By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN (December 27, 2024) – Bryan took advantage of two long scoring droughts by the Locos and had three players reach double figures in a 50-26 win in the semifinals of the BSN Holiday Classic.
Buckets by Aleigha Hillard and Kelsie Bumb put the Locos in front early 4-0 before the first dry spell would hit.
Bryan’s Josey Arnold drilled one of her four triples on the night to break the ice for the Bears before Averyann Fisher scored to give Bryan their first lead of the night at 5-4, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Arnold later hit another from long range to cap off a 10-0 Bryan run as Hillard would go 2/2 at the line to trim the margin to 10-6.
A Bumb free throw made it 10-7 but a bucket by Zimmerman and Arnold’s third triple of the quarter pushed the Bryan lead to 15-8 after the first eight minutes.
A Hillard three-pointer from the top of the key cut the Bryan lead to 15-11 but those would turn out to be Montpelier’s only points of the quarter.
A 17-0 run by the Bears to close the half ensued starting with a conventional three-point play from Fisher, a bucket by Zimmerman and after an offensive rebound for two by Mylie Vollmer it was 26-11.
Bryan ended the half by going 4/6 at the free throw line and Zimmerman added another field goal as the lead ballooned to 32-11.
Montpelier was just 1/8 from the floor in the quarter with eight turnovers while Bryan was 5/11 and outrebounded Montpelier 9-2.
The Bryan scoring run continued in the second half behind four free throws by Fisher and Arnold connected on her final triple of the night to make it 39-11.
Jada Uribes stopped the run of 24 unanswered points by the Bears with a triple at the 4:30 mark of the third, the first Locos’ points since the opening minute of the second quarter.
Hillard followed the Uribes’s score with a bucket, giving the Locos a quick 5-0 spurt, but it was Bryan scoring seven of the final nine points of the quarter as they took a commanding 46-18 lead to the final frame.
For the game, the Locos were 9/40 from the floor with Hillard topping the scoring column with nine points.
Bryan hit on 50% (17/34) of their shots and were paced in scoring by Arnold with 15, Fisher added 12, and Zimmerman contributed 11.
Bryan (5-3) will take on Toledo Bowsher (9-1) in the title game at 7:30pm tonight with Montpelier (6-2) facing Fairview (1-7) in the consolation game at 6pm.
MONTPELIER (26) – Bumb 6; Hillard 9; Uribes 5; Mahan 0; Ramos 0; Feeney 0; Hopper 0; Uribes 6; Totals: 7-2-6 – 26
BRYAN (50) – Mason 0; Zimmerman 11; Langham 2; Mossburg 0; Hanna 2; Fisher 12; Thiel 0; Arnold 15; Vollmer 8; Kidston 0; Miller 0; Richmond 0; Hepker 0; Totals: 12-5-11 – 50
MHS 8 3 7 8 -26
BHS 15 17 14 4 – 50
GAME STATISTICS
MONTPELIER: FG – 9/40 (23%); FT – 6/12 (50%); Rebounds – 15 (6 offensive); Turnovers – 15; BRYAN: FG – 17/34 (50%); FT – 11/17 (64%); Rebounds – 30 (10 offensive); Turnovers – 16