Bedford holds off East Mills in Corner title game


Jackson Embree drives to the basket for two of his game-high 19 points in the Wolverines’ championship game loss to Bedford.

TABOR - Bedford used a 14-4 second quarter run to blow open a tight ball game and held off East Mills over the final two and half quarters to capture the school’s first Corner Conference Boys Basketball Tournament title in its first season in the league Saturday in Tabor.

The Wolverines (12-4 overall, 4-2 in the conference) trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half and while his team battled all night long, they could never quite dig out, said head coach Dan Stoakes.

“They’re a great team,” the coach said. “They have a lot of experience, they’re physical, they boxed us out and we couldn’t get any offensive rebounds and limited out second shot opportunities. Hats off to them, they’re the best team in the conference for a reason and they played it like it.”

The Bulldogs (15-0 overall, 8-0 in the conference), who took it to the Wolverines in a 57-36 win back in December, took a narrow 12-11 lead into the second quarter before figuring out the East Mills’ zone defense.

“It was working early but then they shot us out of it in the second quarter and we had to go away from it to stay with their shooters,” Stoakes said the Wolverines’ 2-3 zone.

“They have three or four guys who can really shoot the ball, and they started hitting and that’s what got them that lead at half.”

Brody King, one of those great shooters for the Bulldogs, hit back-to-back three-pointers to kick off a quick 9-1 run that ballooned to a 14-4 run on his third three pointer of the frame with less than four minutes to go in the opening half. The Bulldogs would lead 28-15 at the break.

However, East Mills kept chipping away in the third quarter. Jackson Embree’s layup and a three-pointer sandwiched around a Bulldog turnover cut the lead to 35-26 with just over three minutes to go. That lead would shrink to 36-30 heading into the final frame.

The teams would trade buckets and turnovers in a rugged fourth quarter. East Mills found itself within striking distance at 47-40 on Fletcher Proctor’s layup with just under two minutes to go but they could get no closer.

The Wolverines missed their final six shots of the game as the Bulldogs pulled away.

Bedford’s defense was tough on the Wolverines all night.

“We didn’t shoot it well that’s for sure,” Stoakes said. “They’re a longer team and that did bother us a little bit and maybe it was nerves playing in a championship game with some younger kids. You want to put together a good shooting game and a good defensive game against the best team in the conference and we didn’t do that.”

Embree finished with a game-high 19 points. Mason Camden, often facing a Bulldog defender face guarding the sophomore sharpshooter all night, finished with 14 hard-earned points.

Cal Peterman paced Bedford with 17 points and King finished with 15 on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

East Mills 80,
Sidney 57

East Mills notched its ninth straight win and a spot in the Corner Conference Boys Basketball Tournament finals with a 79-57 semifinal win over Sidney Thursday in Bedford.

The Wolverines led 34-26 at the half but extended that lead with a 26-13 third thanks to its hot shooting. For the game they shot 51.9 percent from the field – 27-of-52 – and 19-of-24 at the free throw line. They also grabbed 17 steals among their 18 forced turnovers.

Jackson Embree scored a game-high 21 points and Mason Camden 20 to lead East Mills. Sheldon Vandenberg chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds.

Braedon Godfread, Andreas Buttry and Michael Hensley scored 15 points each to lead Sidney.

Griswold 71,
Fremont-Mills 44

Griswold outscored Fremont-Mills 37-23 after halftime in a 71-44 win in Corner Conference Boys Basketball consolation round action Thursday.

Peyton Cook paced Griswold with 17 points. Zane Johnson and Bode Wyman added 14 points each.

Sawyer Forney scored 19 points and Mason Reed eight to lead Fremont-Mills.

Sidney 68,
Fremont-Mills 34

Michael Hensley scored 21 points to lead three players in double figures for Sidney in a 68-34 win over Fremont-Mills in the quarterfinals of the Corner Conference Boys Basketball Tournament last Tuesday in Malvern.

Braedon Godfread chipped in 16 points and Grant Whitehead 14 for the Cowboys.

Mason Reed scored 12 points to pace Fremont-Mills.

East Mills 79,
Essex 36

East Mills outscored Essex 42-13 after halftime in 79-36 win over Essex in the opening round of the Corner Conference Boys Basketball Tournament last Tuesday in Malvern.

Jackson Embree led a balanced scoring effort with 17 points. Mason Camden added 16 points and Sheldon Vandenberg chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds.

Isaiah Sholes led Essex with 20 points.

 

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