The boys basketball team blew out the Terra Nova Tigers, 67-24, on Wednesday night to remain undefeated in league play.
The Bears started off hot by winning the jump ball and scoring the first points of the game. Soon after, M-A followed up with a drive to the hoop by senior power forward Jerry Williams, which helped set up a massive putback by senior shooting guard Bryce Winters. An additional two free throws by senior shooting guard Luca Auer put the Bears up 6-2 with 4:17 left in the first quarter.
As the quarter continued, M-A showed no signs of slowing down. Williams brought the intensity on both sides of the floor, with a huge block and back-to-back mid-range shots. Continuing this run, a steal by Auer helped coax the Tigers into calling a timeout with two minutes left in the first quarter, the Bears leading 15-4.
Coming out of the timeout, Terra Nova tried to start a comeback, but a great block by Auer quickly ended those hopes as rock-solid defense by the Bears helped them end the quarter up 15-7.
The Tigers started the second quarter desperate to get into rhythm, but a quick foul by Terra Nova gave senior center Aiden Atkins a chance to get free points at the line. A sneaky steal by the Tigers was immediately halted by Williams, who stole the ball right back and dunked it to get the whole crowd on their feet with five minutes left in the half, the Bears prevailing 19-9.
After another timeout, senior point guard Jacob Sutton came out of the huddle ready to score, quickly hitting a corner three. Great defense by both teams left the scoreboard untouched until the Bears separated themselves from Terra Nova. The Bears hastily went on an eight-point scoring run, capped off with two free throws by senior small forward Evan Makielski, ending the half with M-A leading 31-17.
The Bears started the third quarter with defensive tenacity, speedily fouling the Tigers twice on the same possession. Even with four free throw opportunities, Terra Nova was only able to tack on one point. One minute into the quarter, Auer responded on the other end with a crafty and-one layup, and Williams drew a foul on an ankle-breaking move.
M-A continued to give their all defensively, holding the Tigers to just two points in three minutes of play. Williams continued to attack the paint and get tough finishes to place the Bears ahead 40-20 with 4:02 left in the quarter. Incredible defense by M-A, including a huge block by Atkins, helped set up Williams’ third poster of the game with a minute and a half left. The Bears’ smart ball movement left Terra Nova scoreless to end the third quarter with the points tallying 56-20 in M-A’s favor.
The Bears’ momentum continued heading into the final quarter, preventing the Tigers from scoring through the first minute. Using their energy, M-A capitalized on fast breaks to get themselves to the line and place the score at 57-22 with six minutes left in the game.
The Bears continued to pressure Terra Nova, forcing back-to-back shot clock violations and leading to a layup by junior small forward Zane Nahas. Both teams got careless with their ball movement and turned over possession frequently, and sloppy defense by the Tigers allowed M-A to use the free-throw line for some easy points. A great steal and fast break layup by senior small forward Carmello Knight capped off the game with a dominant victory for the Bears, 67-24.
“We’re just a resilient team that knows how to band together and win games the right way,” Sutton said.
“This was a great win. We got everybody involved, everyone was happy, smiles all around,” Atkins said.
The Bears will face off against Branson away on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
