Bruin Boys Split Hwy. 101 Rivalries after Hosting Del Norte Thursday Night

December 8, 2023

The Hwy. 101 Rivalry continued Thursday night for the Bruins boys basketball team after beating Gold Beach last Friday evening, hosting the Del Norte Warriors who made the quick trip up the Hwy. 101 corridor to challenge the Bruins.

Junior guard Talon Pryor, #12, setting up the Bruin offense, had 2 points.

Hustle was not the problem for either team, but missed assignments, missed shots and running off of rebounds resulted in the chaotic opening minutes typical in preseason non- league games as both teams work through situations before league play starts next Tuesday.

Senior forward, Kyler Christensen, #15, driving to the basket for 2 of his 9 points.

The Bruins continued their slow starts just as they have in their previous starts so far this season, struggling to find the hoop early in first quarter play. However the Warriors also started slow as both teams fought to find a rhythm and put points on the board in a scrambling first quarter.

#33, senior, Ethan Orman, led all scorers in the game with 16 points and went 4 for 11 from the free throw line.

In the first four minutes of play, the Warriors got their first lead of the game taking a small 3-6 lead before establishing a 5 point lead into the second half of the quarter, leading 7-12 after the Bruins went 3 for 8 from the free throw line in the period.

Junior, Devan Downing, #23, squaring up a 3 point shot.

The Bruins shooting slump continued into the second quarter, with senior Kyler Christensen, #15, hitting the Bruins only basket in the quarter with a 3 pointer, and going 2 for 2 from the line for five of the Bruins six total points in the quarter. Defensively the Bruins did make it difficult for Del Norte, holding them to just 10 points in the period, as the Warriors took a 13-22 lead into the half.

Senior, Cameron Hendrix, #24, up for one of his 3 blocks on the night,

After the break, the Bruins pressed, getting into the paint, drawing fouls and getting to the line eight times in the period, however, only capitalizing on three attempts going 3 for 8 from the line. Del Norte controlled the boards and got three players in the scorebook putting up another 14 points going into the fourth quarter, leading 24-36.

Junior guard, Tanner Anderson, #13, driving to the basket, had 10 points in the game including two 3 pointers in the third quarter.

The Bruin boys worked hard to close the gap and stay in the game in the fourth period, getting four players in the scoring column, but senior, #33, Ethan Orman’s 12 points in the fourth period were not enough, as the Warriors added 17 points to their total, to take the 42-53 win, and bragging rights south of the border.

The Bruins boys are scheduled to start regular season play next Tuesday, on the road to North Bend, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00pm.