Ensworth races past MUS for fourth straight title

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

Defense sends MUS to state title game

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.

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.

Ensworth advances to fourth straight state title game

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.

Briarcrest girls remain perfect after holding off Father Ryan

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

CBHS claims region title with 54-47 win over Briarcrest

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

Thomas makes claim for region MVP in win over MUS

Seniors Will Carter (left) and Gus Gran (right) hug after the Saints’ win over MUS. Gran wore #32 on senior night in honor of his injured teammate.

By Jason Williams

Eads, TN – Briarcrest sophomore Micah Thomas made a strong case for the most valuable player of the Division II-AA West Region in a 42-30 victory over MUS.

The 6-foot-7 guard scored 14 points and added four rebounds, six blocks and four steals to avenge the Saints’ only loss in region play this season. His presence on defense helped force the Owls into a horrid shooting night (14-of-47, including 0-of-12 from three).

“We’ve got some pretty gifted offensive players, but we won that game with great defense,” said Briarcrest head coach John Harrington. “They’re a hard team to guard. Their offense is ball-screen action after ball-screen action.”

Thomas leads the region in scoring at 14 points per game while also averaging three blocks and two steals. Senior Gus Gran compared Thomas’ defensive impact on the team to a former Briarcrest star.

“He’s a huge impact,” Gran said. “He’s our Austin Nichols from last year. We can pressure the ball, and if it does get by, he’s there to help.”

Gran scored five points and pulled down six rebounds on senior night with his family in town from South Dakota. He also wore the number 32 in honor of fellow senior Will Carter, who is out for the season with a broken leg.

Despite the night being dedicated to the seniors, it was the sophomore group that scored 35 of the team’s 42 points. Mark French added 12 points and four assists for the Saints.

With its top three scorers being sophomores, Will Hrubes sometimes gets lost when mentioning the talented group of players. He has been a consistent performer off the bench this season and brings scrappy rebounding and a confident shooting touch on the perimeter.

Hrubes made two three-pointers in the second quarter, including one in the closing seconds of the first half. Harrington said Hrubes is considered a starter on his team.

“Will hit 18 threes in a row in practice yesterday,” Harrington said. “He is a great shooter. I told him in the locker room that I’m sorry I didn’t play him more in the second half, but it was about match-ups. We had to have Micah around the basket. Gus was a little more physical than he was. Gus got in foul trouble, so Will had to play the whole first half. Will is a starter on our team though.”

Chris Galvin led MUS with 12 points but only made five of 20 field goals on the night. James Prather, who signed a football scholarship with Northwestern on Wednesday, also scored 10 points.

After scoring only 16 points as a team in the first three quarters, the duo combined to score all 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Division II-AA West Region update:

Briarcrest improved to 4-1 in regional play with its victory over MUS. CBHS also defeated St. Benedict Friday night to improve to 4-1.

Tied at the top of the region, the Saints and the Purple Wave will meet at CBHS on Tuesday to determine the region champion. Briarcrest won the first meeting of the season 52-46 on January 24.

Updated standings:

T-1. Briarcrest (18-8, 4-1)

T-1. CBHS (15-11, 4-1)

3. MUS (13-13, 2-3)

4. St. Benedict (11-13, 0-5)

Unofficial box score:

No.	BCS Player	Pts.	Reb.	Ast.	TO	Blk.	Stl.	FG	3P	FT
35	Micah Thomas*	14	4	0	1	6	4	4-8	2-4	4-5
10	Mark French*	12	2	4	3	1	1	3-7	2-3	4-5
20	Will Hrubes	6	1	0	1	0	0	2-3	2-3	0-0
32	Gus Gran*	5	6	1	1	0	1	2-3	0-0	1-2
21	Maceo Woodard*	3	3	1	3	0	0	1-4	0-1	1-2
11	Adam Pike	2	0	1	1	0	0	1-2	0-1	0-0
2	Marc Wilhite	0	1	0	1	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
15	KeShun Pinkney*	0	1	1	3	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0
–	TEAM	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Totals		42	20	8	14	7	6	13-28	6-13	10-14

No.	MUS Player	Pts.	Reb.	Ast.	TO	Blk.	Stl.	FG	3P	FT
4	Chris Galvin*	12	8	3	1	0	0	5-20	0-4	2-2
33	James Prather*	10	5	0	3	0	0	5-10	0-0	0-0
1	Michael Baker*	4	7	0	2	0	1	2-3	0-0	0-0
3	Bailey Buford*	2	6	1	1	0	1	1-6	0-5	0-0
35	David Nelson	2	2	0	1	0	0	1-3	0-0	0-0
2	David Blankenship	0	0	0	1	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
10	Sam Fowlkes*	0	2	0	5	0	1	0-2	0-2	0-0
15	Owen Galvin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-0	0-0
23	Andrew Counce	0	1	1	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0
45	Preston White	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
–	TEAM	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Totals		30	32	5	14	0	3	14-47	0-12	2-2

