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Bruins Open With Bang, Beat City Rival 62-42 (VIDEO)

Coach Craig Brehon talks star center Dajour Dickens during Bethel's 62-42 win over Phoebus
Coach Craig Brehon talks star center Dajour Dickens during Bethel's 62-42 win over Phoebus (Matthew Hatfield)

Two Top 10 ranked teams in the state - Bethel opening at #7 in Group 5A and Phoebus starting at #5 in Group 3A - collided in a city rivalry matchup to open the 2016-17 High School Basketball campaign.

Playing in their own gym, Bethel overcome a 14-13 deficit at the end of the first period to pull away comfortably from the Phantoms, 62-42.

The Bruins, who went on an 18-game winning streak last season before losses to Hampton in the PenSouth Conference 10 Tournament Championship and at Norview in the opening round of the 5A-South Region playoffs, dominated on the backboards. Bethel out-rebounded Phoebus to the tune of 41-26, which included 32 defensive rebounds.

There was no shortage of motivation for Bethel, which got beat by Phoebus in the Maury Spring League Championship as well as in last year's regular season opener, where the Phantoms rallied in the fourth quarter for a 66-59 win that night.

Once the Bruins were able to contain the transition game of the Phantoms and use their size advantage, Phoebus was unable to sustain its quick start. Bethel opened the second period on an 8-0 run and never trailed from there. The Phantoms ended up shooting 33% from the field in the first half (8-of-24) and didn't fare any better over the final two periods, converting just 28.1% of their field goal tries (9-for-32).

What proved to keep them from closing the gap was foul shooting, an area that Bethel capitalized to extend it advantage. While Phoebus went 5-for-15 at the charity stripe, Craig Brehon's Bruins made 21-of-26 free-throws (80.8%).


Bethel's Dajour Dickens & Cam Bacote Discuss 62-42 Win:

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Player of the Game:  Cam Bacote, Bethel 

Cam Bacote finished with a game-high 25 points, made all 12 free-throws and had four assists
Cam Bacote finished with a game-high 25 points, made all 12 free-throws and had four assists (Matthew Hatfield)

Senior 6'2" guard Cam Bacote was at the forefront of the Bruins attack. Twice named Second Team All-Region, Bacote looks ready to finish his career at Bethel off strong before heading on to the next level.

Though Cam shot just 25% from the field in the first half, he was aggressive in looking for his shot and didn't flinch against the quick, active guards of Phoebus. The four-year starter completed a superb night with 25 points by going a perfect 12-of-12 from the foul line, grabbed four rebounds and quietly handed out four assists to show he's also about getting his teammates involved.

"He's got great poise," remarked Brehon. "I thought he let the game come to him, took what the defense gave him, got started early making free-throws and it opened opportunities for him to make jump shots as well as in transition and off the dribble."

Bacote bunched 15 of those 25 points in the first half.


Bethel's Big 3 Belongs with the Best:

Dajour Dickens recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in his senior season debut
Dajour Dickens recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in his senior season debut (Matthew Hatfield)

A potent trio can take teams a long way. Several ball clubs in Hampton Roads have rode a Big 3 to the State Playoffs before. Some notable threesomes in the past have gotten Booker T. Washington (with Myles Holley, Antoine Perry & Brandon Plummer) there as well as Nansemond River (with Andre Jones, Nick Wright & Quinton McDuffie) a decade ago.

More recently, Norcom has been the gold standard with explosive trios, first with the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith, DeCarlos Anderson and Jeremy Canty. Then the past two years the likes of Travis Fields, Travis Ingram and K.J. Davis.

Each one of those players on those winning teams made it to the next level on a scholarship or will be playing College Basketball at the Division I level in the future.

Bethel's Big 3 of Bacote, Providence signee Dajour Dickens and UVA football recruit Jeremiah Owusu rates among the best around, even though they occasionally get overshadowed in their own district and conference by what arch rival Hampton has with Marquis Godwin (ODU), Jalen Ray (Hofstra) and Mastadi Pitt.


