CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Everything was big Wednesday night.
The game was big.
The stakes were huge.
Stone Memorial’s girls presented an enormous problem with three 6-footers in the starting line.
It would take whopping effort for Bradley Central’s girls to meet the full-sized challenge ahead of them in the Region 3-3A tournament championship at Jim Smiddy Arena.
Guess what?
The Bearettes came up, well, big.
And the littlest Bradley player on the had an immense impact on the outcome.
Sophomore point guard Jamaryn Blair, graciously listed at 5-foot-6 on the roster, connected on 11-of-12 free throws in the final 4 minutes, 8 seconds and almost single-handedly – offensively at least – was able to keep the Lady Panthers at bay in a hard-fought 46-35 victory.
“What she did at the foul line down the stretch tonight, Jamaryn hasn’t been shooting that well on the season,” Bearettes coach Jason Reuter said. “She had ice water in her veins. She may have been so tired that she probably went up there relaxed. She basically ended the game.”
Blair was 12-for-14 at the free throw line for the game and Bradley did a good job of getting the ball in her hands late. The only interruption to Blair’s scoring at the stripe came when senior Kaleigh Hughes made two free throws with 1:57 remaining.
At the very end, Cambree Mayo hit 1 of 2 and Anna Walker, the tournament’s most valuable player, made 1 of 2 with 8.6 seconds left.
“Other players have better free-throw percentages, but Jamaryn is a gamer,” Reuter said. “When the game is tight, she likes that situation. Despite better percentages from girls on the floor, tonight there was nobody I’d rather have up there than Jamaryn Blair.”
Team-wise, Bradley Central (30-3), which won its 40th regional title and fourth in a row, knocked down 18-of-22 free throws. Stone Memorial (23-6) went 14-for-19 from the line.
When it was all over, Blair, a normally quiet, laid-back player with a streak of intense competitiveness in her soul, could hardly hold in her emotions.
“This is so good to win the regional again and keep the Bearettes’ legacy going,” she said, pumping her right fist in a tame celebratory moment. “They were very physical and they had a lot of height and it says a lot about us to hang in there with them and come out with the win. We’re not here to throw elbows and shots at everyone, we’re trying to win a ballgame.”
With the win, Bradley Central will host Oakland (21-10) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Sectional. Stone Memorial will travel to play Riverdale (24-1). The two winners advance to the TSSAA girls’ state tournament in Murfreesboro on March 6-9 at Middle Tennessee State University.
Riverdale defeated Oakland, 48-35, Wednesday night for the Region 4-3A title.
In a low-scoring game, Blair finished with a game-high 16 points on 2 of 9 shooting that including missing her only three 3-point attempts. She made up for that at the free-throw line.
Walker scored 16 points and was 6-of-8 from the field while battling Stone Memorial’s front line – 6-3 Tessa Miller, 6-3, Emily Boyd and 6-2 Emma Capps.
“We showed our toughness,” Walker said, “and no matter who’s guarding us we’re going to the hole and score. You could get mental in games like this if someone blocks your shot. We’re tough beyond that.
“This came down to the team that wanted it more and obviously, we did. It was a matter of us getting tough inside against those three bigs. We hunkered down and did the job.”
Said Lombard, “Coach Reuter says because we’re small we have to fight like dogs, and we did. I’m really excited because we’ve now got a chance of going to state.”
The Bearettes, who also placed Lombard, Blair and Hughes on the all-tournament team, have played in four of the last seven Class 3A state tournaments.
Play was testy throughout and increased in degrees, especially, in the fourth period.
Was in the toughest game the Bearettes have played this season?
“Well, it’s definitely up there,” said Hughes, who scored eight points and hit a 3 in the third quarter for a 21-14 advantage, the biggest lead for either team to that point. “We’ve been trained not to retaliate because the referees always see the second punch. Even though that’s hard to do sometimes, we know the consequences of fighting back and we remain calm.”
At one point in the fourth period, slightly built Cambree Mayo walked toward the Bradley bench motioning to Reuter that she took an elbow to the mouth and straight for the trainer.
Referees called 34 fouls, 21 on the Lady Panthers and Mattie Buck and Emily Boyd fouled out. Two other players, Alex Eldridge and Capps, each had four fouls when the game ended. Hughes and Alexis Barnes each three fouls when the final hour sounded.
Neither team shot well. Stone Memorial made 10-of-34 shots (29.4 percent) and was 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) behind the 3-point line. Bradley Central went 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) from the field and made 4-of-19 behind the arc.
“Nobody was going to have gaudy numbers tonight, but that’s all right,” said Reuter, who is 11-1 against Stone Memorial, “In a tight game, everybody plays closer to the vest. Players get a little more cautious shooting the ball and coaches get a little tighter on our leash.”
Reuter credited the Lady Panthers’ effective 2-3 zone defense with the low-scoring affair.
“They’re pretty good at that zone,” he said, “and they can keep the score down. If they play man, the score might be in the 50s or lower 60s. They make you take longer (of offense) and there weren’t many transition buckets for either team.”
The Lady Panthers committed 14 turnovers with Miller making five – Miller led the team’s scoring with 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end. The Bearettes had 11 miscues and Walker had four. When the basketball went inside, there were bodies moving tight around the ball and arms obliterated sight lines all night.
Bradley outscored Stone Memorial, 16-14, in the paint.
The first half was not about offense.
It took a Hughes 3 from the right wing to give the Bearettes a 16-13 lead with 1:27 left in the first half. Stone Memorial’s Mattie Buck made a free throw with 67 seconds left.
Walker hit a bucket, Hughes swished a big 3 from the right wing and Walker followed with a shot off the glass for a 23-16 lead early in the third period.
Bradley Central’s lead was 26-18 after a Mayo 3, but Eldridge got a hot hand and scored seven of the next nine points – Boyd also scored in the whirlwind spurt – and the Lady Panthers grabbed a 27-26 lead heading to the fourth period.
Walker drove for a layup 19 seconds in the final quarter and followed with a 3-pointer, pushing the lead to 31-27 with 6:03 on the clock.
Two minutes later, Blair took charge.
“Down the stretch, I was proud of all the girls for doing great jobs,” Hughes said. “We didn’t whig out and Jamaryn was a life saver. I’m really proud of Jamaryn.”
Scoring Summary
Stone Memorial 6 8 13 8 – 35
Bradley Central 7 9 10 20 – 46
Stone Memorial (35) – Eldridge 8, Buck 3, Tessa Miller 14, Capps 9, Emily Boyd 1, Roark, Adkisson.
Bradley Central (46) – Hughes 8, Roberts, Jamaryn Blair 16, Anna Walker 14, Lombard 2, Mayo 4, Reuter 2, Barnes, Williams, Carman.
3-Point Goals – Stone Memorial 1 (Eldridge1), Bradley Central 4 (Hughes 2, Walker 1, Mayo 1).
All-Tournament Team
Bradley Central – Anna Walker (MVP), Hannah Lombard, Jamaryn Blair, Kaleigh Hughes
Stone Memorial – Emma Capps, Tessa Miller, Alex Aldridge
East Hamilton – Madison Hayes, Eliziah Laboo
Cookeville – Chloe Savage, KK Gravers
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)