Beech Tree News Network

The BCMS Bears got their feel of bus rides this past week as they hit the road for three tough road games.  They started out on Monday night at Grayson County to square off with the Cougars.  As usual, the 7th grade team played first.  The Bears were much improved from last week in the scoring department but still struggled with ball handling and turnovers.  Colton Bratcher was the leading scorer for the Bears with 7 points.  Justin Elms and Duane Daniel had 4 each.  Wyatt Dean and Sage Graham both had 2.  Matthew Gill rounded out the scoring for  Butler County with 1 to give the Bears a total of 20 points.  It just wasn’t enough though.  The Cougars defeated the Bears 50 – 30.

                The 8th grade team squared off next in what proved to be a nail biter from start to finish.  Brennan Grubb quietly poured in 13 points for the Bears throughout the game while Caleb Beasley came through in the 4th quarter scoring two key 3’s to keep the Bears close the entire game.  The aggressive play of Brendan Shanklin was the story of the night. He pulled down numerous defensive rebounds which in turn led to several fast break opportunities.  The Bears had several chances in the final minute of play to capitalize but just couldn’t get it done and lost a tough one with a score of 44-42.  Also, scoring for the Bears was Caleb Beasley with 10, Will Moore 9, Brendan Shanklin 4, Neil Bewley 3, Patton Allen 2 and Easton Phelps 1.

                The Bears traveled to Edmonson County on Tuesday night to play a very mature Wildcat team.  The 7th grade team came out with fire in their eyes and victory on their minds.  Colton Bratcher took charge early in the game putting in 6 first quarter points and went on to be the Bear’s leading scorer with 17 points.  Justin Elms also had a good game with 10.  Sage Graham scored 7, Trevor Dockery 2 and Jaden Hurt 1 to give the Bears a total of 37 points which was enough to give them their first win of the season, beating Edmonson County 37-32.

                The 8th grade team, also hungry for a win, took the floor next.  The Bears got off to a sluggish start and found themselves down by 7 at the end of the first quarter to a much bigger Edmonson County foe.  Will Moore turned up the heat and couldn’t miss.  He singlehandedly kept the Bears in the game scoring 27 points.  The Bears fought hard throughout and played the Wildcats to a much closer game than the final score of 58-49 would indicate, but the Bears were just no match for the Wildcats free throw shooting.  One Wildcat player stepped up to the line 18 times himself (which is the equivalent to how many times the entire Bear team did) and made 13 of them.  The Wildcats had 29 opportunities from the free throw line.

                The third and final game of the week found the Bears at Muhlenberg North Middle School.  The Bear’s 7th grade team was tired from a long week of play and had over 30 turnovers.  It was a rough game for the Bears and they came out on the short end of the stick with a score of 57-15.  Sam Burns and Zack Smith each came off the bench to score 4 points for the Bears.  Also scoring was Trevor Dockery 3, Wyatt Dean 2 and Sage Graham 2.

                An, also tired,  short staffed 8th grade team finished out the week on a less than pleasant note as well.  The Bears were outmanned due to the stomach bug that kept Houston Hampton from making the trip and sent Patton Allen home before the game ever began.  Before halftime, Easton Phelps had to leave as well due to an elbow to the mouth which knocked out a tooth.  Will Moore, once again, stepped up his game and provided the Bears with 26 points.  Brennan Grubb contributed 11, Skyler Moore 4 and Neil Bewley 2.

                The Bears will travel to Drakes Creek Middle School on Monday before finally making their home debut on Tuesday against Muhlenberg South.  Game time is 5:30.  Come out and support these young men.

Story by Kim Grubb, Beech Tree News/WLBQ 1570AM

Photos by Jeremy Hack, Beech Tree News/WLBQ 1570AM