Bradwell Institute wrapped up its regular season Saturday after snow forced them to delay their game at Sol C. Johnson High for one night. The Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Atomsmashers 59-34. The Tiger boys battled in another close game, but came up two layups short and lost 64-60.
Lady Tiger coach Faye Baker and her team finished with a perfect season when it came to Region 3-AAAAA. In fact, the team had a near-perfect season overall, losing one out of 25 games this year.
The girls are 24-1 overall and 14-0 in the region.
The Lady Tigers will now turn their attention to the region playoffs where they will meet Jenkins High in round one at Camden County tonight at 7.
The girls have defeated Jenkins twice, winning 70-35 and 77-34, but Baker doesn’t take any opponent lightly. She has said any team can have an "off night" and any team can lose on a given night, including hers.
In fact, last season the girls were the No. 1 seed when they tipped-off against Ronald Booker’s Beach High girls. The teams had split victories during the regular season, but Beach edged out the Lady Tigers for the region championship.
The Lady Bulldogs, ranked second, were scheduled play the Lady Atomsmasher in round one yesterday at 7 p.m.
This year, without Lady Bulldogs Khalilah Watson and Monique Willis, the Bulldogs have struggled. The Lady Tigers have taken two decisive victories against Beach, but will need to be in top form at the region finals at Johnson High.
Booker said beating the Lady Tigers will be a challenge, but he’s looking forward to the opportunity.
The Tiger boys ended the season in seventh place, which pits them against No. 2 Johnson High. They were scheduled to play the Atomsmashers yesterday at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday’s loss to the Atomsmashers was the second time the Tigers took a hit from the Johnson boys, but knowing they could be "one and done" could fuel the fire for Pete Woodard’s squad.
The Tigers also need the win to make the state tournament. Only the winners of first-round games advance to the 32-team Class AAAAA state tournament, which begins Feb. 26. Finalists will earn home games in the first round.