Tuesday night the Brookings-Harbor boys varsity team took on the Siuslaw Vikings on the Vikings home floor after their last overtime meeting here in Brookings. The gloves came off early as both teams used different tactics not seen in their first meeting.
The Vikings came out patient, posting up on the block with their 6’4″ center Kyle King and spread the rest of the floor creating open spaces. The Bruins countered that with a man to man defense forcing the Vikings to be careful with the ball, and accurate with their passes and shooting.
The Vikings started the scoring with a 10-foot jumper under the basket and ran off to an 11-6 lead at the midway point of the first period. Junior guard Austin Fronckowiak #2 started the scoring in the period for the Bruins with a 3 pointer. Senior guard Gabe Barneburg #30 hit a big 3 pointer at the buzzer for the Bruins on his way to what Coach Gonzales called “by far his best game of the season”. Junior guard Brig Schofield #32 also found the basket from outside hitting a 3 pointer of his own adding to the 9 Bruin points in the first period.
In the second period, a patient Bruin team frustrated the Vikings with their man defense causing some turnovers and breaking down the Vikings game plan of overpassing and waiting to catch the Bruins out of position before shooting in an effort to limit Bruin possessions and create optimal scoring possessions for themselves. But junior forward Luke Beaman #12 and Austin Fronckowiak were having none of that scoring all Bruin points in the period off of turnovers and challenges under the basket. Beaman hit a 3 pointer, two baskets and a free throw for 8 points in the period and Fronckowiak hit a 3 pointer and two baskets of his own accounting for all 15 Bruin points in the period as the Bruin defense held the Vikings to 11 points sending the teams to locker rooms all tied at 24-24.
After a successful first half game plan, the Bruins came out in the third period with few changes continuing their man defense and getting four players on the scoreboard in the period. Again the Bruins would take advantage of a lack of game plan discipline by Siuslaw disrupting their passing lanes and getting inside the paint on fast breaks and turnovers.
Again Junior guard Austin Fronckowiak #2 led Bruin scorers in the period with 5 points off of another 3 pointer and a basket in the paint. Junior guard Eli Mills #1 got in the books hitting a 3 pointer, Brig Schofield hit a bucket and two free throws as junior center Jon Kleespies #20 was perfect from the line hitting 2 of 2 free throws on the way to outscoring the Vikings in the third period 14-11.
The fourth period had both teams trading baskets as they tried to wrestle control of the game as time wound down. The Bruins kept pace with Vikings as the made their fun it the fourth period. The Bruins continued to break down the Vikings offense, but some missed lay-ups off of turnovers kept the game close until the final minutes of the period. Luke Beaman continued to challenge in the paint getting to the line 4 times in the period going 2 of 4 from the line and hitting a basket. Senior Gabe Barneburg #30 hit another needed 3 pointer in the period but it was Austin Fronckowiak hitting 3 buckets for 6 points that led the Bruin scorers as the Bruins went on a 6 point run late to outlast the Vikings 51-47.
Coach Gonzales said “We finished very well today. We executed very well at the end of each quarter. Austin played very well and Gabe played great off the bench”. The Bruins look to carry this momentum into what Coach Gonzales categorized as a “Big game Friday! A win puts us in a tie for 2nd. And that means hosting a home playoff game…”.
The Bruins face a 5-2 North Bend Bulldog team this Friday night that handed the Bruins their first league loss this year. Let’s pack Bruins Arena Friday night and help the boys get into the playoffs.
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