All photos by Karlee Wakeley.
Ensworth joined Brentwood Academy as the only schools to win four consecutive state championships.
By Jason Williams
Nashville, TN – To win his fourth consecutive state championship, Ensworth head coach Ricky Bowers knew his team would have to quit playing at Memphis University School’s pace.
So he told his team to just go. His team responded by pushing the ball up the floor before MUS could set up its defense. The Tigers applied full-court pressure to speed up a methodical MUS offense and ran away with a 57-46 victory and claim the BlueCross Division II-AA Boys State Championship.
“They played a big, wide Syracuse kind of zone,” Bowers said. “We got a little stymied and stagnant … In the second half, we talked about if they score, let’s go. If we don’t score, let’s pick up as opposed to getting back.”
The frantic pace allowed the Tigers to get to the basket, draw fouls and win the game from the free throw line. Ensworth finished 26-of-37 from the stripe.
“We got to the free throw line a lot,” Bowers said. “I think that really was the difference in the game. Now we can set our defense. Now we can determine pace of play. And we made our free throws.”
With the victory, Ensworth joins Brentwood Academy as the only schools in Tennessee history to win four straight titles. The Eagles accomplished the task from 2003-2006 behind future NBA lottery pick Brandan Wright.
While the program has had a winning tradition for four years, Bowers said this team did not show it had what it takes until four weeks ago.
“They decided they were going to play hard,” Bowers said. “They were really committed to each other. We quit talking about basketball stuff and started talking more about team stuff, about being a good teammate and being respectful and caring for other people. I think that was really as important as anything. We took out the selfishness. We started doing what we had to do to win, which is a byproduct of all the good stuff.”
Andrew Fleming (22) finished 16-of-22 from the free throw line. Fleming was named state tournament MVP and Mr. Basketball.
Junior Andrew Fleming led all scorers with 26 points, including 16-of-22 from the free throw line. Fleming became the first player in Division II-AA to win state championship MVP and Mr. Basketball in the same season since the leagues split in 2007.
Despite all the history made, Fleming and his team were just focused on winning today’s game.
“It feels great,” Fleming said. “I think we’re just trying to do what we do. We’re not really worried about the history part, but we’re definitely fortunate. We’re happy to win the game.”
Senior guard Chris Galvin led MUS with 16 points. Galvin helped give the Owls an early lead in the second half with a coast-to-coast lay-up, followed by another lay-up from David Nelson. But on the ensuing possession, Galvin landed on an opponent’s foot trying to grab a rebound and fell to the ground.
Galvin limped off the floor and got his ankle taped, but without its leader, MUS struggled against Ensworth’s pressure and could not regain a rhythm offensively.
2014 Division II-AA Boys All-Tournament Team:
Andrew Fleming (MVP) – Ensworth
Jordan Bone – Ensworth
D’Andre Ferby – Ensworth
Bailey Buford – MUS
Chris Galvin – MUS
David Nelson – MUS
Brode McLaughlin – Christian Brothers
Brentwood Academy avenged a loss to Ensworth in last year’s state championship with a 48-44 victory.
By Jason Williams
Nashville, TN – With a team fueled by memories of last season’s 57-42 loss in the state championship game, Brentwood Academy was led Saturday by a player who didn’t play last season.
Eight grader Sydni Harvey scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in leading her team to a come-from-behind 48-44 win over Ensworth.
“We lost last year, so most of our team except (Harvey) knew how that felt,” said Brentwood Academy coach Rhonda Brown. “I just give them so much credit for hanging in there.”
Down by 14 in the first quarter, the eighth-grade sensation led a rally just before halftime. Harvey scored five straight to cut the Tigers’ lead to six. She hit two jumpers in the second half that gave her team the lead.
While a performance by an eighth grader on this stage is beyond unusual, the 14-year-old Harvey does not see her youth as a disadvantage.
“I just tell myself they’re just girls, just like me,” said Harvey, who won an AAU national championship in the sixth grade.
“She’s just savvy,” Brown said. “You’d never know when she played with us that she’s an eighth grader. She gets along great with the girls. She’s a great teammate.”
At the end of the game, it was two more young players, sophomores Breuna Jackson and Anna Stephens, that hit free throws to put the Eagles ahead for good.
