Telegraph Staff Writer
Bell pulled to within four points late in the game, but Amari Jones and Jontez Williams combined to make six free throws, while Williams also grabbed two defensive rebounds in Bradford High School’s 55-49 win in the District 6-1A boys basketball championship game on Feb. 11 in Bell.
Bradford, the tournament’s top seed, entered the game off a 23-point win in the semifinals. Head Coach Sampson Jackson said it was good for his team to be in a tough battle in the championship game, believing it will pay off in the playoffs, where a loss ends the season.
“Coming into a game like this, if you just did what you did the night before (winning by 23 points), then at no point does it become real to you that if you lose, it’s over,” Jackson said, adding, “It was a good win for us.”
It was the first district title for the Tornadoes (12-10) in three years. Bradford will now host a Region 3 semifinal game against Bell (15-12) on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. Bradford is the top seed in the region, while Bell is the fourth seed.
If the Tornadoes win, they’ll host the Region 3 championship game on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. Bradford would play either second-seed Madison County or third-seed Dixie County.
Bradford struggled early in the District 6 championship game. The Tornadoes missed their first four field-goal attempts and then made three in a row before missing their next seven attempts. They took an 8-6 lead into the second quarter.
The Tornadoes scored the first six points of the second quarter. A Robbie Simmons-Godwin assist led to a layup by Jontez Williams. Simmons-Godwin then scored off two offensive rebounds to put Bradford ahead 14-6.
Bell, the tournament’s second seed, outscored Bradford 5-1 before the Tornadoes went on a 7-0 run, with Dae’Jon Shanks sinking a three-pointer and Simmons-Godwin and Shayne Davis each making two free throws, putting Bradford up 22-11.
The Bulldogs’ Daniel Pittman scored six straight points during a stretch that made the score 22-18. He knocked down a three-pointer and, following a rebound on the defensive end, hit a short jumper on which he was fouled. Pittman made the free throw.
Davis drew a foul while scoring on a baseline drive. He made the free throw to extend Bradford’s lead to seven. Simmons-Godwin was later fouled while grabbing a defensive rebound, putting him at the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. He sank his first attempt and then the bonus to make the score 27-18.
Simmons-Godwin went 5 of 6 at the foul line in the second quarter. Along with his two baskets off offensive rebounds, he scored nine points in the quarter.
“That was something we talked about in practice, just him getting in and rebounding and making the plays he was supposed to make,” Jackson said.
Davis scored seven points in the second quarter, while Shanks sank a late three-pointer to help send the Tornadoes into halftime leading 32-23.
Bell opened the second half with a 6-2 run to cut Bradford’s lead to five. The Tornadoes were able to maintain their lead, thanks to the play of Amari Jones. He scored seven points in the quarter, which included a three-pointer he made following a Chalil Cummings steal.
Simmons-Godwin continued his strong play off the bench, scoring off an offensive rebound and going 2 of 2 at the foul line.
The fourth quarter began with Bradford leading 45-36, but the Bulldogs were able to make it a six-point game when Pittman rebounded a missed free throw and scored.
Jones missed the front-end of a one-and-one opportunity at the foul line with 1:23 to play. Bell scored at the other end to make the score 51-47.
With one minute remaining, Jones was fouled again, but this time, he made two free throws to make it a six-point game.
“That was big for him,” Jackson said.
Bell missed its next two field-goal attempts, both of which were rebounded by Williams, who was fouled on each play. Williams made one free throw on each trip to the line with 31 seconds and 15 seconds remaining, making the score 55-47.
Jones and Simmons-Godwin each finished with 13 points to lead the Tornadoes, who also got 11 points from Davis, 10 points from Shanks, four points from Williams and two points each from Cummings and Torin Brazell.
Brazell, Simmons-Godwin and Williams each grabbed six rebounds, while Cummings had five. Cummings also shared the team high in steals with Jones with four.
Simmons-Godwin and Williams each recorded three assists.
