Needing to take down rival Rebs to survive, BHS eyes state
KNOXVILLE — An old familiar foe stood in the way of Bearden’s quest for a Class AAA state championship, as Maryville awaited the Dawgs in Oak Ridge during a must-win Region 2-AAA semifinal showdown Tuesday, Feb. 26.
(This game was played after deadline. If BHS survived, it would play the Oak Ridge versus Knoxville Catholic winner in the region title game beginning at 7 p.m., tonight, Thursday, Feb. 28, in Wildcat Arena at ORHS).
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (26-5 before Tuesday night)made short work of the Knoxville Central Bobcats (16-13) Sunday night, Feb. 24, in the Region 2-AAA quarterfinals at BHS.
“You wanted to come in and be as solid as you could be,” Bearden head coach Jeremy Parrott said after his Bulldogs, the District 4-AAA regular season and tournament champions, routed No. 4 seed Central 71-38. “We came in and we took care of business.”
Ques Glover, BHS senior guard, led the way with 26 points. He had 17 before halftime and outscored the Bobcats in the first half, as the Bulldogs extended their advantage to 38-13 by intermission.
Senior post Drew Pember, a University of Tennessee signee, scored 14 points and blocked seven shots for Bearden. “We started a new season tonight and we just have to keep coming in with a hungrier attitude,” he said.
Shamarcus Brown scored 11 points and Trent Stephney added 10 for the Bulldogs.
Bearden, which obviously dominated the contest from the outset, made 10 long-range jumpers in the game. Glover had six while Stephney and Roman Robinson each converted a pair.
Pember missed much of the early season due to injury but Parrott is glad that his senior is back in the lineup.
“Drew’s a game changer,” Parrott said. “We’ve been much better since we’ve had him back. He makes things really tough for the other team on both ends of the floor.”
Senior Sean Oglesby led the Bobcats with seven points. He made a 3-pointer on the final play of the opening half that cut Central’s deficit to 25 points.