Jackson was fouled after an Ensworth turnover and proceeded to hit two free throws to give the Eagles a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining. Ensworth couldn’t get two desperation looks to fall, and Stephens sealed a state championship with two free throws in the final three seconds.
Miss Basketball finalist Kennesha Nichols led the Tigers with 15 points but did not score in the second half. Brelle Smith also had 12 points.
Other news and notes from today’s game:
Briarcrest senior Jasmine Cincore was named Miss Basketball in Division II-AA for the second consecutive year. Cincore led the Saints to a 28-1 record. She has signed to play with the University of Nebraska next year.
2014 Division II-AA Girls All-Tournament Team:
Sydni Harvey (MVP) – Brentwood Academy
India Hall – Brentwood Academy
Breuna Jackson – Brentwood Academy
Kennesha Nichols – Ensworth
Brelle Smith – Ensworth
Jasmine Cincore – Briarcrest
Kennedy Potts – Harpeth Hall
By Jason Williams
Nashville, TN – Memphis University School prepared all season for this moment. The Owls battled national powerhouses like White Station and Chicago Simeon in an effort to get ready for the postseason.
MUS center David Nelson was his team’s second-leading scorer with eight points in a 41-23 win over Briarcrest. The Owls were 14-of-27 from the floor. Photo by Karlee Wakeley.
That experience paid off in a semifinal match-up with Briarcrest. MUS (17-13) held Briarcrest (19-10) to its worst offensive output of the season in a 41-23 victory.
“We’ve got great individual defenders, but we’ve got great team defenders, too,” said MUS head coach Matt Bakke. “We’re deep, so we can put pressure on people.”
The Saints were a dismal 8-of-35 from the field Friday, including 2-of-19 from beyond the arc. After holding their opponent to only eight points in the opening half, the Owls cruised the rest of the way.
“Defensively, we really locked them down,” said MUS guard Bailey Buford. “That helped us get into control of the game.”
With a quick turnaround against an Ensworth program that has won three consecutive state championships, MUS believes it’s up to the task.
“We’ve seen so many good teams all season long and had to defend the likes of White Station and Simeon and other teams around town,” Bakke said. “So we’ve just been working for this moment, the end of the season, all year. Now that our offense is beginning to click a little bit better, we’ve been pretty tough to beat here the past couple weeks.”
Senior guard Chris Galvin finished with seven points on only 3-of-9 shooting, but his impact was not properly reflected in the box score. Galvin controlled his team’s pace on offense throughout the game. He assisted the Owls’ first two baskets – a three by Buford and a lay-up by Michael Baker.
“We just wanted to come out and start the game very aggressively and try to push the ball ahead,” Galvin said. “Of course it always helps to knock down our shots, and we started off putting them on their heels. I think that really gave us an advantage.”
Sophomore Will Hrubes led the Saints with nine points. His inside presence was the only rhythm his team could get into offensively.
“I thought they did a great job of guarding,” said Briarcrest head coach John Harrington. “And we missed some shots that we usually make, but they did a fantastic job of guarding.”
MUS will play Ensworth at 7 p.m. Saturday at Allen Arena.
By Jason Williams
Nashville, TN – For 28 consecutive games, Briarcrest had played almost perfect basketball. But in the semifinals of the state tournament, nothing went right for the previously undefeated Lady Saints.
Briarcrest’s season ended Friday with a 53-36 loss – its only loss of the season – against Brentwood Academy (22-6).
“We were completely out of character today in the first half,” said Briarcrest head coach Lee Smith. “We shot the first nine shots on jump shots, and that’s not who we are. You can’t come out on a night like this and play against a team like Brentwood and throw away a first half and think you’re going to come back and win.”
The Lady Saints were dominated in almost every facet of the game. They made only one basket in the first half, and it occurred as the halftime buzzer sounded. They were outrebounded 39-19 for the game.
“It is very frustrating,” Smith said. “If someone had bet me that we would’ve played like this, I wouldn’t have believed it. I wouldn’t have taken that bet.”
Brentwood Academy eighth grader Sydni Harvey was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points. Briarcrest’s Jasmine Cincore finished with 11. Photo by Karlee Wakeley.
