BELGREEN - Sophomore guard Brant Bragwell scored 14 of his 15 points in the first half on Tuesday night to lead a balanced Belgreen attack that saw 12 Bulldogs score en route to a 99-68 blowout victory over Waterloo.
Coach Clint Isbell's team advances to the Class 1A Northwest Regional for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs (22-8) will face South Lamar, a 113-61 winner over Meek in Tuesday's sub-regional round, at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Hanceville.
With two talented post players, Lawrence Summerhill and Ben Harrison, Waterloo (15-14) was the rare Belgreen opponent with the talent to match up with Bulldog big man Mason Bragwell. Bragwell, a 6'5 sophomore, still finished with 17 points. Jacob Mayberry also had 17, and Joseph Welch added 13 for Belgreen.
Summerhill led the Cougars with 20 while Harrison finished with 19.
The teams played to a frenzied pace in the first quarter, with Belgreen holding a 30-21 advantage after only eight minutes. The second quarter was a different story, as the Bulldogs outscored Waterloo 29-11 to seize control of the game.
“They got hot the first quarter and hit some shots,” Brant Bragwell said of Waterloo. “Coach said to ramp up on defense in the second quarter, and we did a much better job defensively. Also, I think they got a little tired that quarter."
Bragwell said that, with Waterloo's inside presence, Belgreen's guards were asked to take on an added share of the offense Tuesday night.
“We knew the guards had to step up tonight. Summerhill is a good player, and he brought a physical game with him inside,” Bragwell said.
Isbell said his team can expect to see more size inside as it advances through the playoffs, so Waterloo was a good test for the Bulldogs.
“We'll see bigger guys in the future, and we need to work on fronting the post," Isbell said. "We didn't do a great job tonight, but we'll clean some things up before we go to Wallace on Friday."
As for his team's return to Hanceville, Isbell and his players took Tuesday night to celebrate. But Wednesday, it's back to the court for two days of practice and preparation.
“I can't explain the feeling. It's indescribable," Isbell said. "I'm ready to start practice tomorrow and then get ready for Friday. I hope we're not finished yet. There are more goals ahead of us this season."
“It's a special feeling,” Bragwell said of reaching Hanceville. “We'll celebrate tonight and forget about it and get right back after it tomorrow, though.”
Belgreen opened the second quarter on a 15-1 run that put the game out of reach. After a Waterloo 10-second violation, Adam Green hit a layup to give the Bulldogs a 45-22 lead with 4:12 left in the half. Belgreen took a 59-32 lead into halftime.
The teams played an even third quarter, with Belgreen holding a one-point advantage in the quarter, 23-22, and the Bulldogs led 82-54 after three.
Belgreen dribbled out the final 25 seconds of the game without taking a shot in spite of a frenzied student section hungry for 100 points.
“It took us a minute to get going tonight, but in the second quarter we did a much better job of finding our man defensively and moving the basketball,” Isbell said.
