BVNW pulls away late to defeat Olathe Northwest, 52-38
Ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in 6A respectively, ONW and BVNW faced off in the semifinals of the Border Classic.
January 20, 2018
PITTSBURG, Kan. – In an unusual start for the Huskies, the boys basketball team found themselves in a low scoring game in the first quarter. This semifinals matchup between No. 4 BVNW and No. 3 Olathe Northwest on Friday night would decide who would advance to the championship game of the Border Classic.
The Huskies came out of the gates firing from behind the arc, but were unable to convert on their three-point attempts. Unable to make their shots, BVNW had to find new ways to score. Junior guard Christian Braun had multiple shots near the rim which also wouldn’t fall. With only one minute remaining in the first quarter, the Huskies were in unfamiliar territory as they had only one point off of a free throw by senior forward Parker Braun.
While offensively the team was struggling, everything was going right on the other side of the ball. BVNW was able to force ONW to take long shots early on, and they didn’t allow the Ravens to get in the paint.
The Huskies managed to gain a measly 4-3 lead after a quarter of play with a three-pointer by senior guard Sam Ward late in the quarter. Although the first quarter was unlike other quarters the Huskies have played in, head coach Ed Fritz said he thought his team started performing well towards the end of the first quarter, especially since Olathe Northwest slowed down the pace of the game.
“That’s the way they play; they grind things out,” Fritz said. “I thought we did some good things towards the end of the quarter.”
After a slow first quarter, BVNW was looking to start creating more offense. However, the second quarter was more of the same, as neither team was able to hit shots. One of the big reasons that ONW struggled in the first half was due to the presence of Parker Braun in the lane. Fritz said he has been impressed with how Parker has been playing on the defensive end.
“Parker Braun has just had a phenomenal tournament,” Fritz said. “He played great yesterday. Today, he was just altering a bunch of shots.”
Parker said the whole team was executing defensively which held the Ravens to a 10 point first half.
“The defensive side is my side. I love that side of the ball,” Parker said.
With time winding down in the first half, BVNW still had yet to create much offense. It was not until just under 2 minutes left in the first half when the Huskies started hitting their stride. After making 2 free throws to tie the game at 10-10, Christian Braun hit back-to-back three-pointers. Although he had some difficulty at the start, Christian said he kept trying to put up shots to create some momentum.
“We needed something going into half so I had to find something. Parker set a good screen, so I thought I’d shoot it. It worked out well I guess,” Christian said.
Going into half, BVNW was able to create a little separation as they had a 18-10 lead. Coming out of the half, BVNW looked much more composed offensively as they were able to move the ball around and find open shots. With 5:42 left in the third quarter, the Ravens were forced to call a timeout as BVNW led ONW, 24-13.
While BVNW seemed to be in the driver’s seat, No. 3 Olathe Northwest was not going to go down without a fight. Coming out of the timeout, the Ravens were able to hit a three-pointer and convert on an and-one. After the third quarter, BVNW’s lead was cut to 31-27.
With a four point lead, the Huskies would be put to the test in yet another game as they retained a small lead late in the game. In the first play of the quarter, Christian was able to find Ward for a three-pointer. This would be the start of a 9-0 run for Blue Valley Northwest to open the fourth quarter.
After holding the Ravens scoreless for nearly 6 minutes, the Huskies were sitting on a comfortable 40-27 lead with only minutes left in the game. Olathe Northwest had to start fouling, but BVNW was able to knock down a multitude of free throws to close out the game. Thanks to stellar defense and their ability to make free throws down the stretch, the No. 4 Huskies were able to upset the No. 3 Ravens, 52-38. Christian said it was big that the team was able to hold on to a lead since it has been something they have struggled with this season.
“It feels good because we haven’t been able to do it in the past, so we did a good job today in keeping our composure,” Christian said.
After winning two games in the Border Classic, BVNW will take on Pittsburg in the championship game on Saturday, Jan, 20 at 3:15 p.m. at Pittsburg. Fritz said the environment for the game should be an exciting one.
“We just got to be ready to play tomorrow. Pittsburg’s a good team,” Fritz said. “I like where we’re at right now, and I like how we’re growing a little bit.”
