3 takeaways from Bethel’s win over Wilson in T-Town Throwdown tournament championship game
The Bethel High School girls basketball team defeated Wilson in the T-Town Throwdown holiday tournament championship game at Wilson High School on Saturday night, 68-43. Junior guard Esmeralda Morales was named the tournament MVP. Here are three takeaways from Bethel’s win.
Bethel explodes in third quarter to cruise to win
The Braves and Rams went into the halftime break with the score knotted at 20-20. That changed quickly in the third quarter, with Bethel outscoring Wilson 32-11 in the third quarter to put plenty of distance between the teams. What changed?
“Just our energy, our mindset,” Morales said. “We weren’t playing our game. So we just wanted to play our game. On defense, our energy had to pick up.”
Bethel coach Tim Brown said some of his players were nervous in the halftime locker room, with one freshman telling the coach her hands were shaking.
“I just told everyone to take a deep breath,” Brown said. “It’s the same game we’ve been practicing on in the gym every day. Just go out and play the game. Let’s kick up the intensity and show them how the Bethel Braves play.”
Morales and Brown are a deadly duo
Morales, the tournament MVP, finished with 18 points and teammate Tiarra Brown also scored 18. The two are different players, with Morales comfortable shooting behind the arc and Brown adept at beating defenders off the dribble with her strength and finishing at the rim.
“Me and her have a connection,” Morales said. “We know what our next move is, we know what we’re going to do. It’s just a good connection. We have other good players, too.”
One of those other good players is freshman Alyssa Smith, who finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
“We’re trying to go Alyssa going,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a three-headed monster for us. Any team we play, if they try to chop off one head, they still have to go for two more. (Morales) is always going to be a leader, Tiarra always. I knew they can both get buckets whenever they want, through double teams or anything.”
Braves still undefeated and brimming with confidence
The win pushed Bethel’s record to 9-0 and the Braves look like a legitimate threat to make a deep run in the postseason, after bursting onto the scene last year.
“It boosts our confidence,” Morales said. “We know we have higher goals and can improve. Our defense has to get better. This is a good win to show people that we’re one of the top dogs in 3A.”
