The Bradwell Institute girls’ basketball team had little trouble with Region 3-AAAAA foe Johnson High on Friday night in Hinesville, riding defense to a 58-29 win over the Lady Atomsmashers.
 “With this team, we are not really sure where our offense is coming from so tonight it was good to see we could generate some offense from our defense,” BI girls’ coach Faye Baker said.
Still, three Lady Tigers hit double digits, with Kelissa Hargrove leading the way with 14 points. Symone May and Latisha Fraiser added 10 points each.
The BI girls now are 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the region, and Baker said it was good her team played against a strong Beach High squad twice early in the season. She said the losses made her girls realize they need to dig in and play harder.
“It helped us a lot,” she said. “Tonight, I thought our defensive intensity was great. I was real proud of the way the kids got after it on the defensive end. We have some growing pains and we realize that, but our plan is to start playing our best ball toward the end of the season and try and play a little better every time we hit the floor.”
They left it all out on the floor Friday night, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second period and outscoring the visitors 23-9 in the third period of play.
Baker used the opportunity to clear her bench and give everyone minutes on the court. Starters rested and reserves gained experience.
Whether her team is stacked with talent or she’s rebuilding, Baker has never been one to turn away a challenge. Her girls will have three back-to-back region games coming up and then they’ll hit the road for the Great Southern Shootout in Macon.

They first travel to Kingsland to face Camden County on Dec. 6.
The girls then host Jenkins on Dec. 9 and Groves on Dec. 13 before heading to Macon on Dec. 17-21.
Baker said the Macon tournament offers her girls a glimpse of what they might encounter at the state tournament.
 “One of my goals for the future is to go out and start playing some real competitive opponents,” she said. “In the past couple of years we have done well in our area, then we get to the playoffs and we meet these powerhouse teams and we can’t compete,” she said. “Hopefully, by playing some of these teams this season, we won’t be so much in awe of them when we see them down the road.”
The competition also prepares her squad for the final stretch of region play, which begins Jan. 6 against Windsor Forest.
 
BI 7|15|23|13-58
Johnson 6|1|9|13-29