Sports

Braves struggle through busy week

By Matthew Semisch

01/20/2015

As Bottineau High’s boys’ basketball team entered the third full week of 2015, the Braves knew that the new year hasn’t been kind to them thus far.

BHS had yet to pick up a victory in 2015 ahead of its three-game slate last week. Unfortunately for the Braves, that first win of the calendar year is still yet to come.

Bottineau opened last week with a home game on Monday against Kenmare. The Braves had their opportunities in the game and were tied with the Honkers at 42-42 after three quarters, but the visitors outlasted Bottineau to pick up a hard-fought win.

Speaking after the game, BHS head coach Nate Simpson suggested that the loss marked a missed opportunity for his team.

“We took some poor shots and turned the ball over too many times in the fourth quarter to win the game,” he said. “That’s the first time we’ve been in a fourth quarter where we had a chance to win it but didn’t finish it off. 

“Every other game we’ve still been in in the fourth quarter, we’ve been able to get it done, but we didn’t tonight

“That’s going to happen,” Simpson continued, “and Kenmare’s a good team that’s built for the kind of game like this was tonight and they played pretty good defense.”

Parker Engelhard led the Braves with 17 points. He also picked up five rebounds, all of them off of missed Kenmare shots.

Bottineau then visited District 11 rival Velva on Friday and left with a 60-39 loss to the Aggies. BHS junior Brody Moum led the Braves with nine points in a game where no BHS player finished in double-digits in scoring.

Jacob Kvernum ended the game with eight points for the Braves, while Engelhard and Ethan Jensen both finished with six points to their names on Friday.

Bottineau then finished the week with a trip to Minot to face Minot Bishop Ryan. The Braves were pushed aside once more, this time in the form of a 78-49 victory for the Lions.

Kvernum had arguably his best game of the season to date against Bishop Ryan. The BHS senior finished the game with 20 points to go along with three rebounds.

Engelhard also finished the game in double-digits in scoring. He posted 11 points, three assists, one rebound and an assist agains tthe Lions.

BHS (3-6) hosted Towner-Granville-Upham (T-G-U) on Monday after press time. The Braves will visit Westhope-Newburg on Thursday in Westhope starting at 7:30 p.m.