Despite early state exit, a special Bulldogs boys basketball season
MURFREESBORO— Bearden’s quest to defend its 2019 Class AAA boys basketball state championship ended in the 2021 state quarterfinals Thursday, March 18.
The Bulldogs were eliminated by Cane Ridge, despite a late BHS rally, 50-47 in Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
Bulldogs’ head coach Jeremy Parrott lauded his squad for its resilience against the eventual state runner-up Ravens (15-1).
“It was a good comeback, but it was troubling that we had to come back because I really didn’t feel like we should’ve had to come back,” Parrott said. “But the kids that we coach aren’t going to lie down.
“They’re not going to quit.”
The Bulldogs (30-4) trailed 9-8 after the first quarter and 22-20 at halftime before the Ravens used a 19-11 third-quarter run to open a 41-31 edge entering the final frame.
Bearden outscored Cane Ridge 16-9 in the final quarterand had a chance to tie things late, but couldn’t pull even.
Elijah Bredwood led the BHS with 17 points, while A.J. Pruitt added 11 and Izaiha Bredwood and Hayden Treadwell finished with eight points each. Izaiha Bredwood was Bearden’s leading rebounder, pulling down five boards.
“I won’t say that we overachieved, but these guys maxed out their potential in a lot of ways,” said Parrott, who surpassed the 350-career-win mark during the regular season in his fifth year at BHS.
“There’s a lot of pressure on these kids, not just because they come to Bearden, but also because of the team they followed, and I’m extremely proud of them, just like always,” the coach added.
Junior varsity success
Stockpiling talent annually at the varsity level, Bearden’s junior varsity boys continued a long winning streak, which dated back more than three years, into the 2020-2021 season led by head coach Tyler Place.
