In a battle of nationally-ranked Top 5 powerhouses, Bradley Central saw its 38-game winning streak snapped by the host second-ranked Montverde Academy in the opening day of the MLK Sunshine Classic, in the Orlando area.
The Lady Eagles (14-1) took an 80-59 decision Friday afternoon in a matchup that came about after both teams were scheduled to play in a tournament in Washington, D.C., on the same weekend, but that event fell through when the sponsors were unable to honor signed contracts to out-of-state teams.
“We battled hard, but they shot the ball well and their height (eight players 6-foot-1 or taller, including a 6-foot-7 center) was a problem for us,” noted veteran Bearette head coach Jason Reuter after the game.
“We’ll have to shake it off and get ready for another tough team tomorrow.
They (Montverde) shot 57.7% (11-of-21) from 3-point range and if you can do that you will win the game almost every time. It just came down to their shooting.”
No. 5-ranked Bradley (18-1) will try to respond to their first loss since Jan. 6, 2024, when they face Central Pointe Christian Academy (15-8) from Kissimmee, which is ranked second in the state of Florida among prep schools, Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Center Pointe played Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (12-4) to the Bearettes game and came up short in a 62-54 battle with the team from Texas.
LADY EAGLES 80 BEARETTES 59 Bradley started off with junior Kimora Fields opening the game with a bucket that was soon followed by Samford signee Avary Brewer nailing a bomb from "distance," forcing a Montverde head coach Matt Shewmake call a timeout just 90 seconds into the game.
The Bearettes maintained the lead throughout the first period with Brewer adding another "bomb" to push the lead to 8-2 and eventually a 15-6 Bearette lead, which turned out to be their largest in the game.
Monteverde closed the gap to 15-12 by the time the first quarter ended and finally tied the Bearettes at 17-all when Agot Makeer, who is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and is ranked as the fourth-best player in the nation, sank a tying basket with 4:15 in the half.
A 3-point shot by Amaia Jackson (Rochester, N.Y.) was the first of 11 long-range goals, giving the Lady Eagles a 20-17 lead and the Bearettes would never get even again as they trailed 35-26 when the halftime horn sounded.
“The second quarter was our undoing,” mentioned Reuter as the Lady Eagles outscored the visitors by 23-11 with the help of five more shots from "downtown," while his Bearettes went cold, hitting just 5-of-16 shots for the period.
“You have to tip your hat to them because they were the better team today. We’ve just got to go back to work and get ready for Center Pointe.”
The Bearettes had their best shooting quarter in the third with 20 points by hitting on 8-of-10 attempts, but the home team also had their best period, going 9-for-11, including four more 3-point attempts and 27 points to stretch their lead to 16 points — 62-46 entering the fourth.
Monteverde was able to hold serve in the fourth period to close out the 80-59 decision over the Bearettes.
Four Bearettes hit double figures with Brewer and Arkansas signee Harmonie Ware scoring 16 apiece, as Fields added 14 with Kennesaw State signee TaTianna Stovall tossing in 10 and clearing the boards for 13 rebounds for another double-double.
Stovall also picked up the only two rejections for the Bearettes, swiped two steals and dished out an assist for a solid game.
Bradley held its own over the tallest team they’ll face this season with 27 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive side, while the Lady Eagles recorded 29 ricochets.
The Bearettes had 14 turnovers with seven steals, with Monteverde also recording seven swipes and 10 turnovers.
“We needed a game like this to challenge us and help us down the road. It was just our third defeat in the past three seasons which ain’t bad,” Reuter concluded.
The 21-point deficit was the largest for the Bearettes since a 71-41 setback to Westlake, Ga., in a holiday tourney in Naples, Fla., in December of 2019. The 80-point tally is also the most points surrendered by a Reuter-coached squad in his 15 years at the Bearette helm.
Montverde's roster features players from seven different states and three countries.
Saniyah Hall, a 6-foot-2 junior from Lorain, Ohio, paced the victors with 18 points, plus had five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Aaliyah Crump, a 6-foot-1 senior from Shakopee, Minnesota, helped out with 17 markers and handed out a seven "dimes."
Makeer netted 13 points, while Jackson finished with 11. Lourdes Da Silva Costa, a 6-foot-3 senior from Stockholm, Sweden, helped out with eight markers and cleared eight rebounds.
GAME SUMMARY
MLK Sunshine Classic
at Montverde, Fla.
Girls Game
Bradley Central 15 11 20 13 — 59
Monteverde Academy 12 23 27 18 — 80
BEARETTES (59) Avary Brewer 16, Harmonie Ware 16, Kimora Fields 14, TaTianna Stovall 10, Wilcox 3, Geren, Osborn.
LADY EAGLES (80) Saniyah Hall 18, Aaliyah Crump 17, Agot Makeer 13, Amaia Jackson 11, Da Silva Costa 8, Breen 8, Harris 5.
3-POINTERS: BC 5 (Brewer 4, Wilcox). MVA 11 (Jackson 3, Crump 3, Hall 2, Breen 2, Harris).
FREE THROWS: BC 6-of-12 (50%); MVA 9-of-12 (75%).
Records: No. 5 Bradley Central 18-1; No. 2 Monteverde Academy 14-1.