Miss Basketball finalist Jasmine Cincore led the Lady Saints with 11 points. The University of Nebraska signee didn’t give excuses to her team’s poor play.
“We turned it on really late,” Cincore said. “Second half, we decided to turn it on, but it was too late. But we were ready for it. We just didn’t come out and execute.”
Eighth-grader Sydni Harvey was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points.
Junior India Hall finished with 15 points. She scored 10 points in the third quarter to help the Eagles’ lead grow from 12 to 21.
The Lady Saints were able to string together some three-pointers in the fourth quarter that cut the lead to 12, but the Eagles’ youthful roster had built an insurmountable lead.
“While we played horrible, I don’t want to discredit Brentwood,” Smith said. “Brentwood did a great job, and they’re young. With the size they have, they’re going to be something to reckon with in the future.”
Brentwood Academy will play Ensworth at 5 p.m. Saturday in Allen Arena.
By Jason Williams
Nashville, TN – With Ensworth being only one victory away from becoming the second team in TSSAA history to win four consecutive state titles, Andrew Fleming is concentrating on his current team’s chance at a state title rather than his program’s chance at history.
Ensworth (18-11) overcame an early deficit to defeat CBHS (17-12) to advance to its fifth overall state championship game in school history.
“I don’t think we’re really focused on being part of the history,” Fleming said. “We’re just focused on winning our state championships and doing our own thing here. We believe in our coaches’ systems and what we’re going to do to win, so we’re excited.”
While most attention was focused on Fleming, it was D’Andre Ferby and Jordan Bone who brought the Tigers from a nine-point deficit in the first quarter.
Mr. Basketball finalist Andrew Fleming (22) struggled early but was key in the Tigers’ 23-9 advantage in the fourth quarter. Photo by Karlee Wakeley.
Ferby finished with 18 points and eight rebounds; Bone added 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“I think everyone contributed today,” said Ensworth head coach Ricky Bowers. “You’re only as good as the people you practice with, quite frankly. And we’ve had a really good week of practice. All the kids have played hard and been enthusiastic and are giving us good looks. I think we’ve gotten better.”
Ensworth held CBHS guard Josh Bougher, another Mr. Basketball finalist, to four points on 2-of-10 shooting. Ensworth’s game plan defensively was to force Bougher into tough shots, but Bougher said he just wasn’t hitting his shots.
“They didn’t do anything,” Bougher said. “I was getting my shots whenever I wanted. It was just one of those days where you’re not making shots. They weren’t doing anything special. I was just missing shots.”
CBHS also struggled from the free throw line, finishing 10-of-22.
“(Ensworth was) great from the line,” said CBHS head coach Bubba Luckett. “We weren’t. And in close games, even though I think that game was a lot closer that the final score, you gotta knock free throws down.”
CBHS jumped out to a 17-8 lead in the first quarter, but Ensworth was able to throw fresh defenders at the Purple Wave by subbing five players at a time.
“We made some shots, but I thought it was more of our pressure,” Bowers said of his team’s second-quarter comeback. “I thought our defensive intensity picked up tremendously.”
Harrison Deneka led the Purple Wave with 17 points. Brode McLaughlin kept his team in the game in the third quarter and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Ensworth will play MUS at 7 p.m. Saturday in Allen Arena.
All photos were taken by Karlee Wakeley.
By Jason Williams
Eads, TN – With their backs against the wall, some unlikely heroes stepped up for Briarcrest to rally the Saints past Montgomery Bell Academy and into the state tournament with a 55-45 hard-fought victory.
Adam Pike was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the three-point line against the Big Red.
Junior Adam Pike brought his team back from a nine-point
deficit with 17 points, including three three-pointers during a 9-2 run to end the third quarter. Pike made all five of his three-point attempts in the victory and brought life to his team and the home crowd.
“It was just a good night,” Pike said. “My teammates were finding me, and everybody was looking to get me open.”
Briarcrest (19-9) trailed 31-24 at halftime and gave up the opening bucket of the third quarter to Jermaine Francis. But sophomore Maceo Woodard started the comeback with the Saints’ first seven points of the third quarter.
