On Friday night, the boys’ basketball team suffered a disappointing 46-42 loss against the Carlmont Scots. The Bears won the opening tip with senior Jonah Missan scoring the first bucket of the game.
A three-pointer from senior Justin Moore put the Bears ahead 8-5 with 3:23 remaining, but for the rest of the quarter, the Bears’ offense didn’t click. After multiple turnovers, they found themselves trailing 17-10 at the end of the quarter.
Senior Jack Anderson started the second quarter hot, scoring a quick five points and narrowing the Carlmont lead to just two points. Unfortunately, the Bears continued to struggle on offense and had numerous turnovers, forcing them to call a timeout down 16-25 with 2:07 left in the half. After the timeout, the Bears had two successful possessions while only giving up two points, entering the half trailing by seven.
The Bears started the second half with more intensity and cut the Scots’ lead to just one point after another four points from Anderson. Moore once again found the basket and put M-A back in the lead for the first time since the first quarter with 5:46 to play in the third.
A pivotal moment took place late in the third quarter as a scramble for a loose ball led to Missan suffering a concussion. Sophomore Jacob Sutton replaced Missan, who was now benched for the rest of the game. The Bears seemed to have finally found their rhythm offensively and continued to have scoring possessions. The Bears exited the third quarter up 37-33 after a tip-in buzzer-beater from Moore.
However, Carlmont wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, making two quick three-pointers and bringing it back to a two-point game with six minutes left to play. A quick steal and layup from Anderson put the Bears level at 39-39, but the Bears soon quickly gave up five points and found themselves down 44-39 with 2:28 left in the game.
The ball went back and forth until Sutton drew a charge and gave the Bears the ball and momentum with fewer than two minutes left. Both teams failed to find a basket until Sutton hit a clutch three-pointer, cutting the Scots’ lead to just two with under a minute to go.
Carlmont managed to shave the clock down to 21.8 with an inbound in their backcourt. M-A purposefully fouled, and the Scots hit one of their two free throws, giving M-A one more possession down by four. The Bears got a good look at a three-pointer but missed wide left, ending the game in a 46-42 loss.
After the game, Moore said, “We played a good game, we just need more guys to step up with all the injuries we are carrying, we’ll shake it off and be back for the next couple of games, we just have to be resilient.”
Anderson added, “It’s a frustrating loss because it was preventable, and a lot of the mistakes that were made came from the team’s inexperience. I am looking forward to the rematch at home.”
The team will be back on the court on Wednesday at 6 pm to play the Jefferson Grizzlies.
