The Bruin girls varsity basketball team was home Friday evening after being on the road for three games, hosting the Cascade Christian Lady Challengers who made the trip to the coast, bringing with them an undefeated 8-0 in league play.
The Bruin girls started the game conservatively, dropping back into their 2-3 defense applying defensive pressure to the ball handler and denying the interior, keeping pace with the Lady Challengers early in the first period. The Bruin girls defense kept the Lady Challengers from creating a lead and separation to end the first period trailing 12-14.
But Cascade Christian began to hit their shots in the second, creating scoring opportunities cutting off passing lanes and forcing long cross court passes that would create steals and fast break opportunities and putting up eight points at the midway point of the second period while holding the Bruin girls scoreless in the same stretch. The Lady Challengers would allow only three points in the period and take a 15-28 lead into the half time break.
Holding onto a thirteen point lead to start the second half of play, the Lady Challengers defense picked up right where they left off in the first half, shutting down the Bruin girls offense and holding them to no points early in the third while extending their lead by four points. The Bruin girls would get six points in the period, however, the Lady Challengers fourteen points in the third would create a fourteen point Cascade Christian lead.
The Lady Challengers denied the Bruin girls any inside opportunities, clogging the key making the Bruin girls force the play into the crowded lane as they cut off lanes to the hoop creating Bruin girls turnovers off of missed shots and broken plays. The Bruins eight points in the period would not be enough as the Lady Challengers added ten points in the period to take the 29-52 win.
The Bruin girls will be on the road next Tuesday as regular season play begins to wind down, traveling to Grants Pass Tuesday evening to challenge the 3-6 North Valley Lady Knights with tip off scheduled for 5:45pm.
