Bears Win Hard-Fought Playoff Opener, Fall to Nevis in Next Round Despite Strong Season
- 24 hours ago
- 1 min read
by Coach Austin Selvey
On Monday night, the No. 9-seeded Bertha-Hewitt Bears traveled to Walker to take on the No. 8-seeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Wolves in the opening round of the section tournament. The Bears came away with a 71-64 victory to advance.
Bertha-Hewitt held a narrow 33-29 lead at halftime before both teams picked up the scoring in the second half. The Bears added 38 points after the break to secure the win.
Defense and late-game free-throw shooting proved to be the difference. Bertha-Hewitt converted 27 of 41 free throws on the night, including several key makes down the stretch to keep the Wolves from mounting a comeback.
The Bears also controlled the interior, outscoring Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 38-24 in the paint and holding a 43-40 rebounding advantage. Bertha-Hewitt grabbed 32 defensive rebounds to limit second-chance opportunities.
Brady Rach led the Bears with a game-high 37 points, going 8-of-18 from the field and an impressive 20-of-22 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down 12 rebounds to record a double-double.
Quintin Flynn-Belevance added 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Henry Lockwood chipped in nine points and four steals. Garrett Becker contributed five points and three assists, and Rowan Hauer added four points.
With the win, the Bears advanced to the next round of the Section Tournament, where they faced the No. 1-seeded Nevis Tigers on Thursday night in Nevis. The Tigers proved to be a difficult matchup, defeating the Bears 97-39...
