BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School was no match for visiting Class 1A Hawthorne, which scored the first 17 points en route to handing the Tornadoes a 58-18 boys basketball loss on Dec. 21.
The Tornadoes (2-3) didn’t get on the board until Dae’Jon Shanks sank a jump shot with 2:44 to play in the first quarter. Bradford wouldn’t score again until Shanks hit a three-pointer at the start of the second quarter.
Bradford shot less than 20 percent from the field and was also plagued by turnovers (22).
Shanks and Chalil Cummings led the Tornadoes with six points each. Michael Oliver, Keith Taylor and Trejan Tyson each had two points.
It was a good start to the season for Bradford, which defeated West Nassau 68-45, but the Tornadoes were then outscored 137-76 in losses to Trinity Catholic and Tocoi Creek.
The Tornadoes entered the Hawthorne game off a 58-47 win at Baldwin on Dec. 19. Damarion Hankerson’s 18 first-half points helped Bradford go into halftime tied at 25-25. The Tornadoes got three-pointers from Shanks and Mattox Burgin in outscoring the Indians 16-6 in the third quarter. Burgin had seven points in the quarter.
Hankerson led Bradford with 26 points, while Shanks and Burgin had 13 and 10, respectively. The Tornadoes also got six points from Journie Sampson and five points from Torin Brazell.
Bradford will play in a home tournament on Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 27-29 (see related story).
