5th state tourney trip in 6 years: BHS boys
After a close first quarter Monday night in their state Sectional game against visiting Science Hill, Bearden High School’s boys’ basketball team turned up the defense.
Down 15-13 after one, the Bulldogs outscored the Hilltoppers 22-7 in the second, and the SHHS would never recover. The result was an easy 72-45 win, and a place in the TSSAA Class 4A State Tournament in Murfreesboro next week.
“We did a really nice job there changing defenses, mixing things up,” Bearden head coach Jeremy Parrott said of his team’s second-quarter domination. “It seemed to bother them a little bit, so we stayed with it.”
The Bulldogs (29-6) will play Cane Ridge starting at 4:30 p.m., CST, Wednesday, March 16, in the state quarterfinal. A win pits them against the winner of Lebanon-Clarksville.
“This is a great group of kids,” Parrott said. “We’re senior-laden. I’ve got a couple guys who have been to the state tournament, so this is expected now. To see them bring all that to fruition is really gratifying.”
Bearden was led in scoring by senior guard Elijah Bredwood with 27 points.
“Elijah’s been doing a little bit of everything,” Parrott said. “A guy that’s a finalist for Mr. Basketball, that’s what you expect out of him. Not just to score points but to take over the game in other ways.”
“We spent a lot of time preparing to get ready to guard them,” Bredwood said. “The coaches did a good job, so we really just had to come out and execute it. My shot was feeling good so I just came out shooting it. We changed defenses and started getting the stops we needed.”
Senior wing Hayden Moseley scored 18 for BHS, and senior wing Darian Bailey added 11. Jamar Livingston scored 16 for the Toppers.
“Once I started going, it came with the flow,” Moseley said. “... We started putting more pressure on them.”
The Bulldogs lost in the quarters at last year’s State. Bredwood is confident this year will be different.
“I feel like we got the guys to do it; we just gotta go do it,” he said.
