Central's Tre Tiller slams home two of his game high 22 points to help lead Central to a 53-44 win over rival Brainerd in the Region 3-AA championship game. Central now hosts Region 4-AA runner-up Livingston Academy Tuesday night in a sectional contest at Chattanooga State. Game time is 7 p.m. Brainerd travels to Cannon County, to face the Region 4-AA champion Lions at 8 p.m. EST.
photo by Dennis Norwood
There just must be something about playing basketball at Chattanooga State that makes the Central Purple Pounders click.
Especially when the opponent is the Brainerd Panthers.
Facing Brainerd for the fifth time this season and second at Chattanooga State on Monday night, the Purple Pounders defeated the Panthers for the third time.
The latest conquest may have been the biggest as it was for the Region 3-AA championship and it entitled the winners to another home game on Tuesday night in the Sectionals. It was a defensive struggle from the opening whistle as nobody from either team had an open look the entire game.
Central prevailed on Monday night by a 53-44 final and will host Livingston Academy on Tuesday. Brainerd will head toward middle Tennessee and Woodbury where they will face Cannon County.
""I've never been here before as a head coach," said Central coach Rick Rogers after his team won its first Region tournament title in a long, long time.
"I knew when these guys tried out three years ago that they were going to be a special bunch. The fact they were best friends made it even better, but what a day for Central High School. We've worked a long time to get to this point.
"We knew that we had to stop Kentrell Evans and keep him from penetrating down the lane. That plan seemed to work and they only had 14 points in the first half, which is totally unlike those guys. I think our defensive intensity wore them down and that's what kept us in the game, but their legs were gone as their shots were really off.
"But I want to go to Murfreesboro," Rogers added, knowing that a win on Tuesday will earn his team a spot in next week's state tournament.
Tre Tiller scored on a layup to start the game and Ryan Montgomery followed with a steal and slam as Central bolted to a 4-0 lead in the first 75 seconds.
A 3 by Tiller and a reverse layup by Terron Hayes extended Central's lead to 9-1 with 3:33 left in the first quarter as the Panthers never had the lead.
The difference was 15-9 when the first quarter ended.
Seven straight points to start the second stanza extended Central's lead to 22-9. A steal and a slam by Tiller at the 2:55 mark stretched the Pounder lead to 24-11 before a 3 from the base from Marques Tipton got the Panthers to within 24-14 at the break.
Brainerd always prides itself on a strong start to the second half. Tipton scored the first four points on the third quarter to get within six. The Panthers got two free throws from Tipton at the 2:24 mark to cut it to four at 27-23, but just as quickly, Central scored five of the last six points of the quarter for a 32-24 lead with eight minutes to play.
Da'V Moore's drive down the lane at the start of the fourth got Brainerd to within six, but Central then went on a 10-0 run and started sensing victory with a 16-point lead midway through the final quarter.
Brainerd wasn't ready to quit playing, but that double-digit lead was too much as six points was as close as the Panthers would get the rest of the way.
Brainerd pressed late in the game and created a few Central turnovers, but the Panthers never could get a critical bucket when needed the most.
Tiller put the icing on the cake with a breakaway layup and three throw with 13 seconds to play for the final points and the Central junior celebrated by doing a couple of back handsprings and a back flip at midcourt as soon as the final horn sounded.
"We missed way too many shots as we couldn't throw it in the ocean," said Brainerd coach Lavar Brown after the Panthers had fallen to 21-7 for the season.
"They made a few more shots than we did, but they came out punching from the start. By the time we started playing, it was over. Central seemed to have more energy than we did and they were a little bit more hungry as they had a point to prove, but we just didn't shoot the ball well at all. I'm not using that as an excuse, but I can't explain why we played so bad.
"I just hope we get another shot against them next week, but we both have tough games tomorrow night," Brown concluded.
Point guard Terron Hayes only scored two points, but he handled the Brainerd pressure like a champ and was honored for his effort with the tournament MVP award.
Tiller was the leading scorer for Central with 22 points while Emmanuel Lane was next with 10. Montgomery followed with nine points.
Tipton was the only Brainerd player in double figures as he finished with 19, including 14 in the second half. Moore finished with nine after spending more time then he would have liked on the bench in foul trouble.
The sophomore Evans, who torched Hixson for 33 points in the semifinal on Saturday, was limited to just five points.
Central also won the rebound battle by an unofficial 33-25 margin.
Tiller had 11 caroms while Brian Billingsley and Montgomery both claimed seven apiece. Tipton and Moore both had seven each for Brainerd.
REGION 3-AA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Chandler Abbott, Braven Morton (Hixson); Malik Davis, Will Davis (Red Bank); Marques Tipton, Kentrell Evans (Brainerd); Ryan Montgomery, Tre Tiller, Terron Hayes--MVP (Central).
BRAINERD 9 5 10 20 -- 44
CENTRAL 15 9 8 21 -- 53
BRAINERD (44) -- Ross 3, Tipton 19, Evans 5, Melvin 1, Cothran, Herman, Walker, Moore 9, Beavers 7.
CENTRAL (53) -- Tiller 22, Billingsley 2, Hayes 2, Montgomery 9, Benford 6, Poole 2, Lane 10.
3-POINT GOALS: Brainerd 1 (Tipton); Central 2 (Tiller, Lane).
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@Comcast.net)
Central's Terron Hayes brings the ball up the floor against Brainerd Monday night at the Chattanooga State Community College gym. Hayes was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
photo by Dennis Norwood