Bartlett defeats Arlington for the District 14AAA Crown

<p>It’s never an easy task to beat a team three times in a season.</p> <p>Thanks to the newcomers (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="537230" first="Tadarius" last="Jacobs"]</strong>, <strong>Terrance Jacobs</strong> <strong>Jr</strong>., and <strong>Amarr</strong> <strong>Knox</strong>), Bartlett was able to defeat Arlington, 75-65, for the third time this season to capture its first District 14AAA Tournament Championship since the 2018-19 season.</p> <p>Here are three takeaways from the Panthers’ win over the Tigers.</p> <p><strong>Bartlett had great looks for most of the game</strong></p> <p>The Panthers moved the basketball to every angle of the floor Thursday night. The ball kept moving until a great shot was available. Bartlett had great looks for most of the game. At times, Arlington got caught lagging on the defensive end, leaving shooters for the Panthers open in the corners and on the perimeter.</p> <p>Bartlett made 13 3s in the win and most of them weren’t contested.</p> <p><strong>The Panthers weren’t fazed by two small Tiger runs</strong></p> <p>Two of Arlington’s best offensive sequences came in the first half. The first one was in the first quarter, which started with a made basket by junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1019410" first="Phil" last="Dotson III"]</strong> then <strong>Anthony</strong> <strong>Medlock</strong> followed with a score of his own. Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="983719" first="Madison" last="Peaster"]</strong> converted on a 3-point play that was part of a 9-2 run that gave the Tigers a 20-13 lead before Tadarius drained a 3 as senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="537277" first="Isaiah" last="Jones"] bumped into him.</p> <p>Knox scored on two straight possessions to tie the game at 20-all before senior forward <strong>Luke</strong> <strong>Bridges</strong> put Bartlett up two heading into the second quarter.</p> <p>Arlington’s second scoring surge took place in the second quarter. Dotson scored nine of the Tigers’ 11 points during their 11-5 run to take a 35-28 lead. The lead quickly vanished, thanks to a 3 by <strong>Devin</strong> <strong>Crockett</strong>.</p> <p>Knox scored the Panthers’ final five points of the second quarter, including a 3-point heave that hit the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded.</p> <p>During both scoring surges, Arlington got the shots it wanted, whether the shots were in transition or in half-court, but the Tigers’ defense couldn’t contain senior guard <strong>Kamrin</strong> <strong>Jones</strong>, Knox nor the Jacob brothers.</p> <p>Bartlett had balance offensively. Knox and Tadarius each finished with 16 points. Terrance had 14. Kamrin added 12.</p> <p><strong>The Panthers took advantage of Arlington’s foul trouble</strong></p> <p>Peaster and sophomore forward <strong>Javar</strong> <strong>Daniel</strong> got into foul trouble in the third quarter. Both players picked up their third foul with the game still in reach. Daniel picked up his third foul at the 3:58 mark of the third quarter when the Tigers were down 46-42. Peaster picked up his third foul towards the end of the quarter when Arlington was down 51-45.</p> <p>At the start of the fourth quarter, Medlock fouled Tadarius on a 3-point shot attempt, and he made all three foul shots to give Bartlett a 56-47 lead.</p> <p>Daniel picked up his fourth foul midway through the quarter, sending senior guard <strong>Will</strong> <strong>Farris</strong> to the line. He made both to put the Panthers up 68-53.</p> <p>Tadarius went to the line once more with 1:26 left in the game. Both shots went in as Bartlett led 73-59, with the game completely in hand. The combo guard finished 5 for 6 from the charity stripe.</p> <p>The Panthers took advantage of the Tigers’ foul trouble as they continued to make shots in the second half, while Arlington struggled to get a lot of the same shots that kept it in contention.</p> <p>Dotson led the Tigers with 19 points.</p>