BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Ar’Nayshia Griffin made five three-pointers and finished with 25 points to lead the Bradford High School girls basketball team to a 43-24 win over visiting Trenton on Jan. 29.
It was the regular-season finale for the Tornadoes (14-9), who will host a District 3-3A tournament semifinal game against Palatka (10-10) on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. Bradford and Palatka are the second and third seeds, respectively.
Against Trenton, the Tornadoes led by just three points after the first quarter despite getting two three-point baskets from Griffin and one from Riley Shuford. Trenton (6-15) got a basket from Zynari Flanders to start the second quarter and make it an 11-10 game in favor of Bradford. The Tornadoes then scored seven straight points. Griffin scored off an offensive rebound. Then, after she forced a turnover, Griffin knocked down a three-pointer. Another turnover led to basket by Wynter Barrington, giving Bradford an 18-10 lead.
Griffin had nine points in the second quarter as the Tornadoes maintained an eight-point lead going into halftime.
Bradford came out on fire to start the third quarter, scoring nine straight points on two three-pointers by Griffin and one three-pointer by Kah’myra Hankerson.
Griffin and Nyasia Lopey each scored four points as part of an 8-0 run to close out the third quarter.
Lopey added four more points in the fourth quarter to finish as the team’s second-leading scorer with eight points.
The Tornadoes also got three points each from Hankerson and Shuford and two points each from Barrington and Cayson Hampton.
Lopey led the team in rebounds with six, while Griffin had a team-high four steals.
Bradford also got three assists from Shuford and two blocked shots from Barrington.
The Tornadoes had three wins in their previous five games, beginning with a 33-31 victory at Eastside on Jan. 20. Bradford held a 31-22 lead entering the fourth quarter, but failed to score any points until Lopey made two free throws with five seconds remaining to give the Tornadoes the win.
Bradford got 19 points from Griffin, six points from Lopey, two points each from Hampton and Ky’lee Johnson and one point from Barrington and Jayda Sambolah.
Griffin and Barrington had 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively, while Johnson had seven. Barrington also blocked four shots.
The Tornadoes lost 60-20 to visiting Newberry on Jan. 22. Stats weren’t available.
On Jan. 24, Bradford lost 47-42 in overtime to visiting Oakleaf, with Griffin leading the team in scoring with 22 points. The Tornadoes also got four points from Johnson, three each from Barrington, Hankerson, Sambolah and Shuford, two from Hampton and one from Lopey.
Lopey grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Griffin had six. Griffin also added five steals and four assists.
Hankerson had four steals.
Bradford had no trouble host Suwannee on Jan. 27, winning 55-9. Hampton scored 14 points, while Griffin and Lopey each had nine. The Tornadoes also got six points each from Shuford and Kailyn Teal, four from Hankerson, three each from Jaleigha Bolden and Kamari Haygood and one from Mia Olesen.
Shuford and Lopey grabbed eight and seven rebounds, respectively, while Teal had six.
Griffin led the team in steals with six, while Shuford dished out a team-high five assists.
The Tornadoes played at Santa Fe on Jan. 28, getting 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists from Griffin in a 50-37 win.
Shuford had 11 points, while Hankerson and Barrington had seven and five, respectively. Hampton, Haygood, Lopey and Teal each added two points.
Barrington and Hankerson grabbed nine and seven rebounds, respectively, while Hampton had four steals.
Shuford added three steals.
