Brentwood Academy's Caylyn Harvey (11), Mendy Lovelady (22) and Hailey Pierson (33) play host to Father Ryan on Friday night in their region opener.

BHS, RHS teams carry double-digit wins into district action

By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
The real basketball season begins in earnest on Friday night when Brentwood, Ravenwood and Brentwood Academy start play against district/region opponents.

BHS and RHS open District 11-AAA play on the road, the Bruins at Independence and the Raptors at Hillsboro on Friday with girls games at 6 p.m. and boys tipoffs at 7:30 p.m. BA’s squads, who visit McGavock in non-region tuneups Thursday night, play host on Friday to Division II region opponent Father Ryan with 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. gametimes.

Both teams at Brentwood and at Ravenwood have reached double-digit wins already, while BA’s girls will notch No. 10 with their next victory.

“11-AAA is as balanced as it has ever been,” said long-time BHS boys coach Dennis King. “Independence, Ravenwood, Hillsboro, Franklin, and Centennial are all quality teams. Every night will be a dogfight.”

RHS boys coach Patrick Whitlock sounded like an echo:  “The district is very competitive, and I expect a lot of parity.  Hopefully we can improve and win enough games to get a bye in the tournament.  Every night will be a war.”

The Brentwood and Ravenwood boys teams carry identical 12-5 records into district play. BHS, however, has suffered a major setback with the loss of 6-foot-6 senior center Will Joiner to a stress fracture for six weeks.

At this stage, you’ve got to be read for every game, says Brentwood Academy coach Rhonda Blades Brown.

“Each game counts the same, so mentally stepping up for each game,” the Lady Eagles coach said about the key to region play. “We lost one game early last year on the road by one point and that game really came back to bite us at the end.”

Here’s a mid-season look at Brentwood-area high school basketball seasons heading into Friday’s games:

BHS 6-6 senior Will Joiner is out 6 weeks.

Brentwood boys:  During recent holiday action, the Bruins (12-5) upset Mt. Juliet on their home floor, shocked a 10-1 Clarksville team in the Ensworth tournament and beat Hunters Lane team in the Hickman County tourney.

But Brentwood has been 2-3 after losing Joiner to a stress fracture for six weeks. Joiner, a Marquette golf signee, isn’t expected back till the end of the month.

 “We had a surprisingly good start at 10-2, then hit a tailspin” when Joiner was injured, King said.

Independence boasts one of the top players in the Midstate in Brian Miller, while Tuesday's home opponent Hillsboro has a legitimate inside force in 6-foot-7 Isaiah Harrison, King said.

“Indy has a very solid, smart and disciplined team with great chemistry.  … It will take a near perfect game to beat them,” King said.

The Bruins are led in scoring by Jack Montague, who is averaging 14.5 points a game. 

Ravenwood boys: The Raptors (12-5), expecting big things with four guys around 6-foot-6 and a solid point guard, won at Overton and finished runner-up in a tournament in Memphis. RHS returned to action earlier this week and defeated Oakland.

 “We have been very up and down and inconsistent,” Whitlock said. “We need to do a better job of playing together and encouraging one another.”

Evan Forhetz

Hillsboro’s athleticism and speed worries Ravenwood heading into Friday night’s road game, while Tuesday’s opponent Centennial’s length and athleticism concerns the Raptors. And after navigating those games, RHS has to turn around and face Independence a week from Friday.

“(Centennial) Coach (Darrne) Henrie will have them ready to go and they will play extremely hard and defend us very well,” Whitlock said. “Independence next Friday is very well coached and will be very prepared.  They have a very good compliment of players and play very well as a team.”

Playmaker Evan Forhetz is scoring 14 points and dishing out four assists a game, while Devin Robinson is averaging 15 points and three assists. Starting post players Sam Wilcox and Robert Veal are combining for 18 points and 14 rebounds per outing, while football player Riley Stoner is contributing eight points and four rebounds a contest.

“Execution and defense will be paramount if we are to have success,” Whitlock said about district play.

Brentwood Academy boys: The Eagles got off to a slow start, especially with several football players rejoining the team from the state semifinals after basketball games had already begun.

Father Ryan (11-2, 1-0), Friday’s opponent in the Middle/East region, is coming off an upset of defending II-AA champion Montgomery Bell Academy on Tuesday.

Brentwood girls:  After missing the region finals and a sub-state berth by a basket last year against Hillsboro, the Lady Bruins have been making some noise again this year as expected. Brentwood (11-2) had only lost once before falling to nationally ranked Clarksville.

“The holiday tournaments we were 3 -2 and learned some things about ourself that we needed to know,” said Lady Bruins coach Ronnie Seigenthaler.

He said the team had been playing well at times, but needed to address some things before getting too deep into district play.

Kyla Kerstetter

Kyla Kerstetter has been carrying the load on offense so far. Seigenthaler hopes the team becomes a more balanced team and places more emphasis on defense.

Kerstetter also leads the team with nine rebounds a game, while Natalie Schumacher is handing out eight assists a game.

“Our numbers as a rebounding team are good in places but we need to get better across the team,” he said.

Independence has a new coach so the Lady Bruins are having to learn and prepare for a new system for Friday’s 11-AAA opener. Next Tuesday Brentwood returns home for a rematch with Hillsboro.

Erin Lauderdale

Ravenwood girls: The Lady Raptors (11-3) steamrolled their way through the competition with a trip to the beach for the Hernando Holiday Tournament in Brooksville, Fla.

Erin Lauderdale hit five 3-pointers in the semifinals on her way to 25 points, and scored 18 points in the championship game.

Ravenwood won the regular-season championship in 11-AAA last season and has all starters back for this year’s run.

Brentwood Academy girls: The senior trio of Taylor Reece, Mendy Lovelady and Haley Floyd has been playing well, and the Lady Eagles (9-6) traveled a lot during the break to Hendersonville and Memphis for games.

“We played some tough games in Memphis in a hostile environment,” said BA coach Rhonda Blades Brown, a former Vanderbilt standout. “I suppose the saying what doesn’t break you makes you stronger would apply.”

Reece, a Samford signee, leads BA with 18 points and eight rebounds a game, while Lovelady is averaging nine points and three assists per game.

Blades Brown expects a fast-paced, hard-fought game against a scrappy Father Ryan team (9-5, 1-0), led by Alex Manes, Sarah Rolick and Elizabeth Yontz, in Friday’s home region game.

“They play so hard and so fast that you better be ready for them,” she said of the Lady Irish.

Next week the Lady Eagles face Harpeth Hall, a 3-point happy squad that boasts Jordan Johnson and Campbell Mobley.

“I think we are gradually getting better,” Blades Brown said. “We have played a strong non region schedule to get us ready for our region. We are not exactly where we would like to be (at 9-6), but I feel good knowing that we have been exposed in some areas and are working to get better in those arenas.

“Our district/region is tough but hopefully playing several AAA teams and tough teams on the road will serve us well.”