MacArthur baseball wins third in NEISD Tourney

Gage Creswell shuts out South San 4-0

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

Gage Creswell twirled a two-hit shutout, and MacArthur took advantage of 5 South San errors in defeating the Bobcats 4-0 for third place in the North East Tournament Saturday afternoon.

Creswell (1-1) finished off the Bobcats on just 76 pitches; he needed more than 9 pitches to get through an inning only twice, in the first and the third. Creswell struck out four, gave up two hits, walked two, and hit one batter. Thanks to a caught stealing and three double plays, Creswell faced only one batter over the minimum.

South San never got the leadoff man on base. Rudolfo Barrientez drew a two-out walk in the third, only to be picked off by Creswell, 1-3-6. Since the shortstop Siller got the putout, Barrientez was officially caught stealing.

South San (6-4) catcher Ezequiel Garcia reached base three times - his teammates combined reached only twice – but his courtesy runner Brandon Gauna was stranded only once. In the fourth, Garcia laced a one-out single up the middle, then Aldo Botello hit a smash deep into the right field gap. Once right fielder Shane Potts made the long run and the catch, Gauna was already around second; Potts completed the double play by throwing Gauna out at first by fifty feet.

After three shutout innings by South San starter Jay Martinez, MacArthur (4-4-3, 1-0 in 26-5A) took advantage of defensive lapses behind reliever Rene Gallegos (0-1.) Andrew Huerta led off the fourth being hit by a pitched, then stole second. Two outs later, Michael Colorado walked, then Potts hit a grounder to second. Jason Baladez bobbled the ball then rushed the throw; the two-base error scored Huerta and put Colorado at third and Potts at second. Mario Siller’s singled to left to score Colorado and make it 2-0, then Scott Cecil’s infield single scored Potts to put Mac ahead 3-0.

MacArthur’s last run also capitalized on South San miscues. Potts led off the sixth with a single to left, then pinch hitter Jordan Espinoza reached on a error by the shortstop Juan de Alejandro to put runners on first and second. With the count 1-0 to pinch hitter Ryan Berlanga, South San sent the first baseman Aldo Botello in to defend a bunt. Berlanga swung and missed; the catcher Garcia threw to first, where second baseman Baladez was covering while Botello charged; Baladez tagged out Espinoza to pick him off.

On the play, Potts went to third. He scored when Berlanga, still at bat, lofted a ball to center field; center fielder Gabriel Montez dropped the ball to allow Berlanga to reach safely. Since the official scorer ruled that Potts would have scored even if the ball were caught, Berlanga was awarded a sacrifice fly.

MacARTHUR 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 - 4 6 0
SOUTH SAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 3

Pitching lines IP H R ER BB HBP K PC

MacArthur (4-4-3, 1-0 in 26-5A)
Creswell (W, 1-1) 7 2 0 0 2 1 4 76

South San (6-4)
Jay Martinez 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 64
Rene Gallegos (L,0-1) 3 3 4 0 2 1 2 54
Rudolfo Barrientez 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 18

Baseball: Owls and Brahmas tie

Highlands, MacArthur combined for four hits in 1-1 game

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

MacArthur’s Mario Siller twirled a three-hitter, and Highlands’ Joel Camacho and Rory Rivera combined to one-hit MacArthur as the teams played to a 1-1 tie Thursday afternoon in North East Tournament action at Paul Lindy Field.

Siller and Camacho each had no-hitters through four innings. Siller’s was broken up when Travis Bailey stroked a one-out single to right in the top of the fifth. Bailey went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a basehit up the middle by Jeff Cavazos, and scored on another wild pitch. Cavazos was stranded at second after Jonathan Valentine flied out to right and Joel Camacho struck out to end the inning.

MacArthur (2-3-2, 1-0 in 26-5A) tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. After third baseman Valentine made a terrific play on an Andrew Huerta grounder for the first out, Siller waked, then went to second when Cecil hit a clean single to right for MacArthur’s only hit of the game. Tommy Moore walked to load the bases, then Highlands coach Mike Perez brought in Rory Rivera to pitch, sending Camacho to center field and removing Sammy Gonzales from the game. Rivera gave up a sacrifice fly to center by Patrick Ward which tied the game, then retired Ryan Belanga on a grounder to second to end the threat.

The last baserunner for Highlands (3-4-1) was Chris Pacheco, who led off the sixth with a single to left. Siller struck out Jonathan Armijo, then got Greg Contreras to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.

MacArthur also failed to score the rest of the game, but one failed threat constituted progress. In the third and fourth inning, MacArthur got the leadoff man aboard – for one whole pitch. Each time, the next man up attempted to sacrifice but bunted and missed, allowing catcher Contreras to pick off each runner at first. In the sixth, Gage Creswell was hit by a 2-0 pitch to lead it off. Tyler Schnuriger successfully sacrificed his courtesy runner Shane Potts to second. Ironically, Potts was stranded there.

The unusual setting may have had something to do with the poor hitting. Instead of a standard wooden, solid outfield fence with a hitter’s backdrop, Lindy Field’s outfield is chain link, with MacArthur High School’s main building as a backdrop.

For tournament scheduling purposes, MacArthur was treated as the winner. Each team advanced two runners to third; MacArhur came out ahead by advancing 8 runners to second to Highlands’ three.

