Their first opponent in this tournament was the Lee’s Summit North Broncos. The Bruins took charge from the very beginning and were up, 17-12, at the end of the first quarter. They managed to keep up their stamina and led by ten, 32-22, at the half. Senior guard, Zach Carroll said that time in practice working on endurance helped them tonight against the tough competition.
“We were up the entire game … they were a solid team. They never have up and pushed the game all the way to the buzzer,” Carroll said. “We stayed positive because it was a must-win. We run a lot in practice so stamina is never a problem.”
By the time the buzzer rang to start the second half, the Bruins were raring to go. They held their lead, and with 3:46 left on the game clock they were up 59-51. Their eyes never left the prize and they took home the win in their first game of the tournament against the Broncos, 65-57. This win advanced the team into the semi-finals.
This game was huge for the Bruins. Last year, during the Culver’s Classic, the boys exited after the first round of competition. Sophomore forward Carson England said that the team works to remain positive and comes onto the court ready to take on their competition.
“We always enter the game with a confident mindset that we will win,” England said.
This was the 12th straight win for the Bruins. The team will be matched up against Lee’s Summit High School on Wednesday for the semi-finals game. The players will spend tomorrow preparing for what could be a tough competition.
“We have the opportunity to win, but we have to play [well]. They have a few really good players,” Carroll said, “[but] it feels pretty good. Hard work is paying off.”
By Brittany Cornelison
