Macy Chenevert Memorial Basketball Tournament: Bullard captures gold

Published 11:43 pm Saturday, November 19, 2022

Just a year after losing in the championship game of the Macy Chenevert Memorial Basketball Tournament, the Bullard Lady Panthers had one thing on their mind.

“We were really determined because we got second place last year,” Bullard’s Carly Tucker said.

Bullard lost to Canton in overtime, 44-43, in the championship game of the 2021 edition of the tournament.

On Saturday night, Bullard got its championship victory, taking a 47-36 win over Central Heights in the Gold Bracket Championship at Bishop Gorman’s Haddad Gymnasium.

“Last year, we only lost by one point in overtime to Canton, so it’s great to get a win that we deserved,” Tucker said.

Down 5-2 early, Bullard went on a 12-1 run to end the first quarter, holding the Lady Devils without a field goal for the final 5:45 of the first quarter and never allowing Central Heights to recover.

“I’m very pleased, especially these last few games,” Bullard head coach Kendell Redd said. “We’ve looked a lot more polished on everything we’ve been working on. It’s finally coming into where want to be, taking care of the ball and not turning it over as much.”

After trailing 15-6 at the end of the first quarter, Central Heights made a little run late in the second quarter. Na’Kaylyn Wells had an old-fashioned 3-point play and then knocked down a triple as part of an 8-0 run that was capped by a Bri Downs runner to cut the score to 26-21. But the Lady Panthers got a basket from Tre’Anah Coppock and a three from Jadyn Welch at the buzzer to lead 31-21 at halftime.

The lead stayed at 10 points entering the fourth quarter as the Lady Panthers were up 39-29.

Coppock led Bullard (7-0) with 13 points and nine rebounds. Anna Turgeau had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Welch had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Tucker had seven points and nine rebounds.

Tucker was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Other scorers for Bullard were Avery Thomas 4; and Brooke Minton 1.

Wells led Central Heights — ranked No. 12 in Class 3A — with 21 points. Wells averaged 19 points in the tournament and was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.

In the Gold Bracket third-place game, Jacksonville took a 55-36 win over Trinity Christian Addison.

Despite trailing 7-3 early, TCA went on a 10-0 run with Grace Leverton and Sophie Miller scoring all of the points. The Lady Trojans led 13-9 after the first quarter.

Jacksonville got consecutive buckets by Kiah Cox to start the second quarter and a make inside from Andrea Donnell to go up 15-13.

With the score tied at 20 in the final seconds of the half, Donnell had a putback, but Leverton answered with a scoop layup just before the buzzer to tie the score at 22 at halftime.

TCA led 26-24 before Jacksonville went on a 14-2 run to end the quarter with a 38-28 lead.

Chaznii Scott, who was scoreless in the first half, scored nine points in the quarter. Scott and Cox led Jacksonville with 11 points.

Donnell had 9 points and 19 rebounds. Other scorers for Jacksonville were Tru’nijah Butler 6; Ladasia Holman and Brooke Hornbuckle 5; Tia Fuller 4; and KiKi Robertson and Johannah McDonald 2. Fuller added five assists and four steals, and Scott and Hornbuckle also had six rebounds.

Miller led TCA with 18 points, and Leverton had 12 points.

Cox and Leverton were both All-Tournament selections.

Rains defeated Arlington Grace Prep 42-39 in overtime of the Silver Bracket Championship.

The Offensive MVP of the Tournament was Lindale’s Marley Keith, and Canton’s Allison Rickman was the Defensive MVP.

Other All-Tournament selections were Canton’s Amari Welch, Bay Area Christian’s Brook Fledderman, Fort Worth Christian’s Emaline Pearson and Rains’ Jasey Campbell.