Lady Saints remain perfect with 52-28 win over Hutchison

By Jason Williams

Eads, TN – Briarcrest guard Jasmine Cincore wanted to make her senior night a memorable one. Instead of the reigning Miss Basketball trying to get her scoring average, she wanted to get her fellow seniors involved.

Cincore only scored eight points, but she dished out seven assists in a 52-28 victory over Hutchison (7-14, 0-5). She helped fellow seniors Gabby Salazar and Hannah Steele record season-highs with 14 and seven points, respectively.

“We had a lot of fun sharing the ball today,” said Cincore, who has signed with the University of Nebraska. “It’s just a lot of fun with this team.”

Listed at 5-foot-1, Salazar hit three three-pointers and added six steals to lead Briarcrest (26-0, 5-0) to its 53rd win in its last 56 games. Despite leading the team in scoring on senior night, Salazar felt better about the win.

“It’s not really about scoring for me,” Salazar said. “It’s about us winning as a whole and doing what we need to do. We weren’t the sharpest tonight. That’s what I’m focused on is just getting sharp and getting my team ready for state.”

Steele drew the biggest cheers of the night with back-to-back jumpers in the fourth quarter. The opportunity to start and contribute on senior night was a chance she had been waiting on for a while.

“It’s definitely special getting the start,” Steele said. “You wait your whole career while you’re here to get to start in a game like this.”

Junior Brynn Holden scored 11 points for the Saints. Her twin sister Elise, the team’s second-leading scorer (12.5 points per game), missed the game with the flu.

Hutchison was led by Carter Stovall with eight points. Macy McCullough also scored seven. The Sting were 6-of-18 from beyond the arc.

Pike steps up for Briarcrest in 52-40 win over St. Benedict

By Jason Williams

Cordova, TN – When Briarcrest point guard Mark French picked up his second foul three minutes into the game, the Saints had to find another leader. Head coach John Harrington found him in his first sub off the bench with junior Adam Pike.

Pike steadied the offense for the rest of the first half and scored 12 points in the second half as Briarcrest (17-8, 3-1) pulled away from St. Benedict (10-12, 0-4) to claim a 52-40 victory.

“It was a great win for us because (French) has been our catalyst this year,” Harrington said. “Adam Pike stepped up and had a huge game for us.”

After teams traded runs in the third quarter, Pike hit a three from the left corner to increase the Saints’ lead to 38-33. He scored the Saints’ final nine points in the last four minutes of the game, including two big free throws.

“I just didn’t want to let my team down,” Pike said. “We weren’t shooting the ball well from the free throw line. I don’t know why because we’re a good shooting team, but I didn’t want to let my teammates down, so I knew I was going to hit those shots.”

Briarcrest was 6-of-16 from the free throw line.

Joey Magnifico generated most of St. Benedict’s offense through the first three quarters, scoring 22 of his team’s 33 points on an array of mid-range jump shots. But Magnifico went scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Saints’ defense limited his touches.

“We really didn’t do anything (differently),” Harrington said. “Gus (Gran) just did a great job defensively.”

Briarcrest sophomore Maceo Woodard was the game’s leading scorer with 14 points, but Harrington said his biggest impact was guarding Tyler Currie on the defensive end.

“I thought he did a great job defensively,” Harrington said. “I don’t care how many shots he was missing. He was going to stay in because he was guarding Currie.”

Box score:

Briarcrest (52): Maceo Woodard 14, Adam Pike 12, Micah Thomas 10, Mark French 9, Will Hrubes 4, Gus Gran 3

St. Benedict (40): Joey Magnifico 22, Tyler Currie 9, Ryne Dennis 4, Kyle Van Hoeck 3, A.J. Sturdivant 2

Other news and notes from tonight’s game:

Division II-AA West Region update:

T-1. Briarcrest (17-8, 3-1)*

T-1. CBHS (12-11, 3-1)

3. MUS (11-11, 2-2)

4. St. Benedict (10-12, 0-4)

* Briarcrest currently holds the tiebreaker over CBHS after its 52-46 victory on January 24.

