RBHS Bruins v. Ozark High School Tigers, 64-41
Girls basketball started their week out with a game against Ozark High School on Jan. 10. After a tight first quarter where the Lady Bruins were able to snag only a slight five point lead, the Lady Tigers proved to be a tough team to beat. Going into the second quarter with a score of 18-13, the Lady Bruins knew they had to up their game.
“Having a close scoring game I think motivated us even more,” senior starter Makenzie Skrabal said. “We don’t want to give the other team any opportunities to come back, and it’s much more comfortable having a solid lead.”
The Bruins were able to double their lead by the end of second quarter, ending the first half 31-21. By the third quarter, the Lady Bruins were ahead 48-31, and the Lady Tigers were having trouble making a strong comeback. Although Ozark had some strengths, RBHS was able to use their trump card of height.
Ozark “had some really good shooter[s], and they knew how to play well as a team. They knew each others’ habits,” Skrabal said. But “like with most every team we play, their weakness was height.”
The average height of 5 feet 8 inches between the 13 players is just one of the advantages the team has and uses, Skrabal said. In addition, the team has the driven focus and stamina allowing it to outplay other teams.
“When going against a great team like Ozark, you can’t just be really good at some moments,” Skrabal said. “You have to be really good throughout.”
RBHS v. Nixa High School, 60-38
[nggallery id=229] Photos by Paige Kiehl
The last game of the week for the Lady Bruins took place on home court against the Nixa Eagles. Nixa started off strong and was able to clinch a 16-12 lead over RBHS at the end of the first quarter. However, their lead was short lived, as the Lady Bruins were able to tie the Lady Eagles with 4:49 seconds left in the second quarter.
“We were all thinking, ‘We have got to get up and guard them closer,'” senior starter Hannah Dressler said. “They are great shooters. We knew we had to work on tighter switches and our communication on the floor.”
RBHS quickly turned the tables, and ended the second quarter with a 32-22 lead. Although Nixa wasn’t far behind, the Lady Eagles weren’t able to catch up once the Lady Bruins began shoring up their offense and strengthened their defense.
Nixa “tried to keep us from scoring, but we had a lot of different threats since we found the holes in their defense,” Dressler said. “They tried to stage a comeback, but our defense left them with nowhere to turn, [although] they did hit a couple of threes in the second quarter.”
The Lady Bruins continued to pull ahead during the third quarter, widening the lead to a 44-26. However, the game was still far from over, particularly with a team like Nixa which had point-scoring abilities, Dressler said. If the Lady Eagles made a few three-pointers, then the lead would be gone. However, RBHS was able to pull through and take in a 60-38 win.
“Our coach always tells us, ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard,’ especially against Nixa, who was a very good three-point shooting team,” Dressler said. At the end of the day, “we learned that we have to stay consistent in intensity the whole game. We need to work in not giving away as many offensive rebounds and being consistent without communication.”
By Daphne Yu
What makes our Bruin team so successful?