Bonds' clutch shots lift Tigers

By Derek Wiley
sports@onlineathens.com

Standing at the free throw line with 2.4 seconds remaining in a tie game, Commerce guard Bubba Bonds had only one thing racing through his mind: "I got to knock these shots down."

Bonds made both shots, Our Lady of Mercy guard Rashard Fant missed a half-court shot at the buzzer that hit iron but didn't fall, and Commerce won 54-52 in the opening round of the Class A state playoffs.

Bonds led the Tigers, who were hosting their first state basketball playoff game in school history, with 16 points, all of which came in the second half.

"Bubba really struggled in the first half and put his head down," Commerce coach Chad Bridges said. "But he did a great job in the second half of playing with more confidence, shooting like he knew the ball was going in every time and putting the first half out his head."

Bonds wasn't the only Tiger who struggled early as Commerce trailed 22-16 at halftime.

"I thought we played scared," Bridges said. "It was between their ears. It was mental. We haven�t been here or done this before. I told our guys all we have to do is be the best team on the gym tonight and in the end we were and I couldn't be more proud."

Commerce began the second half on a 15-0 run highlighted by two 3-pointers by Tyler Gamble, who finished the night with 14 points.

"We had to pick it up. We came out slow," Gamble said. "After the run, I knew we had to just keep rolling."

The Tigers' only adjustment in the second half wasn't one of X's and O's. It was all about effort.

"We didn't make any adjustments," Bridges said. "We played the same defense and did the same things we've done all year on offense. We just played harder and I'm proud our guys made that adjustment."

The effort showed on the glass as the Tigers outrebounded Our Lady of Mercy 14-9 in the second half.

"They were bigger than us at forward, but we have bigger guards who can crash the boards and that was an advantage for us," Bridges said.

At forward junior Anthony Norris added 14 points and paced the Tigers' offense early, scoring the team's first three baskets.

"Anthony played the most comfortably to start with," Bridges said. "He played like he belonged and has all the tools to be one of the best players in our region."

While the Tigers struggled with consistency on offense, the defense stayed strong all night. Commerce finished with seven blocks, highlighted by Channing Anderson's swat of an Adam Rose 3-point attempt in front of the Tiger student section with 2:14 remaining.

Najgee Gatson led Our Lady of Mercy with 15 points.

The Tigers' dream season, which includes defeating rival Jefferson to end a decade-long losing streak and winning a region championship for the first time since 1980, will continue Tuesday as Commerce will host its second-ever state playoff game against the winner of St. Francis and Mt. Zion in Carroll.

"We didn't have a lot of expectations on us this season," Bridges said. "We've exceeded them all. There's no pressure moving forward."