Hwy. 101 rivalry was on the menu for both teams Friday night as the Bruins hosted the Gold Beach Panthers in their final non-league challenge before regular season games begin Tuesday.
Coming off a close win in Illinois Valley Thursday evening, an upbeat Bruin boys team took to the hardwood Friday night against a Panther team also coming off a Thursday evening win and both teams kept each other close as the Bruins held a one point lead after the first quarter.
Trailing 7-6 to start the second, the Bruins scrapped their way through the first half of the second period, extending their lead to five points before the Panthers closed the gap to just three points to send both teams to locker room for the half.
Panther adjustments at the half pressured the Bruin boys allowed Gold Beach to tie the score at 23-23 and both teams would share momentum through the second period with both teams struggling to score points, sending the game into the fourth tied at 26-26.
The fourth quarter was much more physical as both teams battled in the paint with the Bruin defense sending Gold Beach to the line twenty times in the quarter where the Panthers went 12 for 20 for twelve of the fourteen points in the quarter, extending their lead five points before extending their lead late to take the 41-50 win back to Gold Beach.
Regular season play begins next Tuesday, January 14th, as the Bruins host the Rogue River Chieftains Tuesday evening with tip off scheduled for 7:00pm.
