For the first time in four years, Bradley Central’s Bearettes opened a basketball season without superstar Rhyne Howard, who is now a freshman at the University of Kentucky.
The result was the same, though.
The Bearettes routed Baylor’s Lady Red Raiders, 59-30, Tuesday night behind Anna Walker’s 14 points and 10 rebounds by Alexis Barnes.
Bradley improved to 38-4 in the series with Baylor and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. The Lady Raiders’ last win came in January 2015.
Neither team could find its shooting range for the first 2 ½ minutes of play. Bearettes senior Hannah Lombard broke the ice with a 3-pointer (her only points in the game), but Baylor held a shaky 10-8 lead going into the second quarter.
Bradley built a 26-17 halftime lead and then used an 11-0 run in the third period for a 39-26 advantage after three quarters and outscored the visitors, 20-4, in the final quarter.
Coach Jason Reuter’s squad, which won 32 straight games last season before losing to Houston, 52-49, in the Class 3A state tournament quarterfinals in Murfreesboro, shot poorly (16 of 59, 27.1 percent) but connected on 16 of 24 free throws (66.7 percent). The Bearettes were strong on the boards with a 42-33 rebounding edge. Barnes had eight offensive rebounds.
Bradley went 11 for 42 from 3-point distance and Walker was 4 of 13 behind the arc.
Raegyn Conley led Baylor with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bearettes will host William Blount on Thursday.
Scoring Summary
Girls Game
Baylor 10 7 9 4 – 30
Bradley Central 8 18 13 20 – 59
Baylor (30) – White 1, Raegyn Conley 17, Barton 3, Gordon 2, McKnight 4, Shamblin, Rye, Collins 1, Restelli, Johnson, Gilbert 2, Stack.
Bradley Central (59) – Hughes 5, Roberts 6, Blair 9, Anna Walker 14, Lombard 3, Mayo 3, Reuter, Barnes 6, Crittenden 2, Williams 8, Carman 3, Estrada, Falcon.
3-Point Goals – Baylor 1 (Barton), Bradley Central 11 (Walker 4, Hughes 1, Roberts 1, Blair 1, Lombard 1, Mayo 1, Williams 1, Carman 1).
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44