JASPER, Tenn. - Although closer than their regular-season matchups - which tends to happen when rivals meet in the postseason - in the end Tyner's boys' basketball team found itself in a familiar spot.
After holding off a second-half Brainerd rally for a 57-51 win in Tuesday's District 4-2A tournament title game, the Rams stood together a mid-court, lifting the gold hardware for a fourth straight season.
"Brainerd is a good team and the rivalry aspect always makes you nervous," Rams coach E'Jay Ward said. "We had beaten them pretty good the first two times so I thought they would come out and make this one a lot tougher.
"To win four district titles in four years is something to be proud of."
Tyner (20-9) swept the regular-season series by double digits and built an 11-point lead by halftime when Nehemiah Bloodsaw fought through heavy traffic in the lane for a layup at the buzzer.
The Rams then opened the second half with a 3-pointer from Keelan Jackson to extend its lead to 14, but Brainerd answered with an 11-0 run. Another Jackson three, his fifth of the game, snapped the Panther's run and were were followed by a Bloodsaw rebound and put-back.
Brainerd closed the third quarter by cutting the deficit to four, then had two chances to tie the game early in the fourth but missed a pair of jumpers. That allowed Tyner to extend its lead once again with three unanswered baskets and the lead never dipped below four the rest of the way.
"We had some stretches in the second half where we weren't making our shots so I felt like I needed to put the game on my shoulders," said Bloodsaw, who earned tournament MVP honors after scoring nine of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. "We just had to push through it and play harder. It's really tough to beat a team like Brainerd three times because you know they're going to give it their best."
Jackson, another Rams junior who has played a key role all season, finished with 17 points, while freshman Rodney Henderson added 11, including three 3-pointers.
"I know my team looks for me to knock down big threes to get them going and get the crowd going," Jackson said. "When I got open, I just let it fly and was able to make some big shots for us."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis