From the first possession of the game, the boys’ basketball team began its lead over Belton High School (BHS) in dominant fashion. Senior guard Noah Patrick sunk a three-pointer in that possession, starting the team on a (22-0) run. It took five minutes and 23 seconds for BHS to get on the scoreboard. The Bruins ultimately won with a score of (72-47) in the district semifinals, advancing the team to its third straight district championship game.
“I feel like when I made my first shot, it made everyone else feel like they could hit shots,” Patrick said. “Shooting is very contagious especially when shots are falling.”
Though the scoreboard points to the team’s strength on offense, assistant coach Jordan Showalter is more excited about the other side of the court: defense.
“Winning so big makes us feel better and shows how we can play,” Patrick said. “We definitely played great defense and we need to continue that for the rest of playoffs. It gave us lots of momentum and confidence.”
Showalter prefers to focus on the Bruins’ style of play, as opposed to the fashion in which the win happens, but still enjoys celebrating a good win.
“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time. Our first goal is to win our district. If we can do that, then we’ll try to go out and the win the next one,” Showalter said. “This is a great group of guys with the potential to do something special, but we have to focus on doing our jobs and taking it one game at a time.”
