BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School went on an 18-0 third-quarter run to take the lead for good and pull away from visiting Palatka for a 66-54 win in a District 3-3A tournament semifinal girls basketball game on Feb. 6.
The second seed Tornadoes (14-7) will travel to Newberry to play the top seed Panthers for the championship on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. Newberry (15-6) advanced by defeating fourth seed Baldwin 65-26.
Bradford struggled with Palatka’s defensive pressure in the first quarter of the semifinal game, turning the ball over 11 times. A three-pointer by the Tornadoes’ Cherish Bing tied the score at 8-8, but third seed Palatka (10-12) closed the quarter with six straight points to take a 14-8 lead.
Palatka threatened to go up by nine in the second quarter, but the Panthers missed a layup after a backcourt steal. The Tornadoes’ Ar’Nayshia Griffin then sank a three-point shot, followed by Nichelle Brown scoring off her own steal, pulling Bradford to within 20-18.
A three-pointer by Griffin and a basket by Brown, who dribbled the length of the court after grabbing a defensive rebound, tied the score at 27-27. The Panthers went back up by two, but Brown added another basket to make it 29-29.
Bradford took its first lead of the game when Nyasia Lopey made a free throw, putting the Tornadoes up 30-29. Palatka, though, took advantage of a turnover and scored before the halftime buzzer to go into the locker room leading 31-30.
Each team had two baskets at the start of the third quarter, with a three-pointer by Palatka putting the Panthers ahead 36-34. The Tornadoes then scored 18 straight points.
Brown got the run started on a drive to the basket for two. Brown then had a steal, which led to a score by Griffin, which gave Bradford a lead it never relinquished. Griffin later added two free throws, while Kailyn Teal scored following a turnover to make it 42-36.
The run continued with Brown scoring off her own steal. Teal had a basket off an offensive rebound, while Griffin scored on a Brown assist. Brown then had another steal, which she scored off of to put the Tornadoes up 50-36.
Bradford outscored Palatka 23-7 in the third quarter, getting eight points from Brown, seven from Griffin and six from Teal.
The Tornadoes scored six of the first seven points of the fourth quarter to build a 59-39 lead, getting baskets from Bing, Brown and Griffin.
Griffin finished with a game-high 23 points, while Brown and Bing added 18 and 16, respectively. The Tornadoes also got six points from Teal, two from Ky’lee Johnson and one Lopey.
