Bears face tough teams at Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout

YAKIMA – The Brewster varsity boys basketball team travelled to the SunDome last Dec. 29-30 to compete against some quality teams in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout. The Bears lost to a tough Columbia-Burbank team from the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference in their first matchup and nearly upset 2A Mark Morris the following day.

Coyotes howl, 74-56

“We started out the gates playing a good style, moving the ball and getting good looks,” said head coach Michael Taylor. “Our defense was ready to go as well.”

The Coyotes noticed that, too, and made adjustments in their game to counter the Bears.

“We faltered in matching their adjustments and did not play well,” said Taylor. “They switched their defense and we got stagnant, and they dictated the game from there on.”

Kelson Gebbers made a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds but it was not enough to overcome the stout defense as Columbia-Burbank cruised to an 18-point win.

“We got down by double digits and tried to implement some full court pressure, but they got some steals and leak outs that resulted in easy baskets,” said Taylor. “Credit to them, they played well and showed they are a good team in the 2B ranks.”

The Coyotes, first in the EWAC with a 12-1 record, have been beating many of their non-conference opponents by some wide margins including 50-point margins over Kittitas.

Bears stats

K. Gebbers: 17 points, 10 rebounds

F. Nava: 8-1

B. Wulf: 8-8

C. Gebbers: 7-9

T. Schertenleib: 7-0

R. Vassar: 5-2

G. Baker: 2-1

O. Churape: 2-0

Mark Morris wins 69-64

The Bears had 2A opponent Mark Morris playing catchup on Friday, Dec. 30, but the Monarchs eventually did just that.

“We played a 2A school on day two in Yakima and played really well for three-quarters of the game,” said Taylor. “We built a nice lead throughout the first three quarters, but we had a very bad sequence with turnovers, quick shots, lack of rebounding and fouls, that I thought turned the game around in their favor.”

Brady Wulf led the Bears with 27 points followed by Kelson Gebbers with 19.

The Monarchs capitalized on the Brewster errors to take the lead late in the game.

“We had our chances at the very end with some free throws and open shots to tie it up, but missed,” Taylor said.

Bears stats

B. Wulf: 27 points, 7 rebounds

K. Gebbers: 19-12

R. Vassar: 8-5

C. Gebbers: 8-3

M. Camacho: 3-0

T. Schertenleib: 2-3