For the second consecutive weekend, the Azalea Bruins boys basketball team went on the road to compete in another tournament play situation in McKinleyville against a Jacoby Creek Panther team in first round play.
Two well-matched teams stepped onto the hardwood Friday evening, and both got into the scoring column early. Fabian Villa #15 got onto the board hitting two baskets as Jake Beaman #45 would lead all scorers in the first period hitting three baskets and a free throw for 7 points. The AZ Bruins would hit for 13 points in the period as the Panthers hit for 12 in the period.
In the second period, Beaman would again lead the AZ Bruin scorers with two buckets and a free throw. Seth Byrd #25, Seth Broberg, and Noah Molnar all hit a basket and Fabian Villa #15 hit 1 of 2 from the free throw line as the Bruins stayed consistent with 12 points in the period. The Bruin defense played tough giving the Bruins a cushion going into the locker room holding the Panthers to just 5 points in the quarter giving the Bruins a 22-17 lead.
The third period was another consistent one for the Bruins putting 14 points on the board. Demitri Pacino led the Bruins with 8 points off of two baskets and going 4 for 4 from the Free throw line. However, Jacoby Creek came out and put 19 points up eliminating the Bruins 5 point lead going into the fourth.
However, in the fourth period, it was all Panthers as they put 23 points in the books. Despite Fabian Villa’s 11 points off of three 3 pointers and one basket and Seth Brobergs 5 points, the Bruins would fall to the Panthers 55-59 with their next game scheduled against the Zane Falcons at 9:00 am Saturday morning.
On Saturday a tired but determined AZ Bruin team matched up against an equally determined Zane team. After a very physical game with the Trojans, the Bruins would come away with the win sacrificing energy going into the Consolation Championship game scheduled 5 hours later. The long wait time and a strong Crescent Elk team proved too much for the boys who never really found their shooting legs. Coach Fulton said, “They shoot the three ball well…we will get back to the gym and work on that.”
Coach Fulton went on to say “We are learning to weather the storms of each game. When we learn to stay calm we are going to become a very successful squad”. The team was invited to watch the Humboldt State University Men’s and Women’s games after a tour of the campus. “A great growth weekend for these young men!” Fulton said.
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