A heartbreaker in the state quarterfinal for Bearden Lady Bulldogs

Bradley Central took Bearden to the final minute.
Bradley Central took Bearden to the final minute.
Published: Mar. 8, 2023 at 10:12 PM EST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Bearden girl’s basketball team returned to the state quarterfinals in Murfreesboro Wednesday afternoon with the hope of getting one stage closer to the state championship game.

However, a tough Bradley Central team gave Bearden more than it could handle. A 57-game winning streak snapped as Bradley defeated the defending state champions, 55-53.

Bearden was 0-10 from the field in the first quarter. They fell behind by double-digits in the second half and foul trouble plagued the team. Florida State signee Avery Treadwell fouled out with six minutes remaining.

Freshman Natalya Hodge played the whole game and had a game-high 23 points.

While Hodge helped keep the Lady Bulldogs within reach, Bradley dominated in transition posting 14-0 points on fast breaks.

Bearden would mount a comeback, erasing a 16-point deficit to tie the game with less than a minute remaining.

Bradley got the final look and offensive board and layup as the buzzer sounded knocking Bearden out of the tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs end their season 35-1, an improbable run when considering they lost six of their top seven scorers from a season ago.

The game was a heartbreaker for this team, but there is still much success to celebrate.