Seven seniors from Bearden decided they weren’t ready for their prep basketball career to end on Thursday, as Bearden punched its ticket to the Class 2A state tournament with a 62-48 win over Spring Hill in the first round of the 2A South Region tournament, which is being held at Saratoga.

It’s the first trip to the state tournament since the 2004-05 season when John Traband, filling in for Donnell Ford who was assigned overseas for the war, led a Bears team featuring players like Ben Owens, Jay Williams and Johnny Ray Childs to the postseason. The state tourney berth also comes i...