No.5 Huskies never look back from early lead, defeat No.17 Mustangs, 72-56.
The boys varsity basketball team defeated the hometown rival Blue Valley North at Blue Valley Northwest on Friday Jan. 11, as senior guard Christian Braun led the Huskies to a 72-56 win with a game high of thirty points and seventeen rebounds. The win improves the Huskies record to 7-1 on the season.
January 12, 2019
Leading up to the game the tensions were growing and the stakes higher than ever with sophomore Jack Chapman coming back for his first game after a knee injury benched him for a month. Chapman had been a key player for the Huskies earlier in the season and the loss of Chapman was detrimental to the Huskies in their only loss against Grandview on Dec. 15, according to head coach Ed Fritz. The team knew that this game would be raging with fans, Senior Christian Braun said and tensions between the rivals would only grow.
“They have got a lot of good players so we had to match there intensity and that’s just kind of the message all week,” Braun said. “If we match there intensity we should get the win.”
Entering the game after previously defeating Blue Springs South to open the new year, the Huskies came out strong starting the game on a 16-4 run with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter. Despite not draining the necessary free throws to maintain a twelve point lead, the Huskies played to their strengths.
The Huskies stuck with Braun, allowing him to drive to the basket or dished it off under the rim for easy uncontested shots, said junior Markell Hood.
“Christian played really well and when they were collapsing on him he just got me into the spot to get the ball open again and get a good shot in,” Hood said.
Fritz said Hood showed what seemed to be his best game of the season contributing a stat line of sixteen points, five rebounds and three assists.
“I thought Markell really played his best game for us this season,” Fritz said.
At the start of the fourth quarter, with the Huskies having a twelve point lead, the Huskies never surrendered their point advantage. Braun, Hood and senior Mike Peake took control, as they combined for a total of 58 points in the game.
“Fritz did a good job just calming us down. It’s a big game, [and] there’s a lot of people out there.” Braun said.
After the win against BVN, the boys varsity basketball team will be back in action against the Saints at Saint Thomas Aquinas on Friday Jan. 25.
