The Blackford Bruins Basketball program traveled to Blue River High School for their 3rd game on the season Saturday evening. The Bruins were searching for their 2nd win on the season against the Blue River Valley Vikings. The Bruins and Vikings have most recently become a non-conference rivalry, playing 13 total matchups over the last 35 years, with the Bruins in the overall lead winning 7 out of the 13 games.
Blackford entered the game looking to build off their strong defensive effort in game in their 2nd game vs Bluffton, as they started the game playing strong half court man to man defense. The Bruins were extremely active on the defensive end, with strong help side defense and several individuals active in the passing lanes, creating deflections and steals for the Bruins as they jumped out to a 11-5 lead after the first quarter.
In the 2nd quarter, the Bruins were able to outscore the Vikings 12 - 7, leading to a 23 - 12 half-time score. In the first half, the Bruins had balanced scoring, Senior guard Kian Wells had 7 points, Senior guard Ethan Morris with 6 points, Senior Center Vince Oxley had 4 points and Sophomore Mason Kitterman had a basket, along with Junior Gage Baker contributing a nice drive to the rim. Sophomore Jacob Dillon entered the game with about 90 seconds remaining in the first half due to foul trouble for the Bruins and he had a strong offensive rebound put back for Blackford. The Bruins played a very sloppy first half offensively, contributing 8 turnovers, but finished the half with a double-digit lead thanks to strong defense.
Blackford was able to play the 2nd half with a little bit more efficiency as the Bruins Seniors helped lead the charge for Blackford to earn the victory. Kian Wells, Ethan Morris, and Vince Oxley took over the game for the Bruins in the 2nd half making countless key plays for Blackford, generating offense for the Bruins. All 3 Seniors scored 8 points or more in the 2nd half, with Oxley leading the way with 11 second half points. Oxley was a force in the 2nd half, finishing strong around the basket on offensive rebounds and scoring off several nice drop off passes from Morris and Junior guard Jacob Leas. It was a dominant performance from Oxley, probably his best overall game in his career as a Bruin, and Blackford needed it to secure the victory. Ethan Morris continues to round into shape in his return from injury and had one of the best moves of the year with a euro-step on a drive that left the defender in another area code as he finished in front of the rim in the 2nd half.
In the 4th quarter, both teams generated over 20 plus points, with the Bruins outscoring the Vikings 24 - 23 to finish the game with a 59-48 victory. The Bruins were able to make free-throws late in the game to hold off an attempt at a rally by the Vikings. Wells was 4-4 from the free-throw line, Morris 2-4, Leas 4-6 and Oxley 3-4. The Bruins finished 13-18 from the free-throw line in the 4th quarter to ice the game. Blackford earned their 2nd win on the season and will return to the hardwood next Friday night vs the Alexandria Tigers on the road. It will be the Bruins first conference game of the season and their 3rd road game out of their first 4 contests.
Here are the unofficial stats from last night's game:
In Junior Varsity action the Bruins were able to secure their first victory of the season, winning 49 - 46 vs the Blue River Vikings! The Bruins were able to jump out to an early lead and never looked back, as strong play from guards Kentral Toomer and Reggie Duren helped lead the way. Toomer ended up with another strong game as he finished with 13 points, 6 assists and 5 steals, while Duren contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 made 3-pointers. Jacob Dillon was strong inside for the Bruins, contributing 8 points and 6 rebounds. Mason McFeely was active throughout the game as he contributed a strong overall stat line of 8 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The Bruins received career best games so far on the young season from both lone Freshman in the Bruins program. Eli Morgan had a career high 5 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Bruins and Jacob Barry provided 4 points (knocking down two baskets in the 2nd half) and grabbed 2 defensive rebounds. It was an all-around great team effort for the Bruins to earn their first win. The Bruins will now play their next game Thursday night at Alexandria High School!
Comments