Friday, March 29, 2024

Bears bounced from state in final minutes of game

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SPOKANE – It was anybody’s game right down to the final seconds between the Brewster Bears and Liberty (Spangle) Lancers as both teams fought to survive the loser-out first round of Central Washington 2B state basketball competition in the Spokane Arena last Wednesday, March 1. As the clock played out, Liberty won at the free-throw line, 65-62, eliminating the Bears in the loser-out battle.
Senior guard, Edgar Najera got Brewster off to an early lead with two of his game-high 29 points on a steal and easy layup. Liberty’s Tyler Haas responded with 10 points to give the Lancers a four-point lead, 17-13, at the end of the first quarter.
Haas and teammate Thomas Redder combined for 16 points in the second quarter to extend Liberty’s lead to 20-14 at halftime.
Behind the 10 points by Najera in the third quarter, Brewster regained control of the game and, despite no trips to the foul stripe, outscored Liberty by 11 points, 19-8, to take a one-point, 46-45 lead at the end of the third.
In the critical fourth quarter the Lancers scored 12 of their 20 points from the foul stripe.
Liberty’s Chase Burnham was six-for-six in fourth-quarter free throws, the last four at the end of the game that put the Lancers up, 63-59, and following a three-pointer from Najera, 65-62.
Brewster went to the free throw only 11 times in the entire game, and not at all in the second half. Liberty, on the other hand, made the trip almost triple that, 32 times, 17 of those in the second half and made 14 of its 28 second-half points from the foul stripe.
The Lancers took full advantage of the lopsided penalty windfall by hitting 78 percent, 25 of 32 of their penalty shots. Every Lancer player who went to the foul stripe used the same shooting technique: feet should-width apart and square to the basket, eyes on the rim, ball above the head and a release that did not break eye contact with the target.
In Brewster’s previous two playoff games, the Bears went to the foul line 30 times against Kittitas that had 41 attempts in its 84-78 win.
Against Northwest Christian (Colbert), the Bears shot 12 free throws and the Crusaders 18 on the way to a 61-57 final.
The Lancers made it to the state finals, but lost the state championship to Kittitas, 72-69.
The Bears ended their season, 21-4, as CW2B league champions and second in District 5/6.
On a related note, the state basketball program’s roster of 2B All-Time Tournament Record Holders lists Brewster’s Dale Smith (1974-77) as the leader in Most Field Goals Made with 136.
 

brewster, basketball

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