The Brentwood Academy (25-8) boys basketball team fell just short of its quest for back-to-back state championships on Saturday with an 80-71 loss to Briarcrest (31-4) in the Division II-AA state title game at Tennessee Tech's Eblen Center in Cookeville.
The Eagles defeated BCS 63-52 in last season's championship game, but they were unable to overcome an impressive old-school offensive performance from the Saints who scored 46 points in the paint and attempted just four total 3-pointers.
Reigning Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball finalist Tyler Tanner, a Vanderbilt commit, led the Eagles with 22 points (on 7-19 shooting) and six assists in his final game for BA.
Junior George MacIntyre, a 5-star quarterback who committed to Tennessee football in January, notched 21 points on 7-13 shooting, including 5-6 from 3-point range, before fouling out late in the game.
Briarcrest was paced by sophomore Fred Smith who collected game-highs in points with 29 (on an efficient 12-14 shooting performance) and rebounds with 15 while adding a team-best three assists and one block.
Cooper Haynes, a Mr. Basketball finalist and Belmont signee, added 24 points on 7-11 shooting and a 9-10 mark from the free-throw line.
Smith was named tournament MVP. He was joined by teammates Haynes and Jackson Grisham, Eagles Tanner and MacIntyre, Pope Prep's Fred Bailey, and Knoxville Webb's Jackson Pompey on the all-tournament team.
It was the 15th championship game appearance for Brentwood Academy and the ninth for BCS, which will be taking home its third "Golden Ball."
Boys Division II-A
Providence Christian Academy (29-5) defeated ECS in the semifinals 54-40, but fell to FACS (27-3) 57-55 in the championship game.
Three Crusaders finished in double-figures: Marcellous Jackson (19), tournament MVP M.J. Hayes (15), and Kristopher Carrol (11). Judson Bjornstad led PCA with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Aiden Bolden added 15 points and seven rebounds. All five, as well as PCA’s Preston Wade, were named to the all-tournament team.
Girls Division II-A
Goodpasture (25-4) battled hard in the championship game against University School of Jackosn (23-5), but ran out of gas in triple overtime, falling 70-58.
USJ’s Haylen Ayers, the third-ranked player in the nation in the Class of 2027 and a Miss Basketball finalist, collected 30 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block to win tournament MVP honors.
Goodpasture was led by Ona Hawkins (19 points, three rebounds, four steals) and Brooklyn Jones (18 points, three rebounds, two steals).
In the semifinals, GCS took care of King’s Academy 58-47. Jones, Hawkins, and teammate Addi Ruffin were named to the all-tournament team.
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