Boys basketball | BCS overpowers Sarasota Christian to reach first region final since 2011
BRADENTON -- Bradenton Christian triggered a running clock less than three minutes into the third quarter when the Panthers simplified their offense. They already led by 23 points at halftime of the Class 2A-Region 3 semifinal Tuesday against Sarasota Christian and for the first few minutes they exploited the court's biggest mismatch to bury the Blazers.
BCS ran set after set to center JT Noellert and Ryan Leunk, and the two tallest players on the floor before garbage time tossed layups over the outstretched arms of the defense. A blowout ballooned into an 85-44 win for Bradenton Christian and a spot in the region final for the first time since 2011.
"All the seniors here have never made it past the first round at region," said Noellert, a 6-foot-8 center, "so it's a testament to how hard we've worked."
The Panthers (25-3) and Sarasota Christian (19-9) met at Bradenton Christian School on Thursday just 11 days removed from BCS' 31-point win against the Blazers in the same gymnasium. The Panthers managed that rout in Bradenton despite hitting only one 3-pointer.
BCS sunk three from beyond the arc Thursday -- all in the first quarter -- and again triggered its rout in the paint. Noellert and Leunk, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, each scored 20 points to lead the Panthers. Noellert also recorded 10 rebounds and Leunk grabbed nine.
Small forward Justin Aracena, another 6-foot-3 wing, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds to power BCS' second unit.
"We always like to try to get it inside and get as many points inside as we can because it opens up the outside shot," Noellert said. "It's espeically helpful to have some guys with size so we can get some points in the paint when we're not shooting well."
Bradenton Christian opened the game with 11 straight points, eight of which came from Leunk and Noellert. Leunk scored six in the opening period and entered halftime with a game-high 14. Noellert went into the break with six before erupting for 14 during the final 16 minutes.
"When you get to these games anything can happen," head coach Scott Townsend said. "At halftime we were like, 'Let's end this.'"
Point guard Dominick Otteni gave the Panthers four players in double figures with 10 points and senior guard Vincent Rehfeldt became BCS' all-time assist leader at 652 with 11 assists in the win.
Bradenton Christian's march to the state tournament continues Saturday at home against Delray Beach Village Academy in the region championship. The challenge provided by Village Academy will be different for the Panthers.
Village boasts a pair of 6-foot-4 forwards who can give Noellert a test inside and force Leunk out toward the perimeter. After weeks of burying overmatched and mostly undersized opponents in the post, Noellert and BCS' final hurdle before Lakeland will provide an entirely different look.
"It's a lot better to play against a guy with size, I think. It kind of pushes you," Noellert said. "It's definitely good for us to play a bigger team. If we're going to make it to state we're going to meet teams that have that."
David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter@DBWilson2.
This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Boys basketball | BCS overpowers Sarasota Christian to reach first region final since 2011 ."