BROOKINGS The Brookings Bobcats rode a wave of momentum on senior night but despite out-scoring Pierre in the first three quarters, the Governors rallied to earn a 54-50 win at Bob Jostad Gymnasium in Brookings High School on Tuesday night.
I dont know if words can fully express it, Brookings head coach Mike McCarty said of the Bobcats 13th straight loss. Im just extremely proud of the way that we came out right from the jump. Our effort, energy and hustle was where it needed to beand in the fourth quarter we had a few shots that didnt go in and they kind of equalized the game.
The game had a big feel as a large crowd showed up to support Brookingss 10 seniors. McCarty opened the game with an all-senior starting lineup and an all-senior group of reserves that brought plenty of energy from the opening tip.
A pair of 3-pointers from Cole Skyberg and Cale Jones got the home crowd going early and a lay-up from Ian Webster helped the Bobcats grab some early momentum and take a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
I think it really energized the crowd, McCarty said of the second group. Those guys came in and provided a little bit of a spark and we got off to a great start in the first quarter because of it.
The Bobcats ran their lead to double digits late in the second quarter before a 3-pointer by Dawson Getz cut Brookingss lead down to 28-21 at halftime. Pierre whittled the lead down to two points on another 3-pointer by Getz with 5:15 left in the third quarter but Brookings went on an 8-3 run to regain control and take a 40-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Governors played with a sense of urgency from that point as they opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run that tied the game at 40-40. Both teams exchanged buckets and battled to a 45-45 tie with 3:20 left in regulation before Ben Moret made the front half of two free throws to give the Bobcats a 46-45 lead.
The Bobcats couldn’t find the knockout blow on offense as Keech Bior and Griffin Bartels each missed a 3-pointer before Eladio Simental rebounded a missed 3-pointer and was fouled by Clark with 32 seconds left in regulation. After Simental made the first free throw to tie the game, he missed the second, giving the Bobcats a chance for the win.
Sam Johnson had a great look at the rim but Simental flew in for the block and a missed 3-pointer by Olson at the buzzer sent the game to overtime. Getz gave the Governors the lead with a 3-pointer early in overtime but back-to-back buckets by Johnson and Owen Burns gave the Bobcats a 50-49 lead with 2:50 to go.
The lead held up until late in the extra period until Getz plowed his way into the paint and converted a three-point play after getting the go-ahead basket after drawing the foul on Johnson with 14 seconds to go.
Johnson had a chance to make amends on the following play after he was fouled by Tyan Buus with three seconds remaining, but missed the first free throw and missed the second intentionally with the hope of an offensive rebound. Getz came up with the loose ball and knocked down two more free throws, helping Pierre come away with the win.
We were in a good position but we werent able to make enough plays to put the game away, McCarty said of the fourth quarter and overtime. They executed and finished when they needed to push the game to overtime and they got us in that overtime period.
While the Bobcats didnt win, it was a strong send-off for the seniors. Burns led the Bobcats with 16 points, 13 rebounds and a pair of blocks on the night and Clark had eight points, six rebounds and a steal. Johnson had eight points, three rebounds and three assists and Smith finished the game with five points, four assists, two rebounds and a block.
With Moret, Bartels, Bior, Skyberg, Webster and Jones also being honored, McCarty praised their leadership and suggested the group deserved a better fate in close games this season.
Its extremely frustrating especially tonight with the senior class, McCarty admitted. I just couldnt be more proud of these guys, the way that theyve led our team and competed out there each and every night. Our record doesnt show the type of team that we really are because weve taken a lot of teams down to the wire like this. For whatever reason this year, we havent been able to get the win when its been there and we had another opportunity tonight. I just cant say enough about all the seniors that we have on this team.
Getz finished with a game-high 29 points for the Governors to go with seven rebounds and two steals while Olson finished with eight points, five rebounds, four steals and an assist. Cade Kaiser had seven points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block while Simental had five points, three rebounds, a block and a steal.
Brookings shot 44 percent in the game including 5-for-21 (23.8%) on 3-pointers. The Bobcats made 3-of-8 (37.5%) free throws, committed 15 turnovers and out-rebounded Pierre 39-27.
Pierre shot 35 percent in the game including 6-for-21 (28.6%) on 3-pointers. The Governors made 8-of-11 (72.7%) of their free throws and committed nine turnovers.
After falling to 1-16 on the season, the Bobcats are down to three games in the regular season with trips to Aberdeen Central, Sturgis and Spearfish left on the calendar. With the Golden Eagles coming up on Friday, McCarty believes that Tuesdays game could set the tone for the rest of the season.
Weve got to bring that same energy, effort and determination to every game we have remaining, McCarty said. Going on the road to Aberdeen is not going to be an easy task, so weve got to go in there and have the same kind of mindset that we did tonight.
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