Bradley Bears vs Cleveland Raiders

[mixitup]

Does Cleveland have a chance! Can Little get inside the Zone to throw down those Monster DUNKS! Can Davis be a factor since returning? Or are the Bears tuning up for a District sweep-through the Region and not stopping until they pull into MTSU parking lot?

[Guesswho?]

NOOOOOOOOO it will never happen! That is a promise

[BackyardLegend]

Well...It's that time again! Cleveland-Bradley! It's a great rivalry...even though Bradley has dominated it over the past 3 or 4 years. Bradley is an awesome team. Kent Smith has put together a team that seems to have almost no weak spots. Bradley would have to be any bettin' man's choice to be playin' for the "Gold Ball" in Murfreesboro. The Bears do a good job of distributing the ball to a lot of people. A lot of people are misled by thinkin' that the Bears only scorers are Pickel and Hare. They are both phenomenal players and are worthy of all the praise that goes their way, but the other "role" players can beat you too. This was evidenced in the last meeting. Cleveland was holding their own with Bradley until Yarrish Hammonds drilled 3 straight trifectas at the end of the first half to give the Bears the momentum that they never relinquished. Also, the Bears have somewhere around 8 seniors. Senior leadership is a key to any great high school team.

 

Cleveland on the other hand only has two seniors...Jay Davis and Levonte' Barber. Their inexperience has shown through during a lot of games this year. Slowly but steadily, Coach Aaron Green is makin' this group of athletes a formidable foe for many teams that you wouldn't expect Cleveland to beat. Primarily, the Raiders are two-scorer team. Charles Little is their go to man, and Jay Davis is their "long distance" operator. Their supporting cast lack the offensive firepower to outscore the Bears Friday night.

 

So does that mean that the Raiders can't beat the Bears? No, I'm not saying that...but a lot of things must happen for the Raiders to "Shock the World".

 

1. The Raiders must cut the game in half. They must be patient on offense, and they must force the Bears to work harder to get good looks on defense. If the winning team scores less than 60, then the Raiders have a shot. Otherwise, look for a potential blowout.

 

2. Raider point guard Colby Dodd has to play flawless basketball. Bradley will pressure the sophomore. If the Raiders are to have a chance, then he'll have to play a great game as he did against Rhea County last week.

 

3. Alex Goldston has to look to score. He is only a sophomore and he is too timid to score. Alex needs to score to take the pressure off of Little down low.

 

4. If Cleveland exposed any Bear weaknesses last time, it was that the Raiders were able to score when the Bears tried to play man to man against them. The Raiders were isolating Little and lettin' him take it to whoever was guarding him. If the Bears try to "Man Up" the Raiders, then Raiders must attack them like they did the first time.

 

5. The Raiders must rebound!!!! They cannot allow the Bears the get 2nd and 3rd shots on every possession. They've got to limit the Bears to one shot on each possession. Bradley has a lot of height...and they do a good job of hittin' the offensive boards.

 

Finally, The Raiders must believe that they can win. If they don't believe that they can win, then they won't. The Raiders can talk about how they think they can beat Bradley, but if they don't believe it in their hearts...then it will be a long night.

 

The Cleveland High dome should have a great basketball atmosphere tomorrow night....If they turn on the air conditioner (hint...hint). I'm lookin' forward to a great evening of basketball! If ya'll are plannin' on comin' out, then you better get there early!

 

Until next time! the Backyard Legend is out like a fat kid in dodgeball!

[LadyBears11]

Is it tomorrow nite or Friday?

[BackyardLegend]

Sorry about that!!! It is Friday night! I guess that I got caught up in wishful thinkin'!

[smallie]

it is all ways to good to hear from the legend, very nice breakdown!

[mixitup]

  . Primarily, the Raiders are two-scorer team. Charles Little is their go to man, and Jay Davis is their "long distance" operator. Their supporting cast lack the offensive firepower to outscore the Bears Friday night.

 

So does that mean that the Raiders can't beat the Bears? No, I'm not saying that...but a lot of things must happen for the Raiders to "Shock the World".

 

Little will play above the Rim friday and will Dunk early and often-Davis will be dialing up the three and it will be a close game at the DOME! The Bears will Claw and Growl their way out by 10 points!

[LuckyDay]

Should be interesting. I think many people are giving Charles Little way too much credit. What he is, is big and strong. What he's not......well, here we go. He is NOT a good shooter (anything from 5' and further, he'll shoot around 20%). He is NOT a good defensive player (yeah, he blocks a lot of shots but is slow to react when beat one on one). He is NOT a good free throw shooter (a big man must be able to shoot at least 70% from the line in high school because he will spend a lot of time there in a game). He is NOT a "team player" (APPEARS to be very selfish).

 

Now, all of that said, many of you know that I almost always bad-talk Bradley. Well, Bradley is probably the best team in the state and Cleveland doesn't stand a chance. Cleveland will have to play their best game all year and Bradley will have to play a sub-par game for Cleveland to stay close.

 

Keep in mind fans, that Cleveland referees have never liked Bradley because Bradley won't use the Chattanooga referee association. All of this in mind, Bradley will still win by 18 pts. or more. It could be REAL UGLY

 

I know I'll be there and I'm bringing a portable fan. Probably the hottest gym in the world.

[Guesswho?]

I think many people are giving Charles Little way too much credit. What he is, is big and strong. What he's not......well, here we go. He is NOT a good shooter (anything from 5' and further, he'll shoot around 20%). He is NOT a good defensive player (yeah, he blocks a lot of shots but is slow to react when beat one on one). He is NOT a good free throw shooter (a big man must be able to shoot at least 70% from the line in high school because he will spend a lot of time there in a game). He is NOT a "team player" (APPEARS to be very selfish).

 

I dunno about all of that! I have seen the man play plenty of games this year and he wasn't anything like you just made him out to be. Little is a good player- enough said

[Dice1550]

A big man MUST shoot 70% from the line in high school? 70% isn't a bad percentage for many guards in high school, let alone big men. One thing Charles Little is....a better ballplayer than you.

[LuckyDay]

Dice? Why so defensive? I simply meant that, since a big man will go to the line so often in a game (if they're aggressive), they have to be able to be counted on from the line. Afterall, it is one of the easiest shots in basketball (thus the name "free" throw--get it, they're giving you a "free" shot!).

 

I agree that 70% from the free throw line isn't BAD for a guard in high school, but it's certainly nothing to brag about. C'mon Dice, there's no reason that ANY player that is serious about the game shouldn't make 7 out of 10 from the foul line.

 

I have seen the Little man shoot foul shots, and I was simply stating that he's not near the free throw shooter that he needs to be. If you go to the game tonight, just keep up with his Free throw shooting % and we'll talk tomorrow about it.

[911]

Bradley by 20 (or more)!!