Sports

Braves run into bomb squad in region title game

By Tyler Ohmann

02/28/2012

For the second straight year the Bottineau Braves fell one game short of making it to the Class B State Tournament, but with very different circumstances.

Last year the Braves came in vast underdogs after upsetting their way to the title game against favored Bishop Ryan.

This season the Braves were 23-1 and seeking revenge over their only loss of the season against the very team that stood in their way the Berthold Bombers.

However, the result was the same the Bombers ended the Braves season with a 61-52 victory and advanced to the state tournament for the third time in four years.

“Last year we made it here, and it was kind of surprising, and we didn’t show up to play,” said senior guard Justin McCloud. “This year we wanted to start different, and we got a steal and the first bucket of the game, but after that Berthold showed why they were undefeated.”

McCloud finished with 25 points and carried his team back from an early hole to pull within three points midway through the fourth quarter.

“We made a run and at that point I thought it was ours, because we had them on their heels,” McCloud said. “But they responded like the No. 2 team in the state should, and they deserve it.”

However, despite the valiant effort from McCloud and seniors Mark LaCroix (10 points, 15 rebounds) and Devon Grenier (10 points) the season was squashed by the Bombers.

Both LaCroix and McCloud were rewarded with spots on the All-Region team.

Simpson was proud of the effort the seniors put in, despite the outcome.

“They played their hardest tonight, they weren’t going to let us go down easy,” Simpson said. “They made plays to get us back in to the game, but two guys couldn’t finish it off and we needed other guys to step up and we just didn’t have enough tonight.”

The shift in momentum came in the fourth quarter when the Bombers clung to a three-point lead. At that point Berthold senior Alex Bloms, who had only two buckets the whole night up to that point sunk two three-pointers less than 30 seconds apart to keep the Bomber momentum.

“We put everything out there, and we just wanted to come out with our best defensive effort, and I feel like we did,” McCloud said. “They just made more shots down the stretch, didn’t turn the ball over and rebounded.”

Dan Yale finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds and was named the Region 6 Senior Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the game.

McCloud took some of the blame, stating he may have forced some poor shots and passes.

“We just wanted to come down and get a good shot, but we forced a couple,” McCloud said. “I, myself, took some bad shots, but I thought, as the leader of the team, I should take those shots and I missed them, and we fell short.”

Simpson was waiting for the player that was going to step up and become the catalyst for a victory.

“We just didn’t have enough kids to step up and make a shot when it counted,” Simpson said. “We had enough to get us back in the game, and it got down to one possession in the fourth quarter, and if a call goes our way and it might be a different story.”

“We just got down too much and we needed kids to make shot, and we just didn’t have enough tonight,” Simpson added.

Despite falling short of their season goal, Simpson said the team has a lot to be proud of after finishing 23-2 on the season.

“I think the kids stepped it up and proved themselves this year,” Simpson said. “We only lost two games and to the same team. We beat teams that were ranked or receiving votes, but we just couldn’t beat the one team that was a little bit better than us.”

“We feel we’re just as competitive as them, and that any given night we can beat them, but tonight wasn’t one of those nights,” Simpson added.

Title road

The path to the title game was bumpy for the Braves as they were favored to make it that far.

It began as a smooth ride as the Braves cruised past the Glenburn Panthers and high-flying scorer Houston Lavachek.

Lavachek, who averaged nearly 30 points per contest, was held to 17 by the Braves defense in a 74-36 rout of the Panthers.

The trio of LaCroix, McCloud and Grenier proved too much early for the Panthers as the Braves pushed to a 29-7 lead after the first quarter.

By halftime the lead grew to 39, and concluded with a 38-point victory to advance to the semifinals.

LaCroix finished with 20 points, McCloud 18 and Grenier 13 as the Braves breezed by the Panthers.
The road got a little rougher in the semifinals as the Braves took on the upstart Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers last Tuesday.

Though the Braves toasted the Lakers 68-50 in Des Lacs on Dec. 9, the Lakers had a resurgence late in the season finishing second in District 12 and nearly upsetting Berthold in the regular season.

However, the Braves came out on the winning end in a 69-60 contest, but it was not smooth sailing.

Bottineau saw the changes during Tuesday’s game as the Lakers jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first quarter.

Thought the Braves improved in the second quarter on the offensive side, the Lakers still sunk several baskets from long range and maintained an eight-point lead heading into the break.

DLB clung to a four-point lead after three quarters, but the Braves were poised to make a run. Following a McCloud runner that gave Bottineau the lead early in the fourth quarter and the Braves never looked back.
McCloud and LaCroix both were steady from the free throw line and the Braves defense held their ground to claim a 69-60 win.

LaCroix finished with team-high’s in points (20) and rebounds (11). Grenier also had a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards. McCloud finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

Bottineau loses six seniors including their three leading scorers in LaCroix, McCloud and Grenier.

They also lose starter Matt Bowers and key reserve post Seth Bartholomay. Their final senior is Joel Niewoehner.

Key returners to next year’s squad are starter Trevor Wettlaufer and contributor’s Garrett Pollman and Brock Hiltner.

Notes:

•  LaCroix and McCloud finished numbers one and two respectively in scoring the Bottineau High School history. McCloud also broke the BHS single-season scoring record as he scored more than 600 points this season.