‘She just loves basketball’: Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton putting final stamp on storied career
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton has signed to play Division I women’s basketball for Miami University next season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
A.J. Ireland often found himself talking basketball after class with one of his seventh-grade math students about five years ago – not long before he became the Bloom-Carroll girls basketball coach.
Emily Bratton was a student of the game even back then, long before becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer was even a thought in her head.
“It was such a joy to talk to her in class because I knew that she had a high basketball IQ,” said Ireland, who was an assistant with the Bulldogs’ boys program at the time. He became the girls coach in 2019. “So, it was fun talking to her (and asking her), ‘Did you watch the game last night?’ or ‘What did you think of this team?’ We were able to have really in-depth conversations about what was happening in basketball – the Xs and Os. It was just really fun being able to communicate with a seventh-grader that way. It really blew me away.”
Bratton’s prior relationship with Ireland made the transition to high school basketball much easier as a freshman.
“My main thing was basketball, so we would just bond on that and talk about it during class,” Bratton said. “Coming in as a freshman, it just helped me be more acclimated to that environment of being a freshman on varsity. So, I think (those conversations) really helped a lot.”
She scored 19 points in a 46-37 win over Teays Valley on Dec. 5 to pass Ireland’s aunt Tami (Ireland) Cox’s mark of 1,225 points. Cox, a 1989 graduate, was inducted in the Bloom-Carroll athletic Hall of Fame last year.
“I always teased my aunt about it,” said Ireland, a 2012 graduate. “Even Emily’s freshman year, I’d be like, ‘Aunt Tami, I have this freshman that’s going to be shooting for your record.’ Every year we got a little closer and Aunt Tami would always text and be like, ‘I don’t know why you’re playing Emily so much. I think you need to rest her during some of these blowouts. She’s scoring way too much.’ I’d be like, ‘No, we’ve got a record to beat.’
Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton shoots against Amanda-Clearcreek in a game earlier this season at Bloom-Carroll. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“Once she beat it, Aunt Tami reached out on social media and congratulated her on the accomplishment. So, that was really fun and really cool.”
Bratton’s love of the game was formed through her family, namely her parents, Amy and Matt.
“My mom played at Capital and my dad played in high school,” she said. “So, them having that background really helped. Ever since kindergarten or first grade when I started playing up, I think that made me want to work harder. I just really fell in love with the sport.”
Amy (Strine) Bratton still holds the single-season 3-point record of 65, which she set in 1996-97.
Always an adept shooter, Bratton’s game has evolved over the years.
“Every year, she’s gotten stronger, quicker and faster,” Ireland said. “She turned into a three-level scorer where she can get to the rim, she hit the mid-range pull-up and she can hit the 3. We also challenged her to start shooting some deeper 3s. She pulls some pretty deep ones and those are pretty good shots for her.
“This year, as a senior, we challenged her to become a vocal leader on and off the floor and she’s done a good job with that. She organizes her team, gets them going and gets them in the right spots.”
Bloom-Carroll sits at 8-3 overall and 4-1 in the Mid-State League Buckeye Division after a 60-59 loss to Canal Winchester in non-league play on Jan. 2.
She’s averaging 23.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.0 steals per game, shooting 44% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range and is 82% from the free throw line for the Bulldogs through the team’s first 10 games.
“The most impressive thing about Emily Bratton is that she’s improved her game every single season,” Ireland said. “In the offseason, she works really hard trying to find a new piece to the puzzle (and) it really pays off. She’s one of the hardest workers in the gym and she just loves basketball.”
Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton (right) defends against Amanda-Clearcreek in a game earlier this season at Bloom-Carroll. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Backing Bratton this season is senior guard Marissa Wilkinson with 9.6 points per game, junior guard Tessa Brooks averaged 7.8 points and junior post player Emma Sorrell had 5.6 rebounds through 10 games.
Bratton knew pretty quickly as a freshman that she’d be a focal point of the team. She needed to get stronger because she was relied on to score. Naturally soft-spoken, Bratton also wanted to become a leader.
“As a freshman, I was super weak and didn’t want to get to the rim very much,” she said. “Just being a leader – I thought as a freshman, being one of the younger (players), it wasn’t my role to really lead.”
Those things became easier as time went on.
“Junior year, I was more vocal. But this year, I’ve been working a lot harder at being vocal with my teammates,” Bratton said. “I’m a lot stronger being able to take it to the hoop a lot more. So, I think that just being a vocal leader and (being stronger) has really evolved probably the most in my game.”
Bratton also played tennis for the Bulldogs, finishing second at the Division II sectional at Columbus Academy last fall before falling to eventual state champion Amiya Bowles in a district semifinal.
“The biggest thing is the footwork,” she said. “I played singles and with that you have to be able to move super-fast to get to short balls. The footwork and hand-eye coordination (really translated well with basketball).”
A Miami (Ohio)-commit, Bratton plans to pursue physical therapy in college – another interest born through her family.
Her younger sister, Ava, who is in the sixth grade, needed physical therapy to recover from a shoulder injury suffered playing softball. Emily found inspiration in the experience.
“I just want to stay in sports and help kids and athletes that are in need of help,” Bratton said. “My sister has been to P.T. and stuff. I liked going (with her) and seeing how she’s improved. She had her shoulder messed up in softball. It wasn’t too bad of an injury, but she’s been going to P.T. for a little bit now. So, she has to just keep up on stuff.”
Bloom-Carroll is seeking its third district title after winning back-to-back in 2018 and ’19.
“My biggest goal is getting my teammates open as much as possible and getting them the ball,” Bratton said. “Then, it’s just doing what I need to do to help my team be able to win those games. (Our) team goals are winning a league championship and then getting to a district championship.”
Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton passes against Amanda-Clearcreek in a game earlier this season at Bloom-Carroll. Photo: John Hulkenberg