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Bradley boys basketball never finds 'any rhythm' in state final loss
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- Bradley boys basketball never finds 'any rhythm' in state final loss
DAYTON – Hilliard Bradley boys basketball coach Brett Norris and sophomore guard Kypton Norris both attempted to fight back tears after a 59-28 loss to Cincinnati Princeton in the Division I state final March 22 at University of Dayton Arena.
The Jaguars (25-3) came up short but appreciated their journey, reaching the program's first state tournament a season after going 8-15.
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"This is such a special group of people," Brett Norris said. "Not just our players, but our managers, training staff, administration, coaching staff. In some ways, our run here was probably a little bit improbable. Just the memories that we will have ... the result was an incredible investment from our players. This one stings right now, but I couldn't be prouder just to be a part of our team, our program."
In what was a rare occurrence during its postseason run, Bradley failed to find success on offense, shooting just 12 of 41 from the field (29.3%) and 3 of 20 from 3-point range (15%) while seeing a 16-game winning streak snapped.
Princeton (25-3) jumped ahead 8-0 and was never threatened on the way to its first state title after runner-up finishes in 2009 and 1972.
Bradley shot 3 of 19 from the field in the first half, falling behind 23-7. Princeton led by as many as 34 points in the second half.
Hilliard Bradley's Jayden Reed-Davis (11) attempts to shoot the ball against Cincinnati Princeton's Amir Phillips in the Division I state final March 22.
"Obviously, it's disappointing," Brett Norris said. "We just never found any rhythm, no momentum right from the start. You have to give them credit. Defensively and the pace in which they play overwhelmed us today."
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Bradley's 28 points were a season low. The previous low was 42 in a four-point, season-opening loss to Cincinnati La Salle on Nov. 29.
Kypton Norris and Jayden Reed-Davis scored 8 points apiece to lead the Jaguars. Reed-Davis was the hero a day earlier, scoring in the final second for a 44-42 semifinal win over Pickerington Central .
While Bradley's offense struggled, Princeton was able to penetrate the Jaguars' defense repeatedly while also doing damage from the outside, shooting 24 of 42 from the field (57.1%) and 7 of 14 from 3-point range.
Amire Gill led Princeton with 24 points and Rognny Santiago Lugo added 12.
Hilliard Bradley coach Brett Norris watches Cincinnati Princeton receive its state championship medals.
With Jordan Reed-Davis as the team's only senior, Bradley believes it has a bright future.
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"Obviously, we're really going to miss Jordan, but we have a lot of guys [coming] back," said Kypton Norris, the coach's son. "We're going to work as hard as we can to get back to this point."
Jordan Reed-Davis returned to the program after sitting out last season to focus on football, which he will play at Central State.
"He's such an integral part of our team," Brett Norris said. "It just doesn't seamlessly happen when you lose anyone, especially someone with the character of this kid. It's hard to look past today."
Bradley's loss capped a disappointing weekend for central Ohio. Westerville North fell 68-63 in overtime to Massillon Washington in the Division II state final earlier March 22, and Columbus Academy lost to Cleveland Heights Lutheran East 50-36 in the Division V state final March 21.
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High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Princeton dominates Bradley to win OHSAA basketball state title
