Bears bring home the Gold Ball in 58-57 nail biter win

SPOKANE – When the Bears varsity basketball team lost its Regional tournament game to Life Christian Academy, 78-65, last Feb. 28 in Wenatchee, it appeared there was at least one team in the state 2B playoff brackets that could give fourth-ranked Brewster a serious challenge for the state title. As it turned out the fifth-ranked Eagles did.
While both teams moved from the 16-team Regionals through the Elite Eight, and the Final Four to last Saturday’s championship game in Spokane Arena the stage was being prepared for both to meet again to see which team had what was needed when it counted most.
Life Christian never let an opponent closer than 11 points as it defeated No. 6 Lake Roosevelt, 57-46, in the quarterfinals and more than doubled its winning margin over No. 10 Willapa Valley, 65-32, in the semifinals. Meanwhile Brewster stayed alive with a 74-48 win over Kettle Falls in a loser-out first round at state, double up the win over Toutle Lake, 51-27, in the Elite Eight, and slew the Dragons of St. George’s, 60-57, in the semis.
If the 23-3 Eagles thought they had Brewster’s number in the title game, they came up a digit short as the Bears held off a last-second surge and tie game with less than 10 seconds on the clock to earn the gold ball, 58-57. It was Brewster’s ninth state championship, the first since 2007 and the first 2B title since 1985.
Looking for their ninth state championship and first since 2007, the Bears entered the state 2B title game intent on avenging an earlier loss to LCA in Regional play two weeks ago and avenge they did. Brewster defeated the Eagles, 58-57, in a last-second nail biter to win their ninth state title since 2007 and their first as a 2B team since 1985.
Led by junior Cade Gebbers who hit six three-point baskets as part of his game-high and season-high 34 points, the Bears scored first in the opening quarter on a Connor Ashworth basket. The Eagles caught the Bears late in the first and briefly led by a point, 11-10, before a pair of Cade Gebbers three balls put Brewster up, 19-13 and the end of the quarter.
Life Christian started the second quarter with seven unanswered points to take their second lead of the game, 20-19, before freshman Kelson Gebbers joined his brother for a combined eight-point run to put Brewster back on top with its largest lead, 27-20, that the Bears protected to halftime.
Brewster’s 6’ 7” Connor Ashworth played strong defensive ball against 6’5” Eagles scoring threat Chae Haynes as the Bears extended their lead by eight point, 45-37, at the end of the third.
In the final quarter Kelson Gebbers and Kade Kelpman combined for seven points to give Brewster its largest lead, 52-42 before Life Christian rallied to whittle away at Brewster’s lead. The Eagle strung together 10 unanswered points to tie the game 52-all. Cade Gebbers then sank his sixth clutch three-pointer to give the Bears some breathing room at 55-52.
With less than a minute remaining to play Life Christian began fouling Bears in hopes of getting rebounds off missed 1-1 free throw opportunities. After a rare miss, Cade Gebbers, an 80-plus percentage shooter, hit two free throws to put the Bears up, 57-53. With 30 seconds left on the clock the Eagles hit a free throw and a three-point shot to tie the game 57-all. Cade Gebbers was again fouled, sank his first free throw to put Brewster up 58-57. Gebbers missed his second attempt but Life Christian was unable to get past the center line before the game ended, giving Brewster the title.
The win gives first-year coach Michael Taylor a shiny gold ball to defend in the 2020-21 season.
Kettle Falls falls
The Bears survived the first round of state 2B tournament competition in commanding style, handing the Kettle Falls Bulldogs a 74-48 loss in a loser-out game on Wednesday night, March 4.
Kade Kelpman got the Bears on the board first in the opening quarter and Brewster led their rivals, 14-11 at the end of the first. Kettle Falls tied the game 14-all early in the second quarter before the Bears settled in and began to build a 33-19 lead by halftime behind the double-digit scoring of Connor Ashworth and Corey Jarrell with 10 points each.
Mid-way through the third quarter sophomore guard Adaih Najera found his range to score seven of his nine points and help the Bears build a 56-39 margin going into the final quarter.
In workmen-like fashion the Bears gradually increased their lead through the fourth quarter that allowed the reserves to see some state floor time during the last half of the quarter. Freshman Reese Vassar made the opportunity count with his first bucket in a state game to add to the Bears final 26-point win.
Connor Ashworth led the Bears with 17 points with three teammates scoring in double figures including Cade Gebbers 15, and Corey Jarrell and Kade Kelpman with 10 apiece.
The win advanced Brewster to the Elite Eight against Toutle Lake on the following evening March 5.
Toutle Lake swamped
The Bears got off to a slow start in the first quarter against the Duck only scoring in single digits and actually trailed Toutle Lake 11-7 at the end of the period. A Ducks’ eighth grader, Zack Swanson, one of three on the varsity squad, led Toutle Lake in scoring with eight of the team’s 11 first quarter points.
The momentum changed in dramatic fashion at the start of the second quarter when a pair of back-to-back three-pointers by Cade Gebbers and a bucket by Connor Ashworth gave Brewster a 15-11 lead that was never threatened for the remainder of the game. The Bears ramped up their defense and rebounding, held Toutle Lake to just four points through the second quarter and led the Ducks by 10, 25-15 at halftime.
Kelson Gebbers opened the third quarter with six unanswered points to put Brewster up 31-15. AJ Woodward came off the bench near the end of the third to sink a pair of shots and give the Bears a 40-22 heading into the fourth quarter. The Gebbers brothers combined for a trio of three-pointers as Brewster coasted to a 51-27 final. Both ended the game in double figures with Cade scoring 17 and Kelson 13.
In the game between No. 8 White Swan and No. 2 St. George’s immediately following the Bears and Ducks, Saint George’s pulled out a two-point 55-53 win to advance into the semifinal round against the Bears on Friday, March 6
Bears scoring:
Cade Gebbers: 17
Kelson Gebbers: 13
 Connor Ashworth: 8
Corey Jarrell: 7
AJ Woodward: 4
Adaih Najera: 2
Saint George’s flames out
In a semifinal game that saw three lead changes and two ties, the Brewster Bears edged St. George’s, 60-57 in a down-to-the-wire battle that hinged on a missed three-point shot in the final seconds.
The Bears took a 21-16 lead in the first quarter before the Dragons rallied to tie the game 23-all mid-way through the second quarter and gain a five-point 38-33 lead going into halftime.
St. George’s extended its lead by seven points, 40-33 early in the third quarter before Connor Ashworth ignited a Brewster comeback that saw the Bears regain the lead. With the Dragons up 42-38, Ashworth hit back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 42 before he and Corey Jarrell combined for a pair of buckets that gave Brewster a 46-42 lead. Kelson Gebbers then stepped up with five points to help Ashworth put the Bears ahead 53-46 at the end of the third quarter.
St. George’s threatened throughout the fourth quarter, coming as close as a single point of the leaders before Cade Gebbers hit two free throws with less than a minute remaining to ice the game, 60-57.
Ashworth led the Bears with 19 points joined in double digits by Cade Gebbers with 14 and Jarrell with 11.
St. George’s placed third in state with an 80-52 win over Willapa Valley, and Lake Roosevelt finished fourth over Toutle Lake, 49-46.