The Bradwell Institute basketball teams beat Ware County on Tuesday at home.
The Tiger boys beat the Gators, 63-47. The win helped the BI boys improve to 6-3 in Region 3B-AAAAA and 10-9 overall. As of Thursday, Bradwell held the No. 1 spot in the sub-region.
Tigers coach Rhett Hellgren said it was tough to rebound after the recent loss to Glynn, when the Tigers were recuperating from earlier injuries.
“When we lost to Effingham, we had three players go to the emergency room due to injuries … Effingham not only beat us on the scoreboard, but physically as well,” Hellgren said. “Reasha (Stokes) was not able to play, and a couple other guys were on limited time, and the game against Glynn was right after the Effingham game (and) kept us at a disadvantage.”
But against the Gators, Hellgren said his team played better as a unit and was able to stop Ware’s dribble penetration.
“This has been our biggest problem all year,” Hellgren said. “We have to stop this or you will not win any ballgames, and against Glynn we did not, but against Ware we did. Offensively, we were a lot more patient in the Ware County game as well. We are taking nice open shots, and when you don’t try to rush things … things tend to fall into place.”
Tonight, the Bradwell boys travel to Savannah High to take on region rival Windsor Forest. The Knights are 4-5 in the sub-region and hold and overall mark of 7-11. Bradwell holds a 9-4 record in the series. On Saturday, the Tigers host Statesboro.
In the girls’ contest Tuesday, the Lady Tigers improved to 8-1 in the region with a 57-46 win.
Lady Tiger Shaquoia Crockett paced the girls with 30 points, eight assists and six steals. Akeyla Richardson chipped in 14 points and four assists.
Lady Tiger coach Faye Baker said the girls stayed cohesive and, defensively, did what was needed to convert transition shots into points.
“As a whole, the team played well, but there is always room for improvement, and as long as we continue to improve each game, we are headed in the right direction,” Baker said.
She added she still is concerned that the girls allowed the Gators too many second shots and will work hard to improve their rebounding skills.
The Lady Tigers will play at Windsor Forest tonight at 6 prior to the boys’ game. Baker said holding the top spot in the region makes her team a target.
“You always want to be No. 1 in the region, but it makes you a sitting duck,” she said. “We will have to be ready every night from here on out, and we just have to play our best ball.”
On Saturday, the girls host Statesboro at 6:30 p.m.