BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School overwhelmed the visiting Suwannee Bulldogs, scoring the first 22 points and winning 66-16 in girls basketball action on Dec. 13.
It was the fifth straight win for the Tornadoes, who’ve won by at least 20 points in each of the last four games.
Nichelle Brown and Ar’Nayshia Griffin combined to score 41 points. All but two of those occurred in a first half that ended with Bradford leading 52-8.
Griffin scored the game’s first basket when she drove the length of the court after grabbing a defensive rebound. She added a free throw after a Suwannee turnover and then came away with a backcourt steal, which led to a basket by Brown.
A Brown defensive rebound led to a basket by Griffin. Cherish Bing, after a Brown steal, scored off an offensive rebound to make the score 9-0.
The Tornadoes got two free throws from Brown and a rebound putback by Khamyra Hankerson for a 13-0 lead. Brown, after grabbing an offensive rebound, passed the ball to Griffin for a basket. A Hankerson steal then led to a basket by Bing and a 17-0 score.
Bing scored off her own steal. Then, after a free throw by Griffin, Bing scored again, rebounding a missed shot after a Hankerson steal. That put Bradford up 22-0.
Suwannee, which turned the ball over 17 times in the first half, finally got on the board with a free throw with 2:17 remaining in the first quarter.
After Griffin sank a three-pointer, Suwannee made a long-range shot of its own for its first field goal. The Bulldogs added another field goal before Bing knocked down a trey for a 28-6 Bradford lead.
Bradford scored the first nine points of the second quarter. Griffin made two free throws and then assisted on a basket by Brown. It was the first of two consecutive baskets by Brown.
After a basket by Griffin, Brown made a free throw for a 38-6 lead before Suwannee scored its first points of the quarter.
Griffin made two three-pointers in the second quarter and finished with 25 first-half points, which was her final total for the night. She had 11 rebounds for her sixth straight double-double and also tallied seven assists.
Brown had 14 first-half points and finished with 16, while Bing’s 11 first-quarter points helped her finish with 13.
Ky’lee Johnson added four points, while the following had two points each: Hankerson, Wynter Barrington, A’drionna Hankerson and Nyasia Lopey.
The win over Suwannee was the third of three games that week, which began with a 58-38 win over visiting Episcopal on Dec. 10. Griffin poured in 32 points, with 12 coming at the foul line. She grabbed 12 rebounds and had four assists.
Bing and Brown scored nine and eight points, respectively, with Brown adding eight rebounds and three assists.
Johnson scored six points, while Hankerson had three.
The Tornadoes traveled to play Palatka on Dec. 12, with Griffin scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 64-37 win.
Brown scored 15 points, while Khamyra Hankerson and Bing also reached double figures with 13 and 11, respectively.
Barrington, Johnson and Jayda Sambolah each had two points.
Bradford got seven rebounds each from Barrington and Hankerson, while Brown grabbed six.
Griffin led the team in assists with five.
Brown had four assists and a team-high four steals.
