Always Dare to rally to win by electric means in the opening round of TBT

TBT, the Basketball Tournament, kicks off Saturday at Carver Arena. Bradley’s Alumni team, Always a Brave, take on the Chicago Hoopville Warriors Saturday night.

Hoopville dominated most of the night, putting Always a Brave on the 16-point hole with about 5 minutes remaining in the game.

But the Braves are starting to shut it down. Patrick O’Bryant nailed three to draw in 11. The magic number to win was 74. Marcellus Sommerville dominated in the last half, counting 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Agee’s header made a foul shot to put Hoopville within a point to win but it was the last foul shot Hoopville would have made. They lost three in the stretch.

Darrell Brown tied the game at 73 with three. The next basket won and that basket was none other than Sommerville. Always a Brave advanced with a 75-73 win.

“It feels great,” said Sommerville. “Relieved and then they jumped on me and I lost all my breath. But it felt good to win.”

“Keeping missing those free throws, I just knew, well, our time has come,” said Tony Bennett, Always a Brave guard. “We sneaked on them, we sneaked on them. Sure enough, we did it easier than I thought. Marcellus got the layup but it was one of the hardest games ever.”

“Bradley, and that tradition is built on the heart,” said Daniel Ruffin, head coach of Always a Brave. “You know, just watching that and not being out there killing me. I want to thank them for giving me my first win at this level and we have a lot more to come.”

Always a Brave will now play Jackson Tennessee UnderDawgs Monday at 8pm