Pirates come up a little short against Bearcats

GOSNELL -- Coming into Tuesday night's 3-4A conference battle against the Brookland Bearcats, the Gosnell Pirates knew that points would come at a premium and the game would be a defensive struggle. No one could have guessed just how tough it would be for points to be scored.

After a total of 55 points were scored in the first half, the two teams locked in even harder in a 28-point total second half that saw the first-place Bearcats escape with a 39-35 win at the Gosnell Physical Education Center.

"I thought we did a great job defensively," said Pirate head coach Kirk Glintborg. "The kids were phenomenal against a good team."

Gosnell had the ball with under 10 seconds to play and a chance to tie but Will Rose's three-point attempt missed the mark. C.J. Henry split a pair of free throws with six seconds left for the Bearcats to seal the deal.

"I'll take that anytime," said Glintborg. "We had a chance to win or tie it at the end of the game. That's all we can ask for. I'll take my chances with Will (Rose)."

Only 19 baskets total were made between the two teams. Brookland made only eight with six coming from long range beyond the three-point arc. Gosnell connected on just 11 shots with one coming from three-point territory.

Gosnell led 9-8 after one period. In the second, Brookland made just one field goal, a three pointer from Chandler Thompson, but scored 14 points with 11 of them coming from the foul line. The Bearcats, at one point in the first half, enjoyed a 15-7 foul advantage over the Pirates and spent much of the second period at the charity stripe.

"They (Brookland) are a very physical team," said Glintborg. "Our whole goal was to come out and match their aggressiveness. I thought we did a phenomenal job. I thought they (Brookland) were just as aggressive. I would have like to have had a few more calls but it just didn't happen."

The fouls began to mount for the Pirate starters as Ross, Rod Jones and Tevin Real spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble with Jones and Real eventually fouling out. Despite the disparity, the Pirates clung to a one-point lead at the break up 23-22.

"I thought our bench did a great job," said Glintborg. "They kept us right in the game and gave us a chance to win it. We didn't lose anything defensively when I had to substitute. They really stepped up big tonight."

Brookland took a one-point advantage into the fourth at 29-28. Neither team had more than a seven-point lead all night.

The Bearcats had the ball with a one-point lead with a minute left to play and, instead of fouling Brookland and sending them to the line to stop the clock, Glintborg and the Pirates opted to play defense and try to get a turnover. It almost worked. Gosnell forced an errant pass that Rose nearly intercepted diving near the sideline but couldn't get the ball to a Pirate teammate.

"I thought we'd try to play good defense until about 15 seconds and try to get a turnover," said Glintborg. "It worked but the ball just didn't bounce our way."

Scoring stats were low on the night. T.J. Anderson led the Pirates with nine points followed by Rose with seven.

Henry was the only scorer for either side in double figures with 11 followed by Thompson with nine.

The Pirates fall to 9-10 overall and 4-6 in the 3-4A conference. It was their final home conference game as the finish the regular season with four consecutive road games beginning next Tuesday at Highland.

"We're going to go on the road and see what we're made of," said Glintborg. "We're still trying to hang on to that fourth spot and maybe move up depending on what other teams do."

JUNIOR HIGH

Gosnell 55, Brookland 25

The Gosnell Junior Pirates rolled past the Brookland Bearcats, 55-25, Tuesday night.

Gosnell led 34-13 at halftime and took a 30-point advantage early in the fourth invoking the Mercy Clock the rest of the way.

Bradon Partee and Rodale Jones each scored 12 points a piece to lead the Pirates. Termaine Anderson and Tabari Herron chipped in 10 in the victory.

The win pushes the Pirates record to 17-4 overall and 8-2 in the 3-4A.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com