Top 5 Basketball Fridays

For the next 5 Fridays, there will be no Friday Haiku. Instead, I am going to recount the most memorable 5 basketball games played while I was at Benedictine.

5: Benedictine v. Bradwell @ Cannon Court

Why it was significant:

It was the first region win for Benedictine in over 2 years. The previous year Benedictine went winless in region play. The core of Pierce, T West, Logan Sevier, Richard Polote, and Lamar Owens made it a habit to compete in the toughest basketball region in the state and even defeated Johnson in a non-region game. The 02/03 squad saw Owens take a backseat to guards Holland, Jackson, and Dotson. Gray, Summerli, and Murray grew into dangerous wings while Bell and Cannon learned to work together down low.

The atmosphere at this game was unbelievable. It set the stage for next year, and more than anything it proved that our group of sophomores and juniors was already better than the previous year's seniors. This was a stepping stone game. We took our lumps throughout this year, but knowing we could beat- not be competitive against- the big boys made us hungry, and we worked our asses off the following Summer for good reason.

Here's the story from the SMN,

Bell, Cannon ignite Benedictine to upset against Bradwell

Donnie Bell's 12 points and Brady Cannon's 10 sparked Benedictine to a 43-38 upset win against Bradwell Institute in a Region 3-AAAAA (A) boys' high school basketball contest.

BC (6-12, 1-6) recorded its first sub-region win of the season. Keenan Summerlin added nine points for the Cadets.

Romeo Montez led Bradwell (13-6, 7-4) with nine points.

BRADWELL INSTITUTE (37)

Montez 9, Nelson 8, Milton 4, Clay 4, Thomason 4, Green 2, Gillespie 2.

BENEDICTINE (43)

Donnie Bell 12, Brady Cannon 10, Summerlin 9, Owens 5, Jackson 4, Gray 2. Dotson 1.

Halftime--BC, 17-11. Records--BC 6-12, 1-6 Region 3-AAAAA (A); Bradwell 13-6, 7-4.

Posted January 19, 2002