CLEVELAND, Tenn. - With what seemed like all of Bradley County packed into Jim Smiddy Arena, Cleveland High School senior point guard JaCobi Wood had an incredible finishing act in his main rivals' gym Friday night.
Using unreal stop-and-go speed to break off defenders and also finishing through them at the rim, Wood scored 23 of his game-high 37 points in the last 6:41 to secure a 94-77 District 5-AAA victory at Bradley Central.
With a kiss to the sky after his made shots to honor his late brother, Wood has led the Blue Raiders to a 9-0 start this season, with seven victories coming on the road. They are 2-0 in district play.
"Playing in my archrivals' gym fuels me," said Wood, who is averaging over 30 points per game. "I love this atmosphere. It's what makes great players do great. It's tough atmospheres like this that makes me who I am.
"All my guys believe in me and let me know when I am in the gym I am the best player. That's what I try to believe, and I want our team to be successful."
Cleveland's Grant Hurst and Kley McGowan combined for 38 points and had three 3-pointers apiece. Hurst drained one of those long-range shots at the buzzer for a 22-20 lead at the end of the first quarter, which he finished with 10 points.
East Hamilton transfer Morell Schramm added to the fire late with a one-handed slam dunk off a fast break.
Bradley Central (3-2, 0-1) got rolling at times through Tray Curry as the 6-foot-5 post scored 25 points, but the Bears could not cut their 12-point halftime deficit to less than six in the second half.
Wood fought through contact for four bonus-point opportunities in the fourth quarter, and he converted three. After a tough left-handed finish in the lane over two defenders, the 6-2 floor general let out a yell.
"We had to get JaCobi in his spot," first-year Cleveland head coach Reggie Tucker said. "I know he wants to get downhill and change speed. His change of direction and change of speed is one of the best I have seen. He can find guys and continue to attack the basket. I keep telling people, he's the best guard in the state."
With four wins already over teams that made the state tournament last season, the Blue Raiders look poised for big things already not even halfway into December.
Wood hopes to keep putting in the work with his teammates to get to the level they dream of after making it to the Class AAA state quarterfinals and tying a program record for wins last season.
"We want to win state," Wood said. "I want to win Mr. Basketball, too. We practice and prepare so well. So far this season we haven't let our highs get too high or lows get too low. We have to keep pushing."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.