GREENBRIER — With a couple of starters out, the Bryant Blue Hornets eighth grade team of Bethel Middle School found a way to improve to 6-0 on the season with a 37-31 win on the road over their counterparts at Greenbrier on Monday.
“I was obviously worried,” admitted Hornets coach Derek McGrew. “But several boys stepped up in their place and got the job done.”[more]
Trevor Ezell led the Hornets with 12 points. Chase Christie added 7, Spencer Kilgore 6 and Dakota Besancon 5.
The Hornets trailed 6-3 early but rallied to tie then took the lead on a 3-pointer, 10-7. Greenbrier could never quite catch up after that.
Ezell hit a pair of free throws and Christie scored inside to bump the lead to 14-7 and when Ezell nailed a 3 with :13 left in the first quarter, the Hornets had their first 10-point advantage.
But Greenbrier whittled the lead to 3 by halftime with only a three-point play by Kilgore interrupting the Panthers’ run.
A free throw to start the second half for Greenbrier trimmed the lead to 2 but that was as close as the Panthers would get. Besancon hit a free throw and, moments later, Ezell made a steal and layup to make it 23-18.
After a Greenbrier free throw, Besancon grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Chase Thornton for a basket.
It was 26-21 when Christie scored inside and Ezell followed with a steal. Though he missed on his subsequent shot, Besancon was there to rebound and score, making it a 9-point margin.
A basket by Greenbrier made it 30-23 going into the fourth quarter.
The Panthers scored the first basket of the final period to get back within 5 but after Davis Nossaman hit a shot off a feed from Christie, the game never got that close again.
Ezell and Nossaman hit free throws in the late stages of the game to help put the finishing touches on the victory.
Bryant Blue will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 1, when they host Bryant White at Bethel Middle School.
