class 4A semifinals.
“The last two years, we have challenged each other in preseason scrimmages,” Reuter said of Coffee County, which beat McMinn Central by 23 points before losing to Bradley Central, 55-46, in the Bearettes’ Thanksgiving Classic this season. “We know them well and they know us pretty well.
"What I also know is we have a chance to win this whole thing. Our girls will come out ready to play.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.