A palpable sense of urgency enveloped the gym as the Bruins (24-4) prepared for their quarterfinal game against Nixa High School (28-1) in Springfield on Saturday, March 3, hoping to take after the Lady Bruins and bring home a win.
Playing after the Bruins girls’ win, the boys had the energy going into the game, but in overtime fell to the Eagles, 57-61.
First half started strong for the Bruins. A lot of pressure and aggressive defense from the Eagles made it hard for the team to get off good shoots and play its own game, however.
At the same time, the RB boys were able to hold strong defense to deflect the Eagles, even managing to make a lot of good rebounds, which gave the Bruins a 28-22 lead at half-time.
Second half heated up as the two hungry teams battled back-to-back.
By the end of regular play, the teams were tied at 57. The game went into overtime, with four minutes to prove which team would come out on top.
Nixa managed to get a quick three and one point for a free throw, pulling in front, 61-57. With seconds left on the clock, the Bruins failed to come back, leaving the court with disappointment.
“The game went really good for us until about the third quarter,” sophomore Nick Norton said. “They hit some shots and their crowd got into it making it very tough on us and we couldn’t pull through it.”
Although the Bruins are sad to end the season earlier than they would have liked, they are still proud of the last few months, ending with record 24 wins. And even though they lost this last game, they gained lasting friendships and lessons they can use later in life or even next year.
“The best part of the season was having the opportunity to play with a great group of guys and having amazing senior leaders,” Norton said. “Although we would of loved to keep going, we win some [games], we lose some [games]. I just cant wait for next year.”
By Caraline Trecha
haley • Mar 6, 2012 at 2:13 pm
that looks like zach rueter