Liberty County High School’s Derrick Brooks, Savyvon Wilson and Aaron Scott combined for 62 points in an 80-66 win over Bradwell Institute on Tuesday night in the Joe Greene Tournament at Beach High School.
The game could have been considered round two after an equally matched scrimmage two weeks ago. Bradwell edged Liberty County in the scrimmage.
On Tuesday, the Tigers drew first blood with a shot in the paint from Jalen Watson. Bradwell also had very strong guard play from Javonte Richey, Miguel Pineda and Malcolm Dingle. Pineda canned three treys in the first half for Bradwell. Richey established a quick transition game, and Bradwell held a 17-15 lead at the half.
Coming off a big win against Beach last Friday night, Liberty continued to display a strong transition game but an increasingly patient offense.
“Bradwell’s guards were quicker than Beach, so we didn’t have a chance to make the quick outlet pass. Instead we got the break and had to pull up and set up the offense and move the basketball to find the open shot. We did a better job of moving the basketball tonight,” Liberty County coach Willie Graham said.
Wilson and Scott gave Liberty a strong inside game as the Panthers built a 41-35 lead. The Panthers tried to add to their lead, but the Tigers continued to play hard. Bradwell’s Richey sank a 3-pointer to cut the Panthers’ lead to 49-48 in the third quarter. The lead changed several times during the third quarter.
Liberty came into the fourth quarter with a 59-54 lead. The Panthers added to their lead with a six-point run midway through the quarter, forcing the Tigers to take a timeout. Bradwell could not stop Liberty on transition in the final minutes of the game.
“I think Liberty just wanted it more than we did. We got complacent tonight, and you cannot do that. I think Sayvon (Wilson) played a great game for Liberty. I think we had 10 total team rebounds tonight, and Wilson probably had that alone for Liberty,” Bradwell Institute coach Pete Woodard said.
Woodard lamented that the Tigers lacked communication and missed defensive assignments that allowed scoring opportunities for Liberty.
Liberty’s Brooks led all scorers with 25 points. Wilson contributed 19 points, and Scott finished with 18 points.
The Panthers move to 3-0 on the year and faced Northeast Macon on Wednesday night in their final game of the Joe Greene Tournament.
Bradwell’s Richey finished with 21 points. Dazjon Tinge had 15 points, and Pineda chipped in 13 points.
The Tigers fall to 0-1 and faced Beach on Wednesday night in the Joe Greene Tournament.