Bradshaw's FT shooting key to Rocky Top League title berth

News Sentinel to play HT Group tonight

By Mike Griffith

Originally published 11:51 p.m., July 1, 2009
Updated 11:51 p.m., July 1, 2009

The News Sentinel proved itself to be the headline act of the Pilot Rocky Top League regular season Wednesday night at Bearden High School.

Dane Bradshaw scored a season-high 20 points and dished out 11 assists to lead the Sentinel to a 118-117 victory over Ray's ESG.

Ray's squandered a nine-point half-time lead, but made a furious final run with Jon Higgins hitting three 3-pointers and a two-point bucket in the final 1:24.

But in the final seconds, Ray's C.J. Watson missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, Higgins missed a put-back and Kenny Hall missed two tips, his final attempt rolling off the rim at the buzzer.

The win puts the News Sentinel (5-1) into the league title game at 7:30 tonight against the HT Group (4-2).

"We struggled in the first half, and when you're on a team that doesn't practice and you're struggling offensively, guys don't talk or hustle,'' Bradshaw said. "But in the second half we got things going, getting the ball to Scotty (Hopson).''

Hopson scored 33 to lead the Sentinel, 25 of his points coming in the second half.

But Bradshaw was the driving force, charging to the basket to draw fouls when he wasn't dishing out assists.

Bradshaw, who was on his honeymoon in Hawaii when the Sentinel lost to the HT Group last week, hit 9 of 11 free throws.

"It's all mental,'' said Bradshaw, who wasn't nearly as efficient from the free-throw line as a player at UT. "If I could go back, I wish I would have been relaxed more. But when you're playing at UT, you want to make every shot so bad, sometimes you press.''

Higgins led Ray's with 27 points, and Watson and Ryan Westbrooks scored 25 apiece. Ray's (3-3) plays Richardson Construction (3-3) in the third-place game at 6 p.m. tonight.

First Tennessee 127, HT Group 122: Bobby Maze scored 47 points to lead First Tennessee (3-3) to the victory over a short-handed HT Group (4-2).

Emmanuel Negudu added 23, UT-Chattanooga's Ricky Taylor had 20 and former Vol Rashard Lee 19 for First Tennessee, which season came to an end.

Wayne Chism scored 35 on 15-of-19 shooting, and said he's excited about playing in tonight's championship game.

"This is the first time I've played in the title game,'' said Chism, one of only six players to suit up for the HT Group. "We wanted to win tonight, too, but Bobby (Maze) pressed hard down the stretch.''

Boo Williams told his HT Group teammates in the post-game meeting that, "This next one is real important, guys.''

Richardson Construction 120, ChoiceSpine 106: Tyler Smith scored 27 points to lead Richardson Construction (3-3) to a victory and a spot in the consolation game against Ray's. Josh Tabb had 25 and Micah Williams and Tony White Jr. added 17 apiece.

Choice Spine (0-6), played without Chris Lofton and C.J. Black again. Lofton has left to play with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Summer League and Black pinched a nerve in his neck in a fall in Monday night's action.

Cameron Tatum led ChoiceSpine with 30 points, East Tennessee's Mike Smith had 23 and Brandon Armstrong 15.