The Bruin men and women cruise to sweep over Snow. Now they are headed on the biggest road trip of the season.
The women pulled away in the closing seconds on Saturday to pick up the one-point victory 68-67. The men had to sweat it out, but managed to hold off the Badgers 87-75.
“There was a lot of emotion in this game,” said Haley Holmstead. “Snow always plays good and it gets us ready for the upcoming games.”
The second ranked Lady Bruins came out and were on fire in the first half. They shot over 53 percent from the field in the first half. Leading the way for them was sophomore forward Kelsey Sparkman. Sparkman poured in 17 points, grabbed five boards, and was 3-4 from the free-throw line. The Badgers were led by Guard Alle Finch who went 2-3 from the 3-point line and had eight points.
The second half began with the intensity on defense amped up. It showed as the Bruins managed to only shoot 29 percent in the second half. If it weren’t for the Bruins 46-29 advantage on the boards it could have gone the other way. Freshman Allie Blake made one of two free throws with 8.9 seconds left on the clock to take the one point lead. A solid defensive stand preserved the win.
“We got the stop when we needed it,” said sophomore point guard,Dayna Burgess.
Leading the way for the Bruins was Sparkman who finished with 21 pints and eight rebounds. Holmstead had 16 points and three boards. The Badgers were led by Abbie Beutler. Beutler had 12 points, four assists, and four boards.
The win pushed the Lady Bruins win streak up to 17 straight games. Their conference record is 9-0 and they are 17-1 overall.
The women travel to NIC and CSI this weekend. The Bruins have gone 4-0 this year against the second and third place teams in the SWAC. Their next home games are on Jan. 29 and 30. CEU and CNCC will be coming to the Lifetime Activities Center.
The men’s team had a more dominant night as they only ever trailed for early in the game. They took a 14 point halftime lead, 45-31. Freshman Collin Chiverton led the way with in the first half with 16 points going 6-13 from the field and 3-8 from the three point line. John Hayward-Mayhew came in off the bench to chip in five points and seven rebounds. Jordan Wood scored eight points to lead the way for the Badgers.
“We knew coming into the game it was going to be physical,” said sophomore point guard,Darian Norris. “We were able to battle and come away with the win. “
The second half got a lot more physical as there were multiple elbows, knees, and technicals. The Bruins extended their lead to 18 at 52-34 early in the second half. That was when Snow mad its move and was able to get the lead down to six, 75-69, with 3:40 left in the game when Corbin Green hit his third three pointer of the game.
The Bruins went on a 12-6 run to close the game to get the 87-75 win. Chiverton finished with 22 points going 8-19 from the field. Hayward-Mayhew and Sol Jensen were able to come away with double-doubles. Hayward-Mayhew finished with 16 Points and 11 rebounds. Jensen had 12 points and 13 boards.
“This was a great win and it will carry us into this next weekend,” said Norris.
The Bruins head out to take on NIC and CSI this weekend. They play the fourteenth ranked Cardinals of North Idaho Thursday night. They have split the two games this year against the Cardinals. They play the College of Southern Idaho on Saturday. The Bruins have taken both games between the two teams this year.
The next home games will be on Jan. 29 and 30. CEU and CNCC will be traveling to the LAC to take on the Bruins. All home games are played at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. Women’s games tip off at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Men’s games start at 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Haley Holmstead was recently awarded the National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Week. The freshman from American Fork High School averaged 26 points a game and four rebounds. She is also leading the nation in scoring with 24 points a game.
