Boys basketball | Bradenton Christian develops uptempo system to reach state final four

BRADENTON -- Scott Townsend saw the beginning of Bradenton Christian's wide-open, rapid-fire full-court offense during his second season as the Panthers' head coach. He saw the foundation in a trio of guards who he could meld and shape to fit BCS' signature style.

Bradenton Christian started the 2012-13 season with Jake Lister and Ryan Leunk, a pair of perimeter players who could knock down jump shots, handle the ball comfortably and thread defenses with precise passing. By the end of the season, Vincent Rehfeldt joined them on varsity to give the Panthers a primary ballhandler.

But Townsend wasn't ready to let them loose. The head coach waited until their junior year to free them from the chains of BCS' half-court offense. By the time the three guards were juniors, they were pushing the pace and leading Bradenton Christian to the brink of contention.

Townsend's premonition became a reality this season. The Panthers run at every opportunity, and with seven seniors in the eight-man rotation BCS has reached the state final four for the first time since 2009.

Bradenton Christian will meet Tallahassee Florida A&M for the Class 2A semifinals Tuesday in Lakeland.

"Freshman year, we didn't really know what to expect," Leunk said. "We were all excited to get the opportunity to play as freshmen, but I don't think we had any idea that over the years we'd become more of a faster-paced playing team."

Rehfeldt, Lister and Leunk have had classmates transfer in or earn promotions from junior varsity, but they remain the core of the Panthers' offense. Leunk is BCS' leading scorer. Rehfeldt recently set the program's career assists mark. Lister is a left-handed sharpshooter. Bradenton Christian overwhelms opponents with its tempo and efficiency when the three play in concert.

Trent Bell, a shooting guard with a reliable 3-point stroke off the bench, joined them on varsity as sophomores. JT Noellert, the Panthers' 6-foot-8 center, moved from Pennsylvania to Bradenton before their junior year.

This summer, starting guard Jake Lister transferred in from Sarasota Mil

itary Academy and small forward Justin Aracena, the sixth man, left Manatee for BCS.

Backup point guard Dominick Otteni, a junior, is the only non-senior in Bradenton Christian's rotation.

"The biggest change is just maturity, growing up," Townsend said. "I put a plan in place. I knew what I had."

And he knew what he didn't. For two seasons with his four-year trio, Townsend knew he needed a center to unlock his team's offensive potential. Leunk, now a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, was forced to play center for his first two seasons in the Panthers' five-out offense. Opponents pounded BCS on the glass and the Panthers never able to get out and run on misses like Townsend hoped.

Townsend wasn't on campus during Noellert's first day at Bradenton Christian School. He heard second-hand about the 6-foot-8 kid walking around campus. Noellert was new to Florida. He played basketball, though -- center.

Townsend raced to campus to meet with Noellert. He knew he had his missing piece.

"It was a perfect fit," Townsend said. "He fits the system perfectly."

Noellert fixed BCS' rebounding woes and is a good enough athlete to run with his teammates.

Bradenton Christian got even more help on the glass this season when Aracena left a starring role with the Hurricanes to come off the bench for the Panthers.

At 6 feet, 3 inches, Aracena flirts with double-digit rebounds in nearly every game and is a confident enough dribbler to push the tempo himself on defense rebounds.

Aracena and Telfair were teammates with Rehfeldt, Lister, Leunk and Noellert this summer for the Bay City Ballers, who finished third at AAU National Division 2 tournament in Louisville, Ky.

The Ballers' trip to Kentucky was a preview to BCS' return to glory, and of the upcoming week at The Lakeland Center. All eight Bay City players who went to the D-2 tournament play for either Bradenton Christian or Sarasota Riverview, which will play in the Class 8A semifinals Friday in the George Jenkins Arena.

The Ballers played faster than the Panthers ever did until this season. BCS opened its season with a 24-point win against Braden River and the Pirates couldn't handle Bradenton Christian's new manic pace. Townsend finally saw what he knew was possible, and now it has the Panthers one game away from playing for a state championship.

"That helped us a lot to get started for the beginning of our senior year," Leunk said. "Being able to play with those guys, and get up and down really helped."

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Boys basketball | Bradenton Christian develops uptempo system to reach state final four ."