MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Bradley Central junior Harmonie Ware and her teammates continue to see their way to dominant performances on the basketball court at the “Glass House.”
That was true again in Friday’s TSSAA Class 4A semifinal against Coffee County, even as Ware played on with less than ideal vision.
She led the nationally ranked No. 23 Bearettes to yet another state title game with a star performance in the reigning champions’ 55-35 victory at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
With great touch on her shot and intent to get inside and cause foul trouble for the Lady Red Raiders, Ware scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds while playing a turnover-free 32 minutes.
“I thought Harmonie did a whale of a job. She went 8-for-8 from the foul line with one contact in. She lost a contact early in the game and couldn’t find it,” said Jason Reuter, who is wrapping up his 14th season as head coach at Bradley Central, which is the state’s all-time leader in program victories.
“She played like a champ. She never wavered or flinched. She has grown from her freshman year with a team that lost at home in the substate by two points. They have grown, kept after it and played at a very high level.”
The Bearettes (33-1) will now have a rematch of last year’s 4A final when they face Bartlett (30-10) at 2 p.m. Eastern on Saturday at MTSU. Bradley Central, which beat the Lady Panthers 58-49 a year ago, is trying to secure the program’s first back-to-back state titles since the Bearettes went undefeated in 1975 and 1976 under legendary coach Jim Smiddy.
Tennessee’s largest classification for girls’ basketball has a rematch for the title for the first time since 2013, when Riverdale beat Science Hill for the second year in a row. Bartlett got back by beating Bradley Central rival Cleveland 66-55 in Friday’s first semifinal.
(READ MORE: Cleveland girls fall short in state tournament semifinals)
The Bearettes are chasing the program’s eighth state championship, which would pull them even with Clarkrange and Jackson County for second place in TSSAA history behind Shelbyville’s 12 titles.
“Coming into the season, we already had a target on our back,” said Miss Basketball finalist Kimora Fields, a sophomore who had 10 points, five rebounds and a block in 18 minutes as she picked up two early fouls in Friday’s semifinal.
“We are always going to have to fight to stay at the top. We want to come in here and prove we can be back-to-back state champions. We have worked hard all season. We are prepared for this moment and excited.”
Ware’s aggressive mentality helped get Coffee County star Channah Gannon in foul trouble, with the sophomore forward picking up her third foul with 5:26 left in the first half. Ware then stepped to the line and drilled her free throws to begin an 11-0 run.
Junior point guard Malia Wilcox fired up Bradley Central’s attack with three consecutive assists in the second quarter, with two going to Ware for layups and another on a cross-court pass to junior Avary Brewer for a 3-pointer from the right corner. Wilcox finished with a game-high four steals, and Brewer had 11 points and five assists.
Ware and Fields have tied for a team-high 32 points this week at the BlueCross Basketball Championships, with Ware also having 16 rebounds to go along with four steals and just one turnover in Murfreesboro.
(READ MORE: Bradley Central girls rout previously unbeaten Clarksville at state)
“I knew I just had to step up and battle with Kimora going out of the game with early foul trouble,” said Ware, who is 11-of-19 from the field over the past two games. “Our game plan was to try and get Channah to foul out, and I kept going at her.”
Bradley Central dominated down low with a 30-12 advantage in points in the paint, with 6-foot-1 junior TaTianna Stovall playing lockdown defense inside while helping hold Coffee County (34-4) to 11-of-44 shooting from the field.
Stovall had four of her six blocks in the second half, and she made her offensive presence felt as well, securing a double-double with 33 seconds left in the third quarter on a putback basket to build a 38-24 lead. Stovall finished with 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to go with two steals in 32 minutes.
Ware’s final two free throws with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter closed a 12-0 run for the Bearettes, who know their goal is within reach but will require a strong finish.
“We just have to keep playing excellent basketball,” Reuter said. “That game tomorrow could be one for the history books. Winning back-to-back state championships would change their life. Winning another one would put these girls in a very small class. This is not just another game, this is a state championship game.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.