The Briarwood Academy Buccaneers picked up a big win over Thomas Jefferson Academy last Saturday night in Louisville after a disappointing loss to David Emanuel the night before at Briarwood.
"It was a huge win for us and it was a huge boost for our confidence," said Briarwood Head Coach Bo Fleming of his team's 41-36 victory over the Jaguars.
Coach Fleming was pleased with his team's overall performance, as well as the way they shot from the all-important free-throw line. The team had been experiencing problems of late at the free-throw line that contributed to a pair of recent losses.
"We were 11-of-16 from the free-throw line," said Coach Fleming. "That's the best we've hit all year. If you want to win ball games, you've got to hit your free-throws."
Trey Stadler, a junior, had one of his best games of the season, as he poured in 26 points and yanked down 15 rebounds. Senior point guard Ryan Gerlach, meanwhile, also performed well, scoring 9 points and engineering a relentless Buccaneer team throughout the game.
It was a different story when the Bucs hosted the David Emanuel Eagles last Friday night. And when everything had been said and done, the Eagles soared away with a big upset win. The final score was 56-52.
Going into the game against Briarwood, the Eagles had won only one game this season.
The first half belonged to the Buccaneers, who outscored the Eagles 13-2 during the first eight minutes of the game. At halftime, the Bucs led 31-16.
The Eagles scored six unanswered baskets in the third before Gerlach sank a long-range shot to give Briarwood a 34-30 lead with just over five minutes left in third period action.
David Emanuel stormed right back down the court and scored a basket to cut the lead back to two. A three-point basket from the corner at the 4:31 mark gave the Eagles a 35-34 lead.
Free-throws by Stadler and Gerlach later led to the Bucs reclaiming the lead, 38-37. Going into the fourth period, Briarwood led 43-41 before the Eagles caught fire again and reclaimed the lead.
Briarwood will play host to the Edmund Burke Spartans of Waynesboro on Jan. 26.
