Fall sports have completed and as the transition to winter programs begins, it’s local rivalry time, and Saturday night at Bruins arena the tradition continued as the Brookings-Harbor Bruin boys basketball team hosted their Hwy. 101 rival to the north, the Gold Beach Panthers.
Early in the season team coaches use these pre-season games to put practiced systems, put plays to the test and work their way into gametime fitness, but the Gold Beach Panthers came out running off the opening tip-off, creating the tempo the remainder of the game would be played.
Early in the first period, action was from baseline to baseline as the Bruins kept pace with the Panthers midway through the first period keeping the score close at 10-13 Panthers. Gold Beach dropped back into a 1-3-1 defense after the opening tip and switched out of it to a man to man defense pressing the Bruins offense as they advanced the ball and worked into their offensive set. Although the Panther defense disrupted the Bruins, junior forward, Kyler Christensen, #2 went 5 for 5 from free throw line in the first period.
Leading 15-21 to start the second quarter, Gold Beach continued to run, putting pressure on the Bruin defense, and kicking it out to the perimeter for the open shot. Both teams struggled to score in the first half of the second period, however, the Bruins could not get a shot to fall, and Panthers took the ball into paint and got to the free throw line making the score 21-30 at the halfway point. The Panthers then pressed the Bruin offense, trapping Bruin ball handlers and forcing turnovers. The Bruin offense could only muster 8 points in the period while the Panthers got to line, hit two 3 pointers and put 24 points up in the quarter.
After the break, trailing 23-45, the Bruins struggled with the 1-3-1 trapping defense of the Panthers turning the ball over early creating unanswered scoring opportunities that Gold Beach did not miss. Gold Beach point guard, senior, Gianni Altman, #5, continue to lead all scorers in the game with 10 points in the third period including two 3 pointers. But the story continued to be the stifling Panther defense, again holding the Bruins to just 8 total points in the third period, while scoring 18 and taking a 31-63 lead into the final period of play.
With a comfortable 32 point lead to start the fourth, the Panthers continued to pressure high, challenging the Bruin ball handlers, continuing to force turnovers and difficult shots for the Bruin offense. Again the Bruins were held to single digits in the period, as the Panthers finished the game adding 14 points in the fourth for a 40-77 win.
The Bruins will be hosting the North Bend Bulldogs in another pre-season contest next Tuesday December 13th, at 7:00pm.
