Sports

Bombers hand Braves first loss

By Bottineau Courant Staff

01/17/2012

The Bottineau Braves basketball team faced their toughest test of the year last Saturday against the undefeated and second-ranked Berthold Bombers and their top player Dan Yale.

And despite a strong run in the second half the Braves were toppled by the Bombers 76-62.
Berthold ran away with the game in the first half as they shot 55 percent in the half and took a 44-20 halftime lead.

Yale finished with 29 points and Alex Bloms had 16 to lead the Bombers past the seventh-ranked Braves and force their first loss of the season.

Bottineau did not go down without a fight, however. The Braves cut the Bombers deficit to 10 late in the fourth quarter, but made free throws from the Bombers shut the door on the Braves.

The win pushed the Bombers to 12-0 on the season and Bottineau dropped to 12-1 with the loss.
McCloud led the Braves with 21 points, including 9-of-11 from the free throw line, but was 0-for-8 from three point range.

Senior Devon Grenier had four threes in the second half to lead the Bottineau charge. He finished with a season-high 16 points.

Mark LaCroix had a season-low 14 points in the defeat.
The Braves will look to rebound against Towner-Granville-Upham at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at Towner.

Bottineau will then host Bishop Ryan in the second game of a girls/boys double header at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.