Sophomore Kanisha Green-McLain and Senior Bri Ellis cheer as they watch their team take the lead against the Ozark Tigers on Thursday Jan. 14 on the Lady Bruins’ home court.
With the last three of their four games resulting in losses, the Lady Bruins’ basketball got back on track Thursday night when they pulled out a much needed victory over the Ozark Tigers, 42-37.
“We worked really hard,” sophomore Katey Klucking said. “Getting offensive boards and pressing hard, diving on the ground for loose balls, going into contact on layups. It’s just amazing what can happen when all five players on the court go 100 percent.”
The first half of the game was slow for both the Bruins and the Tigers as the two would only put 24 points on the board, with RBHS trailing the Tigers 10-14. However, both squads were determined to prove the first half to be nothing more than a fluke, and it would be the Lady Bruins who would make the first splash as the third quarter began, converting their first four attempts and taking over Ozark, 18-14.
“Coach always tells us to come out strong after halftime, and we definitely did,” Klucking said. “We got steals and tips and transition layups. It’s team basketball like that that ultimately gets us hype.”
This positive attitude eventually lead the Bruins to the close victory. With only one minute left in the fourth quarter, the score was 37-38 . Two free throws from senior Bri Ellis and sophomore Payton McCallister in the final seconds made the score final, and sealed the Bruins’ win.
“I felt confident in myself that I could make [the free throws],” McCallister said. “I was also confident in my team that we could keep the lead. There was only 8 seconds left so I was mostly thinking about the mechanics needed to make the shot.”
This weekend, the Lady Bruins’ will take a trip to Independence and participate in the Truman Tournament, and hope to push their record to the better side of .500 as they currently stand at 7-7 on the year.
“I’m pretty stoked and so is everyone else,” Klucking said. “Something awesome is really happening right now in the season. We are going to practice hard and get ready so we can be successful [this weekend].”