The Bear Basketball team has had an exciting season so far. With a record of seven wins and four losses, the team is currently fighting for a spot in the playoffs.
The season kicked off to a great start on Jan.7 when the Bears defeated the Ozen Panthers, 43-42. The Panthers were ranked No. 2 in the “4A” class until the Bears’ win. Senior Taylor Peveto scored the final points of the night when he made his free throw shot with 0:01 left on the clock, ultimately winning the game for the Bears.
After nailing four 3-pointers, senior Jace Robertson was the top scorer of the night, finishing it off with 18 points, followed by senior Trumaine Elmore with nine points, Peveto with seven, and sophomore Andrew Daspit with six.
Perhaps the biggest game of the season was when the Bears faced Lumberton this past Tuesday night and defeated them 46 – 32, to clinch their playoff spot. Robertson was the leading scorer of the night with a total of twenty points, several of which were 3-pointers. Elmore contributed seven points to the big win, followed by Peveto and Fuss with six points each.
According to head coach Darin Harley, the Bears are a somewhat balanced scoring team, with Fuss, Elmore, Peveto, and Robertson as the leading scorers for the season.
“Our biggest strength this season has been our experience,” Harley said. “We have six guys that had varsity experience from last year. And, there is no substitute for experience. We feel like we were one of the top teams and played like it. Therefore, we have a sense of pride at ‘taking care of business.'”
Harley said in addition to the leading scorers, there are many role players that make the team successful, such as senior Caleb Harley. Harley said he has a “pass the ball first” mentality and leads the team in charges. Andrew Daspit and James Armstrong come off the bench to add exceptional defense and high intensity, while Cameron Parker leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage. Harley also said Junior Justin Anderson adds physicality and rebounding when he enters the game.
“You don’t see their name in the paper too often, because they are not the top game scorers,” Harley said. “However, all are essential and major contributions to our team success.”
The team’s motto this year was “Rise Up!” and the players reached their goal of making the playoffs and intends to continue to rise above the competition.
“I’m most happy with our team attitude overall,” Harley said. “We are a true ‘team’ that cares about the win more than the individual. Sure, they all want to play well individually. However, they all sacrifice whenever the team needs to achieve success. This team is dependable on and off the court. They take care of their academics, attend 6 a.m. practices, and play unselfish.”