Bearden seniors Drew Pember (center) and Ques Glover (right) celebrate late in the Class AAA state semifinal win over Whitehaven. (Photo: Charles Pulliam)
MURFREESBORO — The picture popped up on social media around March 4, like some “Before They Were Stars” moment.
The photo showed six players from the Bearden High School boys’ basketball team from some three years ago — all standing shoulder to shoulder and their backs up against a set of pushed-back gymnasium bleachers.
From left to right, Shamarcus Brown, Drew Pember, Roman Robinson, Trent Stephney, Ques Glover and Kordell Kah were just freshmen then with aspirations of taking Bearden to new heights.
Now, in 2019, they just may. Those six seniors — the only six on the team — steered Bearden past Memphis Whitehaven, 76-60, on Friday in the Class AAA state semifinals, sending the Bulldogs back to the Class AAA state championship since finishing runner-up in 2011.
Glover led the way Friday with 20 points. Stephney added six points, and Kah 5 points and six boards off the bench.
Pember had his second consecutive double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson added 14 points, and Shamarcus “Shaq” Brown had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
“All the work we’ve put in. Shaq has gained like million pounds (since that photo),” laughed Pember. “Ques, he could jump out of the gym. Trent, quick and athletic.
“Everyone’s worked for this moment. I’m happy that we’re here.”
My, my! Our @BeardenHoops guys have come a long way!
2 Conference Titles
3 District Tourney Titles
2 Region II Titles
3 Sectional Titles
Arby’s Classic Champions
1 Final Four and now…a 3rd State Tourney Appearance!
Just Awesome. #ADawgsLife pic.twitter.com/JUhprlcAqh— Bearden Basketball (@BeardenHoops) March 5, 2019
Bearden (31-5) will play Memphis East (26-8) at 3:30 p.m. Central time on Saturday in the championship. East’s 7-1 forward James Wiseman, the No. 1 player in the country in the Class of 2019, is a Mr. Basketball winner and scored 22 points Friday in a 46-42 semifinal win over Brentwood.
Maryville (2007) was the last area team to win a boys’ basketball Class AAA state championship.
“Championship games, the margin for error is razor thin,” said former Bearden star Ty Greene, who played in Bearden’s state runner-up season before going on to later play in the NBA G-League. “Value every possession and leave it all out on the floor.
“Don’t have anything left in the tank. Finish the job we started in 2011.”
Though Whitehaven (25-7) closed the first half on a significant run to slice into Bearden’s massive lead, the Bulldogs came out to start the second half as the aggressor. Pember’s free throws at the 4:29 mark of the third gave the Bulldogs an 8-2 run and a 49-30 lead, and Glover’s alley-oop to Pember gave Bearden a 51-32 advantage shortly thereafter.
The Bulldogs enjoyed a 57-39 lead going into the fourth, and Pember’s tip in stretched that to 20 to open the final 8 minutes.
Bearden defends against 7-4 Whitehaven center Jordan Wilmore. The Bulldogs won 76-60. (Photo: Charles Pulliam).
Whitehaven never got closer than 16 down the stretch. Its two next-level players, 7-4 center Jordan Wilmore and 6-3 junior 4-star guard Matthew Murrell, never got going. Wilmore finished with two points and one rebound in nine minutes.
Stephney locked down on Murrell, who finished 4-for-11 shooting with five turnovers in 31 minutes.
“Trent, he was phenomenal on their guy,” said Pember. “That’s just our team. That’s what we do, and now we’re in the state championship.”
With 4 minutes left in the first half, Bearden had built a 31-14 lead and that advantage only grew. The Bulldogs were shooting 53 percent. Pember had popped in two 3s. So had Glover, who scored eight first-quarter points.
Even Kah came off the bench and sank a 3.
It was all going Bearden’s way, as the Bulldogs made a handful of stops to open the first quarter and gained confidence that they could play with one of Memphis’ elite.
“Honestly, I felt like all the work was done before they got here. Our schedule, they’ve played against teams like that all year,” said Bearden coach Jeremy Parrott.
“I didn’t know we were going to win it that well (Friday).”
Glover’s 3-point play at the 2:20 mark of the second gave Bearden a 21-point cushion (38-17).
Meanwhile, Whitehaven’s star players had a combined two points and two rebounds, while the Tigers were shooting 27.8 percent.
Murrell, though, added two more points to his total after Pember sank his third 3 of the half and got whistled for a technical for celebrating said 3 a little too hard.
Whitehaven closed the half on an 8-0 run, leaving Bearden’s lead 41-28.
Both teams hit seven 3s before the break, Bearden shooting a blazing 70 percent from behind the arc.
“Going into the state tournament, everyone thinks Memphis is going to bring it out. Memphis is going to continue to bring it out. This year, we had a chip on our shoulders to prove we can compete with Memphis teams,” said Glover. “I feel like we did that (Friday) really well.”