JaCobi Wood’s Explosive Fourth Quarter Leads Cleveland Past Rival Bradley Central

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Bradley Central’s gym might be named Jim Smiddy Arena, but after Friday night’s rivalry game against Cleveland, they may have to name the court after visiting Blue Raider senior JaCobi Wood.

Wood was unstoppable in the fourth quarter, where he scored 23 of his game-high 37 points to lead Cleveland over rival Bradley 94-77. Making it even more spectacular was that the otherworldly performance came in one of the most electric atmospheres in the state, spurred by a rivalry filled with genuine hatred for one another.

“This atmosphere fills me; it’s what makes great athletes great and it’s what makes me who I am and will help me when I go off to college,” said Wood. “Coach and all my guys believe in me. They let me know that when I’m in the gym, I’m the best player. As a team, we want to win state, and individually I want to win Mr. Basketball. We just want to be successful as a whole.”

The senior came into the game averaging around 28 points, and the Bears did an adequate job of holding him in check for much of the night. Having scored just 14 points in the first three quarters, Wood took the game over with just under seven minutes to go and his team up 61-53.

Appropriately, Wood’s first basket of the quarter was at the basket, where he scored and drew the foul. Wood had four “and-1” baskets in the period, as he took the ball to the rim with authority time and time again, always finding a way to finish even after drawing contact.

The free throw extended the Raiders’ lead to 11, but the Bears refused to go away. Bradley’s Tray Curry, who certainly could have played the hero were it not for Wood’s theatrics, scored nine of his team-high 25 points in the period as the Bears traded baskets with Cleveland for most of the final frame.

With 2:42 remaining, the Bears’ Ashton Boyd hit two free throws to make the deficit just 80-73 for the home team. But Wood was his best down the stretch, scoring 12 of his team’s final 14 points as Cleveland outscored Bradley 14-4 in the final couple of minutes to pull away for the victory.

“His change of direction and change of speeds is some of the best I’ve ever seen,” said Cleveland coach Reggie Tucker. “He can stop and go, and be under control, and that’s something a lot of kids can’t do. He’s also good at finding guys while continuing to attack the basket.”

Wood had help early from teammates Kley McGowan and Grant Hurst. Hurst scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter to help Cleveland build a 22-20 lead, and McGowan had 20 points, including going 3-of-6 from behind the 3-point line.

“Grant and Kley know their role, and they’re great at they’re role. Their role changes every night and they’re fine with that,” Tucker said. “They’re two of the most unselfish guys I’ve ever been around. They understand their role. And when they start making shots, JaCobi is on an island by himself and it makes him even harder to guard.

It was Cleveland’s defense in the second quarter, combined with Bradley struggling to find an offensive rhythm, that led to the Raiders outscoring the Bears 21-11 in the period on their way to a 43-31 halftime lead.

Bradley kept it close throughout the second half, but could never pull all the way back to even. Quante Berry had 12 points for the Bears, including ten in the final period, while Ashton Boyd and Mason Rothwell each had 11. Mo Schramm scored 11 points for Cleveland, including a thunderous dunk down the lane to start the fourth quarter.

The Raiders’ style on the court matches their wide variety of hairstyles, which range from dreads to a man-bun, to a full-blown mullet. While giving an eye-roll and a shrug, Tucker said it’s one of the things that makes this team so fun and unique.

“They look like an NBA team out there, don’t they?” Tucker joked. “That’s their character, and I love it. They’ve all got their own…I don’t even know what to call it. It’s something different every day. JaCobi has had his in front of his eyes one day, and Kley had his in pigtails. Now, we’re not doing that. It’s one thing to have a mullet, but we’re not having pigtails. They’re so much fun to coach, though.”

Bradley Central Girls 67, Cleveland 52: The Bearettes used a strong second half to fend off a tough Lady Raiders team. Bradley Central was led by Anna Walker with 22 points, with 12 of those coming in the third quarter after she found herself in foul trouble early on.

Up by just two points at halftime, Walker made the difference out of the locker room, draining two 3’s and controlling the game inside. The Bearettes outscored the Lady Raiders 20-13 in the period to extend their lead to nine.

“I probably put her back in a little earlier than I should have in the second quarter with two fouls,” said Bradley Central coach Jason Reuter. “But that’s about her being a senior and earning trust after four years with me. This is just one battle, and I’m sure Coach Williams gained some knowledge out of it, but I feel like I got a better idea of how we’ll play them next time.”

That momentum would hold up, as Bradley went on a 9-1 run to start the fourth period. Cleveland starter Bailey Anderson, in foul trouble for most of the game, fouled out to begin the period. She was then assessed a technical foul as she argued the controversial foul call. That ended up in a four-point possession and spurred the run that effectively put the game away.

Bradley Central’s bench tipped the scales in what was a tightly-contested game up until the final quarter. Led by Alexis Barnes, who had 12 points, and Ashlan Crittenden, the bench played a pivotal role, particularly in the first half while Walker and several other Bearettes were in foul trouble.

“Cleveland’s got a great team, but we might be a little deeper,” Reuter said. “You can look at the NBA, and there’s a handful of stars combined with a lot of role players. Most of us are role players. The secret recipe is to get your role players to do their job. Our depth is a big reason I was comfortable going back to Anna in the first half; I trusted that they could handle it if she got in foul trouble again.”

Despite a tight first half that rarely saw the margin widen more than five points, the Bearettes led throughout. Jamaryn Blair scored 15 for Bradley, while Anna Muhonen had 13.

Mariyah Person and Kara Williams led Cleveland with 11 points each.