Despite the intense energy levels and deafening roar of the crowd, the RBHS boys’ basketball team decisively outperformed Blues Spring South high school in Thursday’s game. While the Jaguars put up a good fight, with plenty of breakneck back and forth plays, in the end they were no match for the Bruins. With a final score of (79-71), the victory secured the district championship for RBHS and improved their season record to [25-1].
Senior forward Devin Bernskoetter believes their success is a result of the hard work they put in as well as the preparation tailored to the Jaguar’s team composition and technique. Specifically, they focused on blocking two players over 6’5.
“Some of the strategies we used for this game were defensively, find the shooters get a hand up, and box out,” Bernskoetter said. “On the offensive side, [the strategy was to] get the ball to the high post and short corner when they are in their zone.
Last year, RBHS also defeated Blue Springs South but only as a result of a last-minute free throw, which set the score at (57-56). This improvement may spell out a final four appearance for the Bruins. Head Coach Jim Scanlon is looking forward to further advancement, but is already proud of his team’s accomplishments thus far.
“We played hard. We played together. I think the guys really wanted to win, really wanted to play well,” Scanlon said. “ I’m happy for them. Knowing it was a big stage and they performed well. It’s fun moving onto the playoffs and continuing to try to go as far as you can.”
Junior guard Ja’Monta Black was in the top three scorers, contributing 17 points in total. The other top spots went to junior guards Isaih Mosely and Dajuan Harris with 29 and 20 points respectively.
[quote]We kept our composure and finished the game strong. We rebounded well and played good defense,” Black said. “The greatest moment of the game is when Dajuan got that fast break dunk. It really put the stamp on the game.[/quote] The Bruins will next tip off in the sectional game Wednesday, March 7. Leading up to the play-offs, Scanlon and his team will first and foremost get some rest after such a intense game. The weekend will be devoted to developing a team-specific plan and playing practice games.
“We appreciate all the support we can get. We had a student bus last night,” Scanlon said. “It should be a fun one next week in Sedalia and we’d like to have a big crowd there.”
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