With its two leading scorers – sophomores Micah Thomas (13.7 points per game) and Mark French (10.7 ppg) – totaling only two points, the Saints were forced to find different sources of offense. Woodard and Pike led Briarcrest to a 16-8 advantage in the third quarter.
“Coach (Harrington) got onto us,” Woodard said. “Everybody else just had to pick it up and carry their weight.”
Maceo Woodard was challenged by his head coach at halftime and responded with the his team’s first seven points of the third quarter.
MBA (17-8) jumped out to an early lead on the shoulders of Alex Bars, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound offensive tackle who has signed with the University of Notre Dame. Bars buried defenders on the block and scored 11 points in the first half.
Briarcrest changed its defense at halftime to front Bars in the post and have the 6-foot-7 Thomas on help side to prevent easy baskets.
“The second half, the only adjustment we made is we told (Gus Gran and Will Hrubes) to front him,” Harrington said. “We left Micah at the rim a little bit more. We told our guys to get on help side and then sprint to close out, the way you’re supposed to play defense. We quit trying to be too smart and just played regular defense.”
With Thomas struggling on offense, Hrubes earned more playing time in the middle for the Saints. Hrubes, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, has been a consistent spark off the bench this season, averaging 5.9 points per game.
“I just go in and make the most of my minutes,” Hrubes said. “I try to do my assignments right and just try to make the easy play. I just gotta win it for my teammates. That’s all that really matters.”
Hrubes didn’t expect to play in the post this season, but he stepped up against the big men of MBA and scored 12 points. He opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets to give the Saints a two-point lead and closed it with three free throws in the closing minute.
“Will can score,” Harrington said. “He hit a few baskets down the stretch that were really big. He caught the ball and made a few little spinning lay-ups.”
The Saints will now travel to Nashville for the state semi-finals on Friday. Harrington wasn’t shy in saying he didn’t know if this team could return to Nashville after losing over a dozen key players from the past two teams that made the state championship.
“There’s no way I thought we’d be here right now,” Harrington said. “There’s no way. This team is not the best talent-wise or the best team record-wise, but as far as coming from where they started and where they ended, that’s the best team.”
With only four teams remaining in the state tournament, Hrubes believes the key to returning to the state championship game is each player stepping up and doing his part.
“I’ve got to play my assignment, and we all gotta play our roles,” Hrubes said. “If we put all that together, we’re going to be a hard team to beat. If we execute and play well on defense, we’ll make the state championship.”
The Big Red was led by Bars and Joe McKinney with 11 points. Jermaine Francis also added 10 points. Elliott Morrissey entered the game as the team’s leading scorer at 11.2 points per game but did not score.
State tournament preview:
MUS traveled to Chattanooga for a battle with the No. 1 team in the East/Middle region and defeated McCallie 56-33. The Owls and the Saints will play Friday at 2:45 p.m., at Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University.
Christian Brothers defeated Chattanooga Baylor 51-38 to advance to the state semi-finals. Their opponent will be the Ensworth, who has won three straight state titles and four of the last five.
Unofficial box score:
| No. | BCS Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 11 | Adam Pike | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6-7 | 5-5 | 0-0 |
| 20 | Will Hrubes | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 1-4 | 3-4 |
| 4 | Gus Gran* | 10 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-3 | 1-1 | 3-4 |
| 21 | Maceo Woodard* | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-7 | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| 15 | KeShun Pinkney* | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| 10 | Mark French* | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 2-2 |
| 2 | Marc Wilhite | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 32 | Will Carter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 35 | Micah Thomas* | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| – | TEAM | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 55 | 24 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 17-35 | 9-19 | 12-15 | |
| No. | MBA Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 20 | Joe McKinney | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4-9 | 3-7 | 0-0 |
| 44 | Alex Bars* | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 1-4 |
| 22 | Jermaine Francis* | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 21 | John Hazen | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Duncan Smith* | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1-5 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Jonah Rappuhn | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 40 | Parker Bryan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Elliott Morrissey* | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Vinny Gaglione* | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 24 | Greg Quesinberry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 32 | Charlie Hawkins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 33 | Jordan Wilson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| – | TEAM | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 45 | 23 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 19-43 | 6-13 | 1-4 | |
By Jason Williams
Eads, TN – Briarcrest girls basketball head coach Lee Smith called his team’s position “unfamiliar territory” after a 59-44 victory over Father Ryan in Division II-AA sub-state action.
The Lady Saints improved to 28-0 and clinched a bid to the state tournament in Nashville next weekend.
“This is going to be a tough one,” Smith said. “We’ve got to play Brentwood (Academy). We want to enjoy today. We’re going to start looking at film tomorrow and get ready to play. It’s good to be where we are … We know that every time we play, (opponents) are going to bring their best against us.”
Jasmine Cincore, the reigning Miss Basketball, scored 28 points to lead Briarcrest in a game that was closer than the final score indicates. Cincore scored 13 points, all from the free throw line, in the fourth quarter to continue the Lady Saints’ run at a perfect season.
Cincore struggled against the full court pressure applied by the Father Ryan defense in the opening quarter with three quick turnovers. But Smith talked to his star player one-on-one to calm her nerves.
“I thought Jas was trying to do too much at times,” Smith said. “I wanted her to just settle down and play. Jas made two or three turnovers, and that’s uncharacteristic of Jas. But she wanted it so bad. She wanted to win. I just told her to relax.”
The University of Nebraska signee responded with 11 points in the second quarter to push the Lady Saints to a 23-17 lead at the break.
Defensively, Briarcrest had a difficult time guarding the Father Ryan offense. The Irish used an array of back screens that resulted in open lay-ups in the opening quarter. The Lady Saints switched to a zone defense to start the second quarter and caused seven turnovers.
“They were hurting us and getting loose under the basket,” Smith said. “… We went to a zone, and I thought we kind of contained them good in the zone. Then second half when they adjusted to our zone, we went to a man so it was just chess play.”
Father Ryan was led by senior Sarah Gromos, who finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Gromos hit a jumper with 6:51 remaining in the fourth quarter to get her team within four points, but the Lady Saints put on a free throw shooting clinic to extend their lead.
Brynn Holden made consecutive jumpers, and Briarcrest made 17 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter to push the Lady Saints to a hard-fought victory.
The Lady Saints will play Brentwood Academy in the semifinal round in Allen Arena at Lipscomb University at 1:15 p.m. on Friday. Ensworth and Harpeth Hall will battle at 10 A.M. in the other semifinal round game.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” Cincore said. “The first game is a barrier. It’s a wall to push through. If we push through that, there’s no stopping us.”
Mary Francis Hoots had nine points for the Irish, who stood toe-to-toe with the undefeated Lady Saints. Smith praised the Irish after the game and said his team was forced to play ugly basketball.
“The thing about Father Ryan is they’re so well-coached,” Smith said. “(Father Ryan head coach) Jason (Larkin) does a great job with them. They make you play ugly basketball. They run their sets. They’re very, very sharp in what they do. They do all the little things well.”
Unofficial box score:
| No. | BCS Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 34 | Jasmine Cincore* | 28 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 7-9 | 1-1 | 13-16 |
| 15 | Brynn Holden* | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-6 | 1-1 | 5-6 |
| 32 | Elise Holden* | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4-7 | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| 22 | Kathryn Newman* | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 14 | Gabby Salazar* | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| 30 | Morgan Hunt | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 |
| 35 | Kalynn Parks | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| 10 | Tatiana Love | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 21 | Julianne Bryson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 23 | Lindsey Taylor | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 24 | Hannah Steele | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Totals | 59 | 22 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 17-30 | 4-9 | 21-28 | |
| No. | FR Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 33 | Sarah Gromos | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6-9 | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| 3 | Mary Francis Hoots* | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-9 | 1-6 | 2-3 |
| 11 | Audrey Burdge* | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| 23 | Katie Jordan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| 32 | Allison Proctor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| 14 | Tally Bishop | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 24 | Abigail Wehby* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 42 | Emma Collins* | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| 12 | Olivia Rolick* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 22 | Maggie Rider | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| – | TEAM | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 44 | 22 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 16-36 | 3-13 | 9-14 | |
By Jason Williams
Memphis, TN – Just seven months after undergoing surgery on a torn ACL, Christian Brothers’ Josh Bougher proved himself to be the best player in the Division II-AA West Region with a 19-point performance that led his team to a region championship.
The Purple Wave (16-11, 5-1) defeated Briarcrest (18-9, 4-2) at home in a heated rivalry game, 54-47, with a region championship on the line. Bougher did most of his damage after halftime, scoring 14 points after his coaches told him to make quicker decisions.
“We got after him a little bit at halftime and told him he was catching the ball and holding it and giving the defense an opportunity to adjust to him,” said CBHS head coach Bubba Luckett. “We told him you either catch and shoot or you’ve got to put it on the floor quick and make a move. He did that, and it was effective for us.”
Still not 100 percent after suffering a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus and a small fracture in his left knee, Bougher has moved past the physical and mental hurdles that comes with a significant knee injury.
“I feel great,” Bougher said. “I know I’m not 100 percent yet. I’m seven months out of surgery, but as far as playing and getting after it, I love it. I’m feeling good.”
Bougher missed the first part of the season recovering from his injury, but Luckett said it gave other players a chance to learn what they could do.
“It was hard, but I think it made us a better team because we had other guys having to do some things,” Luckett said. “Not having (Bougher) made some of our players have to do more, and now they’re able to do it without having to do this for the first time.”
One of those players whose confidence has grown throughout the season is sophomore Undra Wilson, who finished with 12 points and made four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
“I haven’t had seniors with as much poise as he’s showing right now,” Luckett said. “He’s really come one as a solid high school point guard. He’s been a difference maker in our little run lately where we’ve been playing so well.”
Briarcrest trailed by as many as nine points in the first quarter, but senior Gus Gran led a charge to get his team back in the game. Gran finished with 17 points, four rebounds and six assists on the night. He also helped give the Saints the lead in the third quarter when he found point guard Mark French for a three-pointer.
Gran sunk two free throws that put his team ahead 35-33 with 3:28 to go in the third quarter, but the Purple Wave responded with a 7-0 run and controlled the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Saints blew a number of opportunities in the fourth quarter by committing four quick turnovers.
Trailing 44-49 with 1:20 left in the game, sophomore Micah Thomas stole an errant pass and raced down the left side of the court. The 6-foot-7 Thomas tried to slam the ball with authority but his attempt hit the back of the rim and bounced in the air and into the arms of a CBHS player.
Thomas entered the game as the region’s leading scorer at 14 points per game and a candidate for most valuable player in the league but struggled with only five points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Division II-AA West Region update:
Christian Brothers won the outright region title with Tuesday’s victory over Briarcrest.
Both the Purple Wave and the Saints receive a bye in the sub state play-in round. Each team will host a sub state game on Saturday, February 21.
According to the MUS basketball twitter, the Owls defeated St. Benedict 55-38. These teams will face each other in the play-in round on Saturday for the right to go to the sub state round. MUS will be the home team.
Final standings:
1. Christian Brothers (16-11, 5-1)
2. Briarcrest Christian (18-9, 4-2)
3. Memphis University School (14-13, 3-3)
4. St. Benedict (11-14, 0-6)
Unofficial box score:
| No. | CBHS Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 24 | Josh Bougher* | 19 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7-15 | 2-5 | 3-6 |
| 10 | Undra Wilson* | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 4-5 |
| 44 | Brode McLaughlin* | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4-10 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Harrison Deneka* | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2-6 | 2-5 | 1-2 |
| 1 | Frederick Douglas* | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Dominic Volpe | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 33 | Shun Alexander | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 35 | William Douglas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| – | TEAM | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 54 | 26 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 21-45 | 4-12 | 8-13 | |
| No. | BCS Player | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. | TO | Blk. | Stl. | FG | 3P | FT |
| 4 | Gus Gran* | 17 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6-9 | 0-2 | 5-5 |
| 20 | Will Hrubes | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Mark French* | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 |
| 35 | Micah Thomas* | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2-13 | 0-4 | 1-2 |
| 15 | KeShun Pinkney* | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Adam Pike | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-2 |
| 21 | Maceo Woodard* | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-5 | 0-3 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Marc Wilhite | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Isaiah Sampson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 22 | Emerick Lester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| – | TEAM | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 47 | 25 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 18-41 | 3-16 | 8-9 | |
J-Will Sports 