Both the Junior High Bearcats and Lady Bearcats won semifinal games in the Opal Pistole Tournament in County Line Wednesday, moving both to the 15-win mark on the season.
In the boys game it was a smothering defense that allowed only a single second half point to Pleasant View to turn a comfortable lead into a 44-19 blowout win over the Yellowjackets.
The Bearcats (15-3) led 27-18 at the half and had gotten a 3 from Ayden Rhinehart to make it a double-digit lead when the Yellowjackets got a free throw to fall – the only one of six in the quarter and eight in the second half – to cut it to 30-19.
By the end of the third quarter it was 35-19 and, after more than three scoreless minutes, Chase Posey scored on an assist from Karson Tillery and with a free throw from Drake Brackney 47 seconds later, it was 38-19 with 2:16 to play.
That wrapped up a 17 point night for Brackney, who had accounted for the first 10 Bearcat points in the first 4:01 of the game.
The Bearcats led 10-7, with a conventional 3-point play by Brackney breaking a tie at 7-7. The Bearcats led the rest of the way.
It was 13-7 when Edwin Garcia hit a 3.
Pleasant View got within 15-11 with 4:08 to play in the first half and 19-13 with 2:34 remaining in the half.
Cooper Smithson hit a 3 to move it a 22-13 lead and the Bearcats would eventually lead by 11 before settling for a 9-point halftime edge.
Smithson was on his way to a 12-point, 10 rebound night.
Lady Bearcats 27 Scranton 12
A 13-0 run over almost 12 minutes by the Lady Bearcats (15-2) put the Lady Rockets away.
The run started modestly enough when Tatum Brackney scored with 3:54 to play in the first half to make it 9-8.
After the fifth lead change the score was unchanged until the 5:42 mark of the third quarter when Alycin Pearcy scored.
The score remained 11-8 for almost three minutes until another Brackney basket started flurry of 6 points in 40 seconds including a steal and basket from Pearcy and a layup from Brackney after Evelyn Rogers blocked a shot and threw an outlet pass down the court.
For Pearcy it was one of her now 105 steals this season, a new junior high record.
A 3 by Sophie Shaffer made it 20-8.
Brackney completed a 9-point night and Rogers scored twice in the final quarter.
Both teams are now set for the finals but when that happens is yet to be determined as Saturday’s games have been postponed due to an expected winter storm.
JUNIOR HIGH TEAMS REACH 15 WIN MARK, PEARCY BREAKS STEALS RECORD