Remaining regional games:

Briarcrest: 2/7 vs. MUS, 2/11 at CBHS

CBHS: 2/7 vs. St. Benedict, 2/11 vs. Briarcrest

MUS: 2/7 at Briarcrest, 2/11 vs. St. Benedict

St. Benedict: 2/7 at CBHS, 2/11 at MUS

Yarbrough leads Harding to double-OT win over Briarcrest

By Jason Williams

EADS, TN – Harding head coach Kevin Starks said he wasn’t sure if anyone could defend senior guard Reggie Anthony one-on-one, but with the his team tied against Briarcrest in double overtime, sophomore Anthony Yarbrough was the one who couldn’t be stopped.

Yarbrough finished with 27 points and scored back-to-back transition baskets in the closing minutes of double overtime to give Harding (14-8) a hard-fought victory over Briarcrest (15-8).

“It’s a team win,” said Yarbrough, a lefty with a soft touch from any spot on the court. “We came out here and executed and did what coach told us to do.”

Yarbrough credited his head coach for putting him in different positions to go one-on-one with whomever the Saints threw at him. He was his team’s primary weapon in the second half, scoring nine straight points in the third quarter and seven straight in the fourth. He made 12 shots on the night, including two three-pointers.

“When they were playing zone, I was able to pop out in the middle and go one-on-one,” Yarbrough said. “Coach Starks did a good job of calling different plays.”

“We do a lot of skill work with the basketball in practice,” Starks said. “I have some one-on-one guys. I have some guys that can go score, and Anthony and Reggie are two of the best we have that can go score the basketball.”

Briarcrest matched Harding’s super sophomore with their own sophomore, Micah Thomas, a 6-foot-7 guard. Thomas scored 26 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods. He also finished with seven rebounds and four blocks.

“It’s good competition to see where my game is and compare it to other people,” Thomas said of the opportunity to go against another top underclassman.

Briarcrest point guard Mark French, another talented sophomore, is the Saints’ second-leading scorer on the season at 10.9 points per game but found himself scoreless heading into the fourth quarter.

With his team trailing by three with 30 seconds to go, French drove the length of the court for a lay-up to cut the Lions’ lead to one. Anthony responded with two free throws, and the Lions led 74-71 with 10 seconds on the clock, but French hit a step-back three-pointer with one second left to send the game to overtime.

After the teams traded baskets in the first overtime period, it was Yarbrough who wove through defenders in transition to put the Lions on top. Anthony hit two free throws to give the Lions a three-point cushion, but the Saints could not connect on multiple three-point attempts to tie.

“(Anthony) is just a leader,” Starks said. “When your best player is also your hardest worker, that makes things a lot easier for me. He is an extension of me out there on the court, and I also give him a lot of freedom.”

Anthony finished an impressive all-around performance with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Unofficial box score:

No.	BCS Player	Pts.	Reb.	Ast.	TO	Blk.	Stl.	FG	3P	FT
35	Micah Thomas*	26	7	2	4	4	0	11-21	2-10	2-3
21	Maceo Woodard*	14	7	2	4	2	2	4-11	1-4	5-5
4	Gus Gran*	13	10	1	4	0	2	5-8	0-0	3-3
20	Will Hrubes	8	5	0	2	0	0	3-6	2-4	0-0
10	Mark French*	7	1	4	2	0	0	2-5	1-3	2-2
11	Adam Pike	7	2	3	0	0	0	1-5	1-3	4-4
15	KeShun Pinkney*	5	1	3	2	0	0	1-2	1-2	2-2
2	Marc Wilhite	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
3	Isaiah Sampson	0	1	1	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	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Totals		80	37	16	18	6	4	27-58	8-26	18-19

No.	HA Player	Pts.	Reb.	Ast.	TO	Blk.	Stl.	FG	3P	FT
30	Anthony Yarbrough*	27	5	1	1	0	5	12-19	2-2	1-2
3	Reggie Anthony*	21	8	7	3	0	2	7-17	2-5	5-6
20	Will Gardner*	13	5	0	1	0	1	4-7	3-5	2-2
22	Scott Parham*	8	3	1	2	0	1	3-11	2-7	0-0
23	Troy West*	8	1	1	0	0	1	2-3	0-1	4-6
4	Brandon Lee	5	1	0	0	0	0	1-4	0-3	2-2
14	Jesse Adkins	1	3	2	0	0	0	0-3	0-0	1-2
2	Corliss Settles	0	2	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
–	TEAM	–	2	–	1	–	–	–	–	–
Totals		83	30	12	8	0	10	29-64	9-23	15-20