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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

SYLACAUGA – With a dream in front of them of making it to sub-regionals for the first time since 2018, the Briarwood Christian Lions made it into a reality in dominating fashion with a win in the semifinals of the area playoffs.

Briarwood defeated the Central of Clay County Volunteers 71-38 on Monday, Feb. 3 at Sylacauga High School in the Class 5A, Area 8 area tournament thanks to a phenomenal second half and another solid performance from Drew Mears.

It did not take long for the Lions to heat up from the field, especially from deep range. Mears hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, while Eli Thompson, Eli Stubbs and Charlie Caldwell joined him, each hitting a 3-point shot of their own and helping the team rack up five made shots from beyond the arc to open things up.

Big man Garrett Witherington scored the only two-pointer of the quarter, which only helped to add to a tremendous first quarter for Briarwood.

The Volunteers did not let this game get away super early however. 3-pointers from both Kaiden Glenn and Braxden Young helped to lead the charge for Central Clay and give it some momentum. Despite their efforts though, the Lions still held a 20-13 lead through the first eight minutes.

The second period was less of a shootout and more of a defensive battle, but Briarwood still managed to perform well. Sam Canale got on the scoreboard with five points in the quarter, while Brayden Robertson and Mears each put in two of their own.

Even though the Lions only added nine points in the second, the defense played well enough for things to even out, only giving up two points to the Volunteers. With a 29-15 lead headed to the break, things were starting to take shape for Briarwood.

The third quarter saw things get back on track offensively for both sides, but it was Mears who took over once again for the Lions. The team’s star dropped 10 more points, which included two more 3-pointers. 

In addition to his impressive performance, Caldwell also hit another 3-point shot, while Robertson and Witherington each scored two.

Central Clay wanted to stay in the game to an extent though, not going down easily with its season on the line. Seniors Kevin Cherry and Damauri Whetstone combined for all 14 points that the Volunteers scored in the third, including two 3-pointers from Cherry. While the duo put on a show for their team, Briarwood still held a 46-29 lead entering the fourth.

It was here that the Lions turned on the jets and made a sprint to the finish line. They put up five more 3-pointers in the closing minutes with one from Mears, one from Stubbs, one from Caldwell and two from Tory Smith. Their contributions helped lead Briarwood to scoring 25 points in the final quarter and ending their offensive showcase with a bang.

The Lions’ defense also only surrendered nine points to end the game, putting a lock on things and sending them to their first sub-regionals since 2018.

Mears led the way for Briarwood on the scoreboard with 22 points, further adding to his already magnificent campaign. Stubbs also scored in double figures on the night with 10, while Caldwell and Canale had nine, Smith scored eight, Robertson dropped six and Witherington contributed four.

With the win, the Lions will head back to Sylacauga High School for the area championship on Wednesday, Feb. 5 to face the host team Sylacauga Aggies. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.