Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The York Institute Dragons used a strong second-half offensively to take down Bledsoe County 73-49.
Both teams started off well with regards to scoring, but it was the Dragons who took a 22-13 lead into the second quarter. There, York managed to push the lead to 10 on multiple occasions, but Bledsoe cut the lead down to just six at 37-31 by the time halftime arrived.
The third quarter is where York began to pull away, fending off an early run from Bledsoe to take a 51-39 lead into the fourth frame. Once there, York’s offense began humming along to the tune of 22 points in the quarter to take home the win 73-49.
The win clinches a spot in the District 5/AA Championship game against the winner of Monterey-Jackson County.
Jon Heddings led the way with 25 points for the Dragons, while Bryson Bilbrey added 16 in the semifinal win for head coach Rodney Pile.
“I don’t know what exactly changed, but I think our intensity level rose up,” Pile said. “For whatever reason, we struggled and you’ve got to give (Bledsoe) a lot of credit…it wasn’t very good to start the third quarter and both teams got physical, so I think that sparked us.”
Bilbrey’s recent production has given the Dragons a reliable third scoring option behind Heddings and Nic Smith, something that Pile is quick to point out makes his team a lot tougher to defend.
“One thing I’ve said lately is that we have seven starters,” Pile said. “Sometimes, Bryson and Jackson Conatser come off the bench, but they give us great minutes…that’s crucial. Bryson has done this a couple times, and he had a big quarter and helped us extend the lead. He’s so long and he’s such a good athlete. It’s bully ball, and that’s what Bryson gives us.”
The Dragons now await the winner of Jackson County-Monterey in the championship game.
