Girls Basketball: Bloom storms past Bradley-Bourbonnais

Updated: December 30, 2011 12:05AM

Bloom’s Bria Gaines is having herself a monster tournament.

The day after scoring 21 points in a first-round victory over Thornridge, the 6-foot-3 post player continued to be a menace in the paint, scoring 29 points and pulling down 18 rebounds in a 44-30 semifinal win Thursday over Bradley-Bourbonnais at the Bradley Holiday Tournament.

Bloom coach Ron Newquist knows he has a special talent.

“It’s a blessing to have her,” Newquist said. “Her growth this year from last is remarkable. Teams just zone us to death because they know we have a legitimate Division I post player in there.”

Gaines was fed a steady diet of bounce passes and lobs. She delivered with five field goals in the final frame to book the Blazing Trojans’ ticket to the tournament championship against Hoffman Estates.

“Our offense goes through her,” Newquist said. “She might not always score like she did tonight, but it starts with her. Our team has done a great job of embracing their roles.”

Bloom (8-6) struggled in the first quarter against Bradley (1-12), falling behind 12-11 and looking tentative on offense. But the Blazing Trojans opened the second quarter with an urgent defensive look that created transition offense, and Bloom went on a 12-0 run to take command.

“When you have athleticism and size like Bloom does, it can take the wind out of your sails,” Bradley coach Brian Anderson said.

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