CLEVELAND, Tenn. - With a hunger to get back to the "Glass House," the Bradley Central Bearettes know what they must do next to help their quest for the Class AAA state tournament in Murfreesboro.
The state's all-time winningest girls' basketball program wants to avenge a regular-season 10-point loss to Stone Memorial in the Region 3-AAA championship game.
One win away from a fourth consecutive 30-win season, the Bearettes (29-3) will host the Lady Panthers (23-5) from Crossville for the region plaque Wednesday at 7 p.m. Stone rocked East Hamilton 60-39 on Monday.
"I could not have scripted a much better year than this up to now," Bradley coach Jason Reuter said after a 55-38 win over Cookeville at Jim Smiddy Arena on Monday. "But with our tradition, we have to make it to the state tournament to call this a great season. The best way to get there is get that substate (sectional) game at home."
Not a single soul wants to make a trip to the midstate, where most likely three-time defending state champion Riverdale would be a "20-point favorite" on its home court.
Sophomore Bearette Jamaryn Blair drilled a demoralizing step-back 3-pointer to end the first half and finished with a team-high 17 points to help top the Lady Cavaliers (22-11). Blair finished 6-of-12 and 2-of-2 from distance.
Blair benefited several times from spacing provided by senior leader Hannah Lombard, whose impact was felt all over the court. Lombard twice cleaned up missed shots and made putbacks despite being fouled. Her team fed off her energy.
"Hannah continuously battled," Reuter said. "She is only 5-foot-8 and usually going against bigger girls. Her nickname is 'The Beast' because she doesn't ever back down."
Lombard led Bradley Central with eight rebounds while adding nine points, two steals and a block.
Cookeville was led by freshman KK Graver, who scored 17 points. A pair of all-district guards for the visitors were held to zero points.
The Lady Cavaliers felt as they had momentum on a 6-0 run late in the third quarter, but a steal by Kaleigh Hughes led to a Cambree Mayo 3-pointer that was followed by Anna Walker soon after to build a 17-point lead entering the final eight minutes.
Walker finished with three steals and a pair of blocks to go with a dozen points for the Bearettes.
A season after taking an undefeated record to the Class AAA state tournament and losing in the semifinals by three to Houston, Bradley Central has proven to be a state contender without a phenom.
"It's not our girls' fault they played with one of the best players in the country," Reuter said, referring to Rhyne Howard. "Those who questioned if we could do it without her have actually added a little motivation to them and our coaching staff, too. We are determined as ever."
A tough challenge will come against Stone Memorial, which won 65-55 back on Nov. 27 at home against Bradley.
East Hamilton fought with Stone for nearly the entire first half as junior Eliziah Laboo finished off a strong bounce pass from Emily Petitt to tie the score with 2:40 left in the second quarter.
However, the Lady Hurricanes (21-13) could not avoid a derailment as the Lady Panthers went on a 9-0 run over the final minute of the first half and scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to key the 21-point semifinal victory.
Miss Basketball finalist Madison Hayes finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for East Hamilton, which received eight points and nine rebounds from Laboo.
"Our girls have a bright future," East Hamilton coach Hunter Gremore said. "We lose two players but have a lot of experience returning. I was proud of the season we had, but we know what we have to work on this offseason. Foul trouble cost us several times."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon