Raptors, Lady Bruins fall short in finals, but BA wins on buzzer-beater

Brentwood Home Page news reports
Point guard Jack Montague scored 28 points as Brentwood defeated defending Class AA state champion Liberty Tech 64-61 Friday night to capture the Above the Rim tournament championship at Hickman County.

Brentwood Academy transfer Asa Duvall, who added 17 points, hit four of the Bruins' 10 3-pointers in the game. Yale University recruit Montague and Andy Schumpert each hit a pair of treys, and Jack Bautista and Elijah Gonzalez also connected from 3-point range.

Jack Montague

BHS, which won the Ensworth Holiday Shootout last week, also beat defending Class A state champ Lake County on Tuesday and handed Clarksville Northeast its first loss of the season in Thursday's semifinal.

Against Northeast, the Bruins ran a 1-3 chaser on Kentucky recruit Alex Poythress to hold him to nine points. Poythress  averages almost 30 points a game.

"Will Jones and Andy Schumpert took turns guarding him everywhere and denying the ball to him," Coach Dennis King said. "When he posted up, we moved our middle man up behind him to sandwich him.  He got frustrated when his teammates stopped looking for him."

Brentwood trailed 16-12 against Liberty Tech, from Jackson, Tenn.,  before taking a 34-27 lead into intermission. The Bruins held onto a 46-41 lead after the third quarter, just barely holding off Liberty in the final period.

BHS (13-4) will carry a seven-game win streak into its District 11-AAA opener against Independence (12-3) next Friday, Jan. 6, at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Cody Shelton, a 6-6 junior forward who injured his knee early in the season, played a few minutes on Tuesday, Dec. 20, but his knee swelled up again. So Shelton hasn't practiced or seen action since.

"Hopefully we will get him some time in early January," King said.

East Literature 63, Ravenwood 52, boys

Joey Barnes scored 17 points and Devin Robinson added 14, but the Raptors dropped just their second loss of the season to finish as runner-up of the Beech tournament.

RHS (11-2) led after the first quarter 17-11, but 2010 Class AA runner-up East Literature (10-4) outscored the Raptors 19-6 in the second quarter. Ravenwood, however, went up 40-37 after three quarters before the Eagles exploded for 26 points in the last period.

Mike McAllister sank a pair of 3-pointers for RHS and Andy Moore had nine points including a trey. East Lit netted seven 3-pointers, with Bobby Scott (20 points) knocking down a trio of 3s.

 Ravenwood returns home for its district opener at next Friday, Jan. 6, against Hillsboro.

Arlington 45, Brentwood High 42, girls

The Lady Bruins suffered just their second loss of the season, placing second in the Beech tournament with a narrow loss to a Memphis-area team Arlington.

Halle Jarnagin, who led BHS with 16 points, and Paige Parker, with 11 points, each hit three shots from 3-point range.

Brentwood trailed after the first two quarters, but led 34-31 going into the final quarter. The Lady Bruins open their District 11-AAA schedule at home at 6 p.m. next Friday, Jan. 6, against Independence (10-4).

Brentwood Academy 37, Rossview 35, girls

Hailey Pierson hit a shot at the buzzer to lift the Lady Eagles (8-6) to victory in the Franklin Road Academy tournament.

Jai Murphy scored a team-high 14 points for Brentwood Academy, and Pierson finished with 8 points.

BA went ahead 20-15 at the half, then made its 27-25 lead going into the fourth quarter hold up. The Lady Eagles see their first Division II-AA East/Middle Region action with Tuesday's 4 p.m. home game against Knoxville Webb.

Ravenwood 60, St. Cecilia 35, girls

Lexi McKay poured in 19 points and Brandi Devore hit a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 15 points in the Lady Raptors' victory over St. Cecilia in the Trousdale County tournament.

Ravenwood (9-4) also had 10 points from Logan Hodskins. The Lady Raptor jumped out to a 22-6 first-quarter advantage and never looked back.

RHS begins District 11-AAA play in a home double-header with Hillsboro (10-6), starting at 6 p.m. next Friday, Jan. 6.