Telegraph Staff Writer
Jontez Williams’ basket off a baseline drive proved to be the difference as the Bradford High School boys basketball team hung on to defeat Brunswick (Georgia) 55-54 in the Green Championship Division’s third-place game at Fleming Island High School’s Battle on the Island on Dec. 23.
Dae’Jon Shanks who led the team with 21 points and was named to the all-tournament team. He scored 13 points in the Tornadoes’ tournament-opening 66-48 win over Baker County and scored a total of 39 points in the three-day event.
Shanks was one of three players in double figures in scoring against Brunswick, with Williams and Amari Jones finishing with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Bradford (4-3) built a 14-point lead in the first quarter, with Shanks scoring 14 of the team’s 23 points.
It was a slow start at first. The Tornadoes missed their first three shot attempts before Williams drained a three-pointer. Williams added a two-point field goal to put Bradford ahead 5-0.
Brunswick (5-4) missed its first nine field-goal attempts, but tied the game on two free throws by Kevin Thomas and a three-pointer by Camarion Johnson.
It was a 7-7 game when Bradford went on a 16-2 run to close out the quarter. The run started with a basket and two free throws by Shanks. Jones scored off a backcourt steal. After Brunswick’s J’maun Weldon scored off an offensive rebound, Shanks knocked down a pull-up three for a 16-9 lead. Shanks followed that up with a basket off a backcourt steal before he hit another three-pointer, which followed another Brunswick turnover.
A steal by Keith Ardley led to a basket by Williams, as the Tornadoes went into the second quarter leading 23-9.
The Pirates went on a 13-0 run in the second quarter, making it a 26-24 game off a basket by Thomas. Ardley put a stop to the run, getting fouled on a drive to the basket and sinking both free throws, but Bradford went into halftime leading only 29-26.
A pull-up jumper by Williams put the Tornadoes ahead 34-30 in the third quarter, but Brunswick went on an 8-0 run to take its first lead. Riyon Rankin’s offensive rebound led to a bucket by Saje Alston, while Johnson scored on a drive to the basket, drawing a foul in
the process and making the ensuing free throw. Ranking then made a three-pointer following a turnover to put the Pirates ahead 38-34.
Bradford committed five turnovers in the latter stages of the third quarter. Brunswick’s Rankin stole an inbounds pass with two seconds on the clock and scored to send the Pirates into the fourth quarter leading 43-42.
The Pirates went up 50-49 on Alston’s rebound putback. Each team then missed three straight field-goal attempts before Shanks scored off his own backcourt steal to give the Tornadoes a 51-50 lead. Hunter Crawford grabbed an offensive board and was fouled on his follow-up shot attempt. He made both free throws to make it a 53-50 Bradford lead with 2:44 to play.
Brunswick’s Thomas scored to make it a one-point game before Williams made the basket that would eventually give the Tornadoes the win.
Williams had a backcourt steal, giving the Tornadoes the opportunity to increase their lead, but Rankin rebounded a missed field goal. The Pirates called timeout with 22.3 seconds to play. Rankin then attempted to take a shot underneath the basket, but his field-goal attempt was affected by Crawford’s defense.
A turnover did give the Pirates one more chance, albeit a small one as they had to inbound the ball with three-tenths of a second on the clock.
Bradford got four and three points from Robbie Simmons-Godwin and Crawford, respectively, while Ardley and Sincere Hankerson each scored two points.
Jones and Williams each had a team-high five steals, while Jones also led the team in rebounds with six.
Williams led the team in assists with three, while Jones had two.
Shanks added five rebounds and two steals to his team high in points.
Lakeland (5-0) won the Green Division championship by defeating Ribault (7-3) 61-44. The consolation championship saw Fletcher (9-3) defeat Buchholz (4-6) 85-74.
Ridgeview (3-8) defeated Baker County (0-7) 59-49 in the seventh-place game.
The tournament also featured a Gold Division, with Andrew Jackson (9-2) defeating host Fleming Island (13-1) 67-51 in the championship game. New Orleans’ Eleanor McMain (10-2), with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, defeated Sanford’s Seminole (7-4) 69-68 for third place, while Valdosta (8-4) defeated Auburndale (7-4) 62-53 in the consolation championship.
In the seventh-place game, Plant City’s Durant (5-5) defeated Jacksonville’s Episcopal (4-8) 89-88.
BHS defeats Baker, loses to Ribault
The Tornadoes opened play in the tournament with a 66-48 win over Baker County on Dec. 21, getting 13 points and six rebounds from Shanks.
Bradford outscored the Wildcats 19-11 in the second quarter to take a 28-23 halftime lead. The Tornadoes then outscored Baker 21-11 in the third quarter to take a 15-point lead.
Simmons-Godwin and Williams each had nine points, while Ardley and Crawford each had eight. Hankerson and Jones each scored six points, with Pringle adding five and Bryson Bowen adding two.
Crawford and Williams each had a team-high eight rebounds, while Simmons-Godwin, like Shanks, had six.
Williams and Jones had four and three assists, respectively, with Williams also coming away with five steals.
Simmons-Godwin was two rebounds shy of posting a double-double in the second round on Dec. 22, but the Tornadoes lost 84-55 to Ribault.
Ribault pulled away from Bradford in the second half, outscoring the Tornadoes 48-25.
Jones and Williams scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Simmons-Godwin had 10. Crawford scored nine points, with Chalil Cummings and Shanks adding six and five, respectively. Hankerson chipped in two points.
Simmons-Godwin led the team in rebounds with eight, while Cummings and Williams each grabbed six.
Shanks and Jones had four and three steals, respectively, while Cummings and Jones each had three assists.
The Tornadoes return to action with a road game against Eastside on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Bradford hosts West Nassau on Monday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m. and then hosts Newberry on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
