BCMS boys have outstanding wins in last two games

By Shirley Shuman
The BCMS boys’ varsity squad defeated both Gilmer and Buckhannon in recent play. The Knights began both games in much the same way and finished strong in both.
Although they started slowly in their 52-21 game against Gilmer last week, the Knights took command of the game midway through the first quarter and held a strong lead throughout the game. After three minutes of play, neither team showed much offense, and Braxton led 4-3. That lack of offense didn’t last long, according to Knights’ Coach Drew Taylor.
“After that point, we picked up the intensity of our defense which caused turnovers,” Coach Taylor said. As a result, the Knights went on a 13-0 run and went into the second quarter up 17-3. Braxton continued the strong defense and held Gilmer to single digits in the first half. At halftime, the Knights led by as score of 27-8.
The coaches used more of their bench in the third quarter. Coach Taylor noted that after three minutes of the third, all of his players were rotating into the game. The Knights led 32-14 after three quarters, when the bench players took over and closed out the game.
Evaluating the game, Coach Taylor said that he was “very proud of our defensive efforts in that game and pleased with how we consistently made layups as opposed to previous games.” He added, “I was also proud of how balanced our scoring was.”
Against Gilmer, Ashton Stewart scored 14 points to lead the team. Other scoring included Remington Huffman with 2, Brady Toler 8, Landon Hart 8, Braeden Godfrey 5, Ryan Stalnaker 4, Gavin Dean 2, Deklan Meadows 7, and Eli McCallister 2.
The Knights scored a 41-29 victory over Buckhannon. Coach Taylor mentioned that once again the team started slowly but still held their opponent scoreless in the first quarter and were up 7-0 going into the second. Braxton’s defense stayed strong the rest of the first half although the offense was still slow, and they led 13-7 at halftime.
In an effort to motivate his offense, Coach Taylor “preached ‘Keep shooting’” at halftime. His efforts obviously worked as the Knights led 31-11 at the end of the third. The Braxton defense closed out Buckhannon’s comeback effort in the force and came away with a 41-29 win. Coach Taylor said he “was pleased defensively” but added, “We need more consistent starts.”
Toler and Stewart led Braxton scoring. Toler put in 19 points and Stewart added 10. Hart scored 6, Huffman 3, and Stalnaker 3.
In the next game, Braxton will host Summersville Jan. 5.