Three has often been a magic number for the Bradwell Institute Lady Tigers, who usually use the third quarter to throttle opponents. Somebody forgot to tell the players at Groves.

The Lady Rebels made a run in the final minutes of the third quarter, cutting BI’s 20-point halftime advantage to nine before BI was able to right the ship and cruise to a 59-38 win.

"We lost the third quarter tonight. We were up 20 points at the half and just didn’t play as well as we are capable of," Bradwell coach Faye Baker said. "We were not as aggressive as we should have been. It was good to see that when they cut the lead to 39-30, we were able to come out in the fourth quarter and regain momentum."

Bradwell used a combination of inspired defense and a strong transition game to respond to the Groves surge. But it wasn’t pretty.

"Tonight was an ugly game and you will have those from time to time. We missed too many easy shots and had too many turnovers. Games like this you just want to get out of there with a win," Baker said.

Lady Tiger guard Mariah Maternik turned in a 20-point performance in the win. Shaquoia Crockett finished with 10 points while Latisha Frasier and KeAndra Fraiser scored eight points each.

Bradwell improves to 7-0 and prepares to face Rutland in the Westside Macon-Great Southern Shootout which begins Saturday. On Monday, Bradwell will play Rockdale, one of only two teams to beat BI last season.

The tournament concludes on Tuesday against Class A power Taylor County, which lost to state perennial Weselyan last year in the Class A semifinals.

"I don’t really know a lot about Rutland. We are excited to get a chance to play Rockdale because that was a team that beat us last year. Taylor County is a very good Class A team that should give us a challenge. I am really pleased with the girls’ effort heading into the break," Baker said.

Bradwell 59, Groves 38

B 14|21|5|19-59

G 8|7|15|8-38

Bradwell: Mariah Maternik 20, Shaquoia Crockett 10, Latisha Frasier 8, KeAndra Frasier 8, Quintunya Chapman 6, Quinaka Hatchell 4, Leitia Letitau 2, Symone May 1.