The 5-2 Bruins varsity boys hosted the 5-2 North Bend Bulldog team that handed the boys their first loss in league play just a few weeks ago. The Bruins were determined to extend the Bulldogs the same favor and busted out of the gates in the first period pressing on defense and running on offense.
As the Bruins ran on the Bulldogs, North Bend seemed a bit taken aback by the confidence of the Bruins driving in the lane, dumping the ball inside as junior center Jon Kleespies began a long night of fighting for position on the block and under the basket on defense.
Junior forward Austin Fronckowiak #2 was a man possessed in the first period leading all scorers in the game with 9 points after hitting three big 3 pointers in the period. Junior center #20 Jon Kleespies and Junior guard #32 Brig Schofield worked the lane driving into the paint and collecting fouls. Both were perfect from the line hitting 2 of 2 in the first period.
The Bruin defense played a high tempo 2-3 defense with the guards applying a full court press in an effort to get the ball out of the Bulldogs #5 Jayden Frank who put 28 points on the Bruins defense in their last meeting in North Bend. That game plan paid off in the first as the Bruins held the Bulldogs to just 12 points in the period as the Bruins outscored them with 13 at the end of one.
In the second period, the Bruins continued to apply pressure inside, but the height of the Bulldogs made it difficult for the Bruins to get a quality shot off in the paint. The second period had five Bruins in the scoring books, but only 3 baskets in the entire period. Two of those baskets came from senior shooting guard #30 Gabe Barneburg who hit a 3 pointer and a basket, and Kleespies hit from under the basket for 2 points.
But the Bulldog game plan changed in the second period as they needed to stop Fronckowiak from getting any shots off so they went man defense on Fronckowiak to deny him any open looks at the basket and then fouled him when he shot. Fronckowiak was fouled behind the 3 point line and then went 3 for 3 from the free throw line. Junior guard Luke Beaman #12 was also fouled behind the 3 point line and went 1 of 3 from the line as the Bruins added 12 more points to their 13 in the first quarter. After holding the Bulldogs to 12 in the second the Bruins took a 25-24 lead into the half.
As the third quarter progressed the key became valuable real estate as both teams tried to control the paint. Big Jon Kleespies went to work at both ends of the floor pushing their center off the block on the defensive end and powering inside on the offensive end. The Bruin center hit two buckets and got to the line 3 times going 2 for 3 from the line. Luke Beaman hit a 3 pointer from the top of the key and Fronckowiak hit a bucket for 2 as the Bruins were held to 11 points in the third.
The Bulldogs took advantage of the Bruins game plan to overplay and limit the Bulldogs #5 Jayden Frank’s scoring opportunities, as denying Frank left the Bulldogs Randy Vader #3 open and in the third period he made the Bruins pay hitting for 9 points off of two 3 pointers and hitting 3 of 4 from the free throw line. The third period would be where the Bulldogs would separate themselves from the Bruins putting 17 points on the board in the period and taking a 35-41 lead into the fourth.
Going into the fourth period trailing by 6 points meant the Bruins needed to have a perfect fourth period with stingy defense and near-perfect shooting, which is exactly what they did. Luke Beaman #12 hit a bucket and the free throw and #30 Gabe Barneburg drove baseline into the key hitting a two-pointer.
The Bruin defense held the Bulldogs to just 9 points in the fourth period and held the Bulldogs #5 Jayden Frank to 20 points, 8 shy of his 28 from their first meeting. But the deficit proved to be too big as Fronckowiak drove baseline hitting a 12 foot left handed running jumper with just seconds left in the game. The Bruins fouled the Bulldogs Frank to stop the clock down by 2 points with 6 seconds left. Franks hit 1 of 2 and the Bruins Brig Schofield collected the rebound, and out of timeouts raced down the floor only to miss a challenged 3 pointer off the front of the rim as time expired.
The Bruins dropped their third game in league play in a heartbreaker to the Bulldogs 47-50. The game plan was right, the execution was right, they just ran out of time against a team they lost to by 14 points in their last meeting.
The Bruins will meet up with a 0-8 South Umpqua team at home next Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
Please Like, Share and Follow the …
