Behind The Box Score

When the ball was tipped Friday night at Thomas Worthington, a new page in history was written for Memorial Gym. But it’s one that Cardinal fans will want to forget quickly. Hilliard Bradley (1-0, 0-0) dominated from the opening tip, starting the game out up 8-0, en route to a 58-46 win. The Cards’ opening 5 possessions resulted in 4 turnovers, putting Thomas (0-1, 0-0) in a hole they never got out of. Deaunta Williams scored the first points in school history with a layup, finishing the game with 13 points, and had a solid game even with having to defend the much taller Jordan Cowgill, holding him to 3 points.

Thomas could not significantly cut the deficit at any point during the first half, trailing by eight to twelve for most of the frame. At halftime, Bradley led 30-21, and came out swinging in the second half. The lead increased to 40-26 at the 3:40 mark, with Thomas’s Bob Miller angrily calling timeout to prevent the game from getting out of hand. The rout was on however, and not much could stop it at this point with the lead growing to as many as 16 at the end of the 3rd, with Bradley on there way to their first victory ever, leading 46-30. Even though the Jags were outsized in the paint, they found ways to compensate for that. The 6’8 Cowgill had trouble and didn’t see a lot of action due to being in foul trouble early on. Head coach Mike Limbird had stated his concern in the weeks leading up to Friday. “One of our goals is to practice at a tempo that’s uncomfortable for other teams. Because if it’s slow-down or the other team really just goes into the post and goes into the post — well, our tallest kid is 6-4. We’re not very big.”

Even with the game seemingly out of hand, Thomas made a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 48-39 with six and a half minutes left in the game. But Bradley’s Jake Forrest took the thoughts of a comeback out of the Cards, slashing through the defense, and ending up being a co-leader of points for the Jags with 13. The final minute seemed to take forever for this upstart program who really showed their determination, beating a Thomas Worthington team known for defending the home floor very well. The last two times the Cardinals have stepped on the home floor, the end result has not been one to remember. Last year’s finale was ruined by Central Crossing and the Barnes brothers, beating them 80-54 and sending seniors Eric Easley and Nick Girardi off with a bitter taste. “It’s not very often that a team beats Thomas at Thomas,” Forrest said after the win.

(from Dispatch.com)

Hilliard Bradley 58, Thomas Worthington 46
Hilliard Bradley            18 12 16 12 — 58
Thomas Worthington        8  13  9  16 —46

HB: Bell 4-0-8, Copeland 2-0-4, Tieman 2-0-5, Briggs 2-7-11, Forrest 4-5-13, Williams 5-0-13, Hammond 2-0-4. 3-point goals: Williams 3, Tieman. Totals: 21-12-58.
TW: Miller 2-0-6, Thornton 2-0-4, Cowgill 1-1-3, Lightfoot 3-0-7, Herbst 6-2-14, Crecelius 1-0-3, Bohon 3-0-9. 3-point goals: Bohan 3, Miller 2, Lightfoot, Crecelius. Totals: 18-3-46.