Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Middle School eighth grade basketball team kicked off Christmas break by traveling to Adairville on Saturday, December 21st for a Christmas tournament.  The trip proved to be a successful one for the Bears with them coming away with a third place finish.  The Bears first game of the day was against the Lewisburg Rangers.  Several players shined for the Bears.  Patton Allen and Brendan Shanklin dominated the boards, pulling rebound after rebound.  Brennan Grubb was pesky defensively and led the team in steals.  Caleb Beasley was hot from the free throw line where he was 5 for 8.  The Bears took the lead early in the game and just kept building on it.  They won the first game quite easily with a score of 43 – 23.  Bears were led in scoring by Will Moore with 12.  Also scoring for the Bears was Brennan Grubb with 9, Brendan Shanklin 8, Caleb Beasley 7, Patton Allen 6, and Austin Burden 1.

The second game of the day slated The Bears against Todd County Middle School.  The Bears had a much tougher time with the Rebels and found themselves in a hole quickly.  The Bears committed 15 turnovers and couldn’t overcome their deficit.  The Bears dropped their second game with a score of 49-34.  Scoring for the Bears was Will Moore with 12, Brendan Shanklin 8, Brennan Grubb 5, Patton Allen 5, Skyler Moore 3, and Easton Phelps 1.

The first two games of the day seeded the Bears for the final game.  With one win and one loss under their belts, the Bears were set to play the host team, Adairville, for third place.  With the absence of Brendan Shanklin in the final game, the Bears had a big hole to fill, especially on the boards.  Easton Phelps stepped up and dominated the boards, pulling fifteen rebounds himself.  Rebounding was a strong point for the Bears throughout the game.  The team also did a much better job of taking care of the ball by only allowing seven turnovers for the game.  After a slow first quarter, the Bears gained momentum and won the game 33 – 23.  Leading the Bears in scoring was Brennan Grubb with 12.  Also scoring for the Bears was Will Moore with 10, Easton Phelps 5, Neil Bewley 2, Patton Allen 2, and Ernest Lee 2.

Easton Phelps and Brennan Grubb were voted All- Tournament Team by coaches from the other teams.  Good job BCMS Bears on some good tournament play.  The Bears will be off until after the first of the year.