Brainerd has but five players who returned from last season, but those five guys looked as cool and seasoned as ever on Friday night. They entered hostile territory, overcame distractions, stayed within their system, and confidently took down the Pioneers from East Ridge on senior night, 74-61.

“I told these guys a couple weeks ago that it’s time for us to start playing tournament style ball, and we’ve been doing that the last few games for sure,” said Brainerd coach Robert High.

There was no question that East Ridge came to compete. The Pioneers kept pace with the Panthers through the first half with a barrage of three pointers and steady defensive looks that kept Brainerd in check.

By the fourth quarter, though, Brainerd had created separation on some sharpshooting of their own, and after out-scoring East Ridge 16-10 in the third quarter, all they had to do was stay the course in the last eight minutes to seal the victory.

The Panthers got heavy offense from Jeulian High, Demetrius Kitchens, and Jerrna Besley, who each scored in double figures. That kind of production was certainly advantageous for coach High, but at this point in the season he has come to expect it.

“It’s hard to beat a team if you’ve got three or four guys in double figures. {Demetrius} Kitchens has been this way all season long. Jeulian {High} has been scoring double figures for the last five, six, seven games. And Jerran {Besley} is deceiving. Anything that little who can shoot that deep… you know. He was player of the week last week.”

For East Ridge, it was mostly a matter of losing their legs in the second half. Both Eric Taylor and Eddie Hitchcock shot the ball well from deep in the first half, connecting on a pair of three-pointers each, but in the second half the two combined for just one triple. The trouble for East Ridge was simple—those three pointers were the only real offense the Pioneers were able to muster up against the Panthers.

Brainerd point guard Jerran Besley had a standout game, scoring 19 points and running the Panther offense with a gauntlet. Belsey’s savvy ball handling and poise kept the ball out of East Ridge’s hands for most of the second half, and his jump shot range slammed the door on any hope East Ridge might have had to crawl back in the game.

Hitting three deep balls in all, Besley wasn’t afraid to fire from well beyond NBA range.

Demetrius Kitchens lead all scoring in the game with the 20 points. The strong perimeter player found buckets in the paint as well as beyond the three-point line, and gave the Panthers a much-needed boost running the floor on the fast break. Giving the Pioneers trouble on the glass, Kitchens also snatched 10 rebounds in the game, completing the double-double.

Also contributing to the onslaught, Jeulian High posted 15 points on a 5 for 6 night from the free throw line.

“We’ve been shooting them well, and the people that you want on the line are the one’s who are on the line,” said coach High. “It’s unusual for them to miss any at all. {Demetrius} Kitchens, Jeulian {High}, and Jabari {Evans} all are shooting right at 80 percent from the free throw line.”

The Panthers shot 33 free throws in the game, hitting 22.

Sophomore Orlando Moore gathered 10 rebounds in the game for Brainerd and blocked four shots.

The Panthers, who have only lost seven games this season, head to Atlanta this weekend and will return to play Hixson next week. Coach High will be without Jerran Besley, who was ejected from the game when things got chippy in front of the East Ridge bench. Besley attempted to listen in on an on-court East Ridge huddle in the fourth quarter and was pushed away. After retaliating, both the East Ridge player and Besley were ejected. They will each serve a two game suspension.

“My kids know if it’s not a timeout and the coach called them down there as long as you are on the playing floor you can go down and listen. Don’t touch anybody, and you have nothing to say. He reacted and he knew better. He shoved back, and he knows it,” said High.

Alfonzo Cox was the high scorer for East ridge with 18. The high-flying post player grabbed several boards as well, and shot 8 for 17 from the free throw line on just 3 of 7 in the final quarter.

Eric Taylor finished with 16 points on four deep balls, and Eddie Hitchcock ended the night with 11, sinking two three-pointers and making each of his five free throws.

Boys Scoring Summary:

Brainerd 19 19 16 20 74

East Ridge 14 20 10 17 61

Brainerd (74) Kitchens 20, Besley 19, J High 15, T High 9, Moore 5, Evans 3, Cooper 3

East Ridge (61) Cox 18, Taylor 16, Hitchcock 11, Green 10, Sternes 6, Douglas 2

Girls Scoring Summary:

 Brainerd 25 20 17 12 - 74
East Ridge 4 2 0 2 - 8

Brainerd (74) Boston 30, Davenport 16, Johnson 10, Douglas 9, Brumitt 6, Rowland 2, Woods 1
East Ridge (8) McKibben 4 Billingsley 2, Halfacre 2