HIGHLANDS 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 3 2

MacARTHUR 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 1 3

Pitching lines IP H R ER BB HBP K PC

Highlands (3-4-1)
Joel Camacho 4-1/3 1 1 1 6 1 3 83
Rory Rivera 2-2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 36

MacArthur
Mario Siller 7 3 1 1 0 1 7 95

Brahmas tromp on Raiders

MacArthur rallies from 4-0 deficit for 11-4 victory over Taft

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

Tommy Moore’s five RBIs led the MacArthur Brahmas to an 11-4 victory over the Taft Raiders Thursday afternoon at the Muleyard.

Moore went 3 for 4 with a pair of two-run doubles and also scored a run for MacArthur (2-0-1, 1-0 in 26-5A).

Initially, it appeared Taft (1-1, 1-0) would take control when they got to eventual winner pitcher Nick Gonzalez (1-0). With runners at first and third and one out in the top of the first, Mason Lansdale singled home Ryan Rodriguez to put the Raiders ahead. David Gonzalez followed by doubling over the center fielder’s head to score courtesy runner Thomas Costigan, then Christian Garza doubled down the first base line to score Lansdale and Gonzalez. Before Taft took the field for defense, they led 4-0.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Chris Johnson (0-1) would struggle on the hill. Ten Brahmas batted in the first inning, which Johnson needed 49 pitches to labor through. Mario Siller, Scott Cecil, Tommy Moore, and Patrick Ward each had hits, then Michael Colorado, Tyler Schnuriger, and Andrew Huerta drew walks, all with nobody out. Moore’s hit was a two-run double, and Schnuriger and Huerta’s walks drove in runs. Johnson did get out of the jam with two strikeouts and a fielder’s choice grounder, but by then the game was tied at 4.

MacArthur again sent 10 batters to the plate in the third. Schnuriger reached on a wild pitch strike three to lead off the inning, then stole second. One out later, Gage Creswell blooped a single behind second base, with Schnuriger holding at second. Schnuriger and courtesy runner Garret Munoz pulled off a double steal, setting up Ryan Belanga’s sacrifice fly to score Schnuriger and giving MacArthur their first lead. Siller was hit by a pitch to load the bases, then Cecil doubled home Munoz and Siller to made it 7-4. Cecil scored on a single by Moore to make it 8-4.

The Brahmas added three more runs off reliever Devin Mutchler on a sacrifice fly by Cecil and Moore’s second two-run double.

The Gaylard Fenley Classic matchup was stopped after four and a half innings due to tournament time limit.

TAFT 4 0 0 0 0 - 4 6 2
MacARTHUR 4 0 4 3 X -11 10 3

Pitching lines IP H R ER BB HBP K PC
Taft
Chris Johnson (L, 0-1) 2-2/3 8 8 8 5 1 3 97
Devin Mutchler 1-1/3 2 3 0 0 0 1 30

MacArthur
Nick Gonzalez (W,1-0) 3-2/3 5 4 4 3 1 3 79
Michael Saenz (Sv) 1-1/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 28

Reagan knocks Mac out of first, vaults into fourth

59-55 victory over Brahmas extends Rattlers’ winning streak to six

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

Matt Medell’s steal with 4.2 seconds remaining and his free throws that followed clinched a 59-55 victory for the Reagan Rattlers over the MacArthur Brahmas Friday night at Robert E. Lee High School.

The victory extended Reagan’s winning streak to six games, and ended MacArthur’s at nine. After Friday’s action, Reagan has passed for fourth place in 26-5A with one game to go.

Reagan (21-10, 9-6 in 26-5A) once again showed a knack for last-second shots. Against Johnson on Wednesday, Reagan made buzzer-beating field goals at the end of each of the first three quarters. Friday night, Tre Demps scored at the end of the first quarter to cut the MacArthur lead to 15-12, then a putback by James Henderson at the halftime buzzer extended a Reagan lead to 34-28.

At the end of third quarter, MacArthur (26-7, 11-4 in 26-5A) began playing for the last shot with a minute to go in the quarter, trailing 47-40. But with 10.2 seconds left, a Brahma pass went out of bounds, setting up Bryan Hardy’s score with 2.7 seconds left. It didn’t actually qualify as a buzzer beater, but it didn’t allow time for MacArthur to inbound and shoot from the front court either. Reagan led 49-40 after three.

During action where there were more than a few seconds left on the clock, Reagan used their size to post up and outrebound MacArthur. Tre Demps complimented this with 17 first half points, including three second-quarter three-pointers.

But MacArthur battled back in the fourth, closing the rebounding gap and getting threes of their own from Chris Gramling and Jordan Pratt.

Josh Williams’ putback tied the game at 55 with a little over a minute left, then Demps scored quickly to put Reagan back in front 57-55. Reagan twice missed the front end of a one-and-one to keep MacArthur’s hopes up, but a rebound by Demps and Medell’s steal gave Reagan the stops they needed to protect their lead.

The MacArthur loss, combined with Madison’s earlier win over Roosevelt, gave Madison sole possession of first place. Madison can win the district title with a victory over Reagan Tuesday or a MacArthur loss to New Braunfels. Madison and MacArthur split their meetings this season.

The Reagan win sends the Rattlers past Lee (8-7 in 26-5A) for the fourth and final playoff spot in 26-5A. Friday’s win, combined with Reagan’s later victory, drops Lee to fifth place in 26-5A, one game behind Reagan. To advance to the postseason, Lee must defeat Churchill next Tuesday and Reagan must lose to Madison; this would create a tie for fourth place, forcing Lee and Reagan to play a tiebreaker game.

Quarters
MacARTHUR 15 13 12 15 - 55
REAGAN 12 22 15 10 - 59

MacARTHUR SCORING: Josh Williams 17, Matt Gramling 13, Jordan Pratt 10, Chris Gramling 8, