The RBHS girls’ basketball team took an unfortunate loss Wednesday, December 17th after a tough fight with Tipton High School. The final score was 40-47.
The game began with sophomore shooting guard Avery Walker, sophomore power forward Amra Caldarevic, sophomore point guard Kennadee Davis, junior shooting guard Jen Mbabazi and junior center Washirl Kyne on the court. The first half of the game started off strong with Bruins scoring over the Cardinals repeatedly. Pre-game, RBHS junior varsity (JV) girls’ basketball Assistant Coach Justin Carter believes the team will have a promising season. Coach Carter is in his 12th year coaching overall and his fifth year at RBHS.
“The JV team is undefeated and has a positive outlook for the season [having] 19 or 20 scheduled games, indicating a promising season for the team,” Carter said. “I’m really excited about this group of girls. They come to practice every day and attack it and try to get better.”
Kyne was the lead scorer at tonight’s game with a total of 21 points, dominating with not only blocking but scoring. Starting off strong from the beginning, Kyne was forward with defense, blocking the Cardinals’ shots. Catching a rebound from a missed layup, she was highly active on the court.
“I think the game went well overall,” Kyne said. “My strongest part of the game was my height advantage. I could really shoot over those girls and get easy buckets for my team.”
Throughout the game the Bruins took advantage of free throws, with Kyne making up easy points for RBHS, scoring the first shot of her two free throws and missing the second but rebounding quickly after making the layup. Similarly, Caldarevic made two free throws in the first period. Caldarevic, using height to her advantage too, blocked extensively throughout the game.
Davis was powerful throughout the game as well. Driving forward down the court and making moves, Davis had a total of 3 points but gained ground on the court. Making a steal at the top of the key in the second quarter, she moved the ball to prepare for a shot. Further into the game sophomore forward Cate Smith took a spill after stumbling over Davis in a scramble down the court.
“The strongest part of my game today was being able to be a voice for the team and just being there when my teammates get down,” Smith said. “This game was a little rough on the offense end for me but I was able to push past it and really work on my defense.”
By the third quarter, Rock Bridge was losing its lead. Scrambling to regain, they called a quick time out, with 4:48 left on the clock. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Walker made a quick layup for easy points. Scrambling to attempt to make up extra points, Mbabazi and Smith continue driving the ball with Davis. With 30 seconds left in the game, a play between Kyne, Mbabazi and Davis attempted to score the final game closing points. The layup was missed, with the Cardinals rebounding and scoring on their own, distancing the gap. The next game for the lady bruins JV team is 12/19 and is an away game at Nixa.
“This JV group I think has [about] 19 or 20 games scheduled, so [we’ve] got a lot of opportunities to get out on the court and get better and show what we can do.” Said Carter. “JV is playing really well.”
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