Brainerd rallies, plays tonight for state championship

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 3/18/16. Brainerd's Jesse Walker (32) celebrates his teams win over White Creek during the Class AA semifinal game being held at the Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU in Murfreesboro, TN, on Friday, March 18, 2016. Brained won over White Creek with a final score of 66-62.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 3/18/16. Brainerd's Jesse Walker (32) celebrates his teams win over White Creek during the Class AA semifinal game being held at the Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU in Murfreesboro, TN, on Friday, March 18, 2016. Brained won over White Creek with a final score of 66-62.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The chant started from the bleachers, somewhere high above the Murphy Center floor, and got louder each time it was repeated: "Brai-nerd! Brai-nerd!"

Fans who had traveled two hours from Chattanooga to Middle Tennessee State University to watch the Brainerd High School boys' basketball team in the Class AA state semifinals Friday evening chanted it with an enthusiasm the program hadn't felt in 19 years.

That's how long it had been since the city's most decorated prep basketball program had reached a state championship game - or any team above Class A from inside Hamilton County had done so. But Friday evening, the Panthers ended that drought by rallying for a 66-62 win over Whites Creek to advance to tonight's title game, where they will face Knoxville Fulton at 7 EDT.

"This Brainerd basketball team has some of the toughest kids anywhere in the state - for sure the toughest I've ever seen," said Panthers third-year coach Levar Brown. "They never give up, and just grind it out. That bad taste from losing here last year is still there, so our mission is not complete. We believe we deserve that gold ball."

Even former Brainerd coach Robert High, who sat in the stands, admitted it had been a while since he had watched a group of Panthers play with the determination and heart he saw Friday.

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, man," said High, who guided the program to three state titles. "It's tough to have to sit and watch these type games, but, boy, they play hard and never give up, and that's what it takes. I'm happy for them and really proud of the way they play."

The game had 11 lead changes and Brainerd trailed by six points with just over four minutes remaining. But much as they had done to close out the third quarter, when they rallied in the final four minutes from seven points down to take the lead, the Panthers finished the game with a scoring flurry.

After opening the final quarter with a three-point lead, Brainerd struggled in its shooting from the floor and Whites Creek seized momentum, seemingly in control before Panthers junior point guard Kentrell Evans and sophomore post Jesse Walker began to assert themselves.

Those two scored 16 of Brainerd's 18 points over the course of the final four minutes, and the Panthers' pressure defense also began to take a toll as the Cobras committed five turnovers during the same span.

"Once our press started to connect, that gave us a big confidence charge," said Evans, who finished with 20 points. "We were down but there was still time, and we just came together and said to leave your heart on the court. Give it everything you have because that's what it'll take. That's what we did."

Brainerd (30-5) took the lead for good on a Malik Beavers jump shot with 1:42 remaining. From there, the Panthers made six of eight free throws.

"Even when they would make a run, we just kept telling each other to work hard," said Walker, who led everyone with 23 points and 15 rebounds. "We had to stay hungry and not let them take it from us. We just fought as hard as we could on every possession - on defense and when we had the ball - to make plays."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.

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