Peyton Bradley had to Adjust for Father Not Being at Game

Randall Bradley with his daughter, Peyton, at the state tournament after she had committed to play at Louisville. (Larry Vaught Photo)

From kindergarten through high school, Randall Bradley never missed a basketball game that his daughter, Peyton Bradley, played.

That changed this weekend.

He was not in Crestview Hills at Thomas More University when Peyton participated in the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star Game. Bradley, a Louisville signee, won the 3-point contest at Friday night’s skills showcase and then was the starting guard Saturday night against Ohio in the all-star game.

“We found out he had cancer the day before my mom and I left for Ghana (on a mission trip during spring break),” said the Meade County star. “That was just really an attack of the enemy, just trying to stop us from going and experiencing that. But we knew, just by how we found out he had cancer, that the Lord had his hand on the situation because dad had that shoulder issue, got it checked out, and in the scan they saw his lung cancer.”

She said the trip to West Africa to work with those less fortunate left a “lasting imprint on my life” and that the “ unconditional joy and love” she found is something she’ll not forget.

Her father had surgery on Thursday and told his surgeon he was coming to the all-star game, something the doctor told him was not happening. Fortunately, he was able to watch live streams of Friday’s skill contests and Saturday’s game that other family members did attend.

“The last few days have been a whirlwind,” Bradley said Friday night. “It was rough at times, but we had a lot of prayers coming our way. We feel him getting lifted up. No way was he not going to let me play, and fortunately, the doctor told him he was not coming to the game.”

Bradley said the mission trip to Ghana helped prepare her and her mother for her father’s surgery.

“There’s a faith there, so we have all the Ghanaians praying for them. Actually, Mama, I met with an apostle, Apostle John, and we got a hanky, and we all three prayed over it together,” she said. “We know prayer is powerful, and God answers prayers. We’re praying that they got all the cancer.”

Bradley easily had the high score in competition with other Kentucky teammates in the 3-point contest and easily won her head-to-head matchup with the Indiana winner. She scored 13 in her matchup with Ty Price, a 3,000-point scorer for Butler County, in the overall final.

“I wish I hit a few more shots, but I got a little tired,” she said.

She had plenty of energy watching teammate Abby Gilbert of Jackson County, a Campbellsville University signee, win the overall one-on-one competition.

“I was definitely cheering and enjoying that. I think when Abby won, we all went crazy,” Bradley said.

Bradley averaged 28.2 points per game — second in the state — last season for Meade County, along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. She shot 41.6 percent from 3-point range and finished her career with a school-record 3,265 points and 510 3-pointers, the second-best total in state history.

She’ll be playing for the Kentucky all-star team against Indiana in June. She missed being part of the junior all-star team last year after she tore her ACL during the season.

“I was at the game last year but didn’t really get to experience it,” she said. “The Indiana series is a big one here in Kentucky. Playing in this game prepares me and my teammates who will also be playing. A lot of us are playing against Indiana, so letting us play together for the first time definitely helps with that preparation.”

Bradley knew she might be rusty this weekend after not touching a basketball during her trip to Ghana.

“The break was good, but I obviously lost a lot of conditioning,” she said. “I also lost a little bit of touch (shooting-wise), but it was worth it because it helps you not get burnt out. I don’t think I was burnt out, but being away from the game definitely reminds you how much you love the game.”

She also knows how much her father loves ice cream and was not surprised when he woke up after surgery and wanted a Frosty from Wendy’s.

“He looked at me and my brother and said he wanted a Frosty, so we got him one,” she said. “After every surgery he’s had, he wanted food, so that was no surprise, and we definitely made sure he had that.”