Bradley Central seniors.
photo by Tony Eubanks
The Bradley Central basketball teams played host to the East Hamilton Hurricanes taking two wins as they celebrated their senior night.
In the girl’s game, the Bears jumped out to a big early lead via a 13-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. Bradley took control of the glass early and took advantage of the many good easy shots they earned by way of tough defense and good rebounding on both ends of the court. The second quarter opened with the Bears up 24-5 and ended with that lead still intact at 38-17, as the Hurricanes picked up the pace on the offensive end.
It was more of the same in the second half as the bears outscored the Hurricanes in each of the last two periods, eventually winning the game by 35 points. Senior Brook Copeland led the Bears with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Fellow Bradley senior Rebecca Reuter also put up a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks on the night. Maggie Woods led East Hamilton with 16 points, which included four 3-pointers.
In the second game of the night, the Bradley boys edged East Hamilton in a hard-fought win 70-60. The Bears jumped out to an early lead, scoring from beyond the arc five times in the first quarter, going into the second period with a 21-9 lead. In second quarter the Bears proceeded to play solid defense and control the glass on both ends of the floor, while managing to get to the free throw line eight times in the period. The only thing that seemed to keep Hamilton’s spirits up was a dunk from sophomore Kenny Bunton with about three minutes left in the half.
The second half began with Bradley up 32-15, as the Hurricanes turned up the pressure on defense and began knocking down some shots and closing the gap. The two teams went back and forth as the pace picked up and the two teams began playing a much more physical game. The Hurricanes played with more energy as they moved the ball around, got some better looks at the goal as a result as they outscored the Bears 22-12 in the third. The final period began with Bradley still up at 46-37.
The Hurricanes managed to cut the lead to as little as little as 5 points behind some great interior passing and perimeter shooting, as they dropped four three-pointers in the final quarter. With the score at 55-50 in Bradley’s favor, foul trouble got the best of the Hurricanes as the Bears hit 22 of 28 free throws on their way to a 70-60 win. Daniel Clark led the Bears with 21points, while Cole Copeland and Taylor Bentley put up 14 and 13 points respectively.
Seniors Brooke Copeland and Rebecca Reuter pose with some fans.
photo by Tony Eubanks