Fresh off the football field, Jeremiah Owusu brings the Bruins toughness, rebounding and hustle
Fresh off the football field, Jeremiah Owusu brings the Bruins toughness, rebounding and hustle (Matthew Hatfield)

To go alongside Bacote's headlining performance Dickens posted a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds while also tallying three blocks. On the night, the 6'11" big fella threw down five dunks and was able to assert himself better in the past as the game went along.

Owusu, a physical specimen and highly regarded for his defensive prowess and hustle, overcome some early misses on the inside to put up respectable numbers of 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. He scored on back-to-back possessions late in the third period to push the lead up to 13.

Hampton and Bethel will collide in two weeks, in the Crabber's gym on December 13th to be exact. Fans will be eager to see which Big 3 strikes first in a series that has produced some hotly contested and memorable battles over the years.


Miles Returns from Scary Injury:

Antwan Miles didn't have his best shooting night, but still finished with 18 points and four steals
Antwan Miles didn't have his best shooting night, but still finished with 18 points and four steals (Matthew Hatfield)

Few players from the Class of 2018 impressed as much in the off-season Phoebus guard Antwan Miles as the 5'10" junior made several winning plays in crunch time for the Phantoms as they won the Boo Williams Team Camp, Christopher Newport Teams Camp and Maury Spring. Miles had a productive sophomore campaign with averages of right around 16.8 points and four assists per game to earn Second Team All-Region honors.

Then came what was considered an unexpected setback for the crafty guard when he broke the growth plate in his right knee at the end of June. It cost him to miss a few months of basketball action and had some wondering if he'd be ready for the season opener.

While a bit slow out of the gate and not having his typical shooting night - just 8-of-21 from the field and 2-for-9 at the foul line - Miles still competed with the type of spirit and energy that drew attention from colleges, including an offer from Howard University. His 18 points weren't enough for the Phantoms to have a shot at getting a key road victory in the closing minutes, but he was the lone Phoebus player to score in double-figures.

Miles played with the same type of determination defensively as he did on offense, coming up with four teams, sharing team-high honors in that department with Javon Wingate.


Coaching Debut:

Aaron Bacote is now an assistant on Craig Brehon's staff at Bethel, where he starred from 2008-12
Aaron Bacote is now an assistant on Craig Brehon's staff at Bethel, where he starred from 2008-12 (Matthew Hatfield)

A familiar face was seen on the Bethel bench on Tuesday night. That was former Peninsula District Player of the Year and Bruins standout Aaron Bacote, who graduated earlier this year from Old Dominion University after scoring over 1600 points in his four-year career with the Monarchs.

Aaron is still looking for an opportunity to play professionally, according to Brehon, but for now he's spending his time getting acquainted with the coaching profession as an assistant for the Bruins.

Brehon welcomes former players to return to the program, even if it means in a different capacity. Jontel Evans, another star at Bethel that played his College Basketball at the University of Virginia, also came back to his alma mater as an assistant a coupe years ago and is now on the coaching staff at the Miller School.


Video Interview - Bethel Coach Craig Brehon:

Final Stats:

Bethel Bruins 62: (1-0 Overall)
Cam Bacote - 25Pts. 6-17FG, 1-4 's, 12-12FT, 4Reb. 4Ast.
Dajour Dickens - 19Pts. 8-12FG, 3-4FT, 15Reb. 3Blk.
Jeremiah Owusu - 15Pts. 5-12FG, 5-8FT, 7Reb. 3Stl.
Dashon Coleman - 3Pts. 6Reb. 2Stl.

Phoebus Phantoms 42: (1-0 Overall)
Antwan Miles - 18Pts. 8-21FG, 2-9FT, 2Reb. 2Ast. 4Stl.
Caleb Miles - 8Pts. 3-12FG, 2-7 3's, 4Reb.
Javon Wingate & Brandon Davis - 5Pts. each



Matthew Hatfield
serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.

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