Eighth grader leads Brentwood Academy to state title

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

Lady Saints’ dream season ends in semifinals

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.