MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Bradley Central guard Andrew Walker made a heads-up steal-and-score play from under the basket just before the halftime horn sounded in Thursday’s TSSAA Class 4A quarterfinal against Memphis East.
It gave Walker’s team a bit of cushion on the scoreboard heading to the locker room and energized the left-handed shooter the rest of the way in a 63-48 win for the Bears, who opened their time at this year’s BlueCross Basketball Championships by extending their streak of victories to 14 games since losing to Chattanooga Prep in late January.
Walker was all smiles after sinking a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a commanding 52-41 lead on his way to scoring 15 of his season-high 17 points in the second half of the matchup at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
“At halftime, I would have never told you I would have scored that many points,” said Walker, whose previous season high was 15 points three times (once each against McMinn County, Sevier County and Arts & Sciences). “I told them at half, I am going to step up this second half. That play right there at the end of the second quarter felt big to me. It sparked me. After that, I knew I could go out and have a good second half.”
Bradley Central (25-8) led 14-9 after the first quarter, 24-21 at halftime and 42-30 entering the final period against the Mustangs (17-14), who were led by Jacquez Suggs’ 13 points and seven rebounds.