BCMS Lady Bears pull upset in semis; finish GRVC Runner-ups
The BCMS Cheerleaders were in full force for their Lady Bears throughout the GRVC Tournament. Rumor has it, Breckinridge County thought it was unfair that they were present when they failed to bring their own. PHOTO | Greg Moore
By Greg Moore
Banner Sports Editor
The Green River Valley Conference girls basketball tournament was held in Brownsville a few weeks back. For Butler County’s younger group, the 7th grade team, with so much promise, unfortunately bowed out in the first round. However, the 8th grade team won easily in the opening round over the host, Edmonson County, before doing the unthinkable in the minds of many followers in the semifinals.
Facing a Lady Tigers team from Breckinridge County, who had compiled like 60+ wins compared to less than five losses over the past few seasons, the near .500, battle-tested Lady Bears stood blow-for-blow with the favorites. And, at the end of the melee, Coach Phelps and the rest of the Lady Bears supporters could not feel more ecstatic to witness the culminating experience from this group of determined girls, who walked away with the triumph, 53-51.
The game went back-and-forth throughout. After the Lady Bears left several free-throws off the scoreboard in the first, they still embraced a two-point advantage, 12-10. Getting the fouls whistled early helped set the tone of the game, which was crucial.
7th grader, Tae Rothe, has been a force all season for the Lady Bears. Tae beats the Lady Cougar trying to slide over before she gets the quick shot off. PHOTO | Greg Moore
Breck’s Kaitlyn Carby poured in nine of her 15 first-half points in the second quarter to pull the Lady Tigers back ahead of Butler County, 28-24 going to the locker rooms. Nonetheless, the Lady Bears used a balanced-attack to get Carby in foul trouble and capitalized from the charity stripe in the third quarter.
They would need that three-point differential coming out of the third. Carby and company were not going away without firing every bullet. The Lady Bears stayed poised and fouled Carby out of the game on their way to sealing the win in the final period.
While Coach Phelps could not be more proud of the defensive effort, the offensive side executed brilliantly. Brielle Belcher, who carved up defenders to find teammates throughout, hit her second three-pointer of the game in the fourth quarter on her way to lead the Lady Bears with 16 points for the night.
Zaeleigh Russ came off the bench and was instrumental. Russ helped take pressure off Belcher while also getting to the free-throw line ten times, making eight of them to assist her in finishing with 12 points. Harper Hack, always a presence in the paint, took full advantage of tight officiating, hitting seven of ten freebies, and scoring 11 points.
Zaeleigh Russ, only a sixth-grader, came off the bench for big minutes when it counted the most for the 8th Lady Bears. She is shown here breaking the seal in the second quarter to keep Butler County within a couple two-point possessions. PHOTO | Greg Moore
Emmalin Mode and Tae Rothe, who hit two big free-throws down the stretch, scored seven and six in the upset-win. Mode, who played to the game plan without getting herself in foul trouble, missed her average but was near perfect from the line, going five of six. Kaley Stevens made one of the team’s 26 out of 33 FT attempts, an astounding 79% as a team.
Emmalin Mode gets to the basket for an easy two in the GRVC Championship against Grayson County, who did not allow this to happen very much. PHOTO | Greg Moore
While everything aligned for the staff and players on the court, it is not a sure thing that it could have been done without another influence, especially if one was asking some of the Breckinridge folks. The middle school’s faithful cheerleaders stayed pumped for the entire game, as they always do, while the Lady Tigers did not have their comrades. Yes, it is a certainty that BCMS cheerleaders do make a difference; yet, nobody told the opposition they could not bring their cheering squad.
The magic carpet ride all came to a screeching halt in the championship against Grayson County. Without a doubt, the outcome of what transpired throughout the entire season will far outweigh the hurt of not being champions of the GRVC.
Unfortunately, after driving through treacherous rain to get to Brownsville, the Lady Cougars executed their gameplan better than the Lady Bears did. Neither team was successful scoring in the early going; however, Grayson County hit a couple three-pointers and built a 10-4 first quarter lead.
With the Lady Cougars playing fundamental in the paint while being aggressive on the ball, the Lady Bears forced some shots and passes that did not turn out well as the game continued into the second quarter. Butler County, down by a baker’s dozen at the half, played hard but never could get the momentum shifted enough to make that push and comeback in the second half, either.
Despite being young and not deep in numbers, BCMS 7th and 8th girls basketball teams improved and battled all season long. This 8th grade group will be missed, but the future looks bright with a larger number of girls in the sixth grade, many who contributed significantly. Congratulations to all the players and coaches on the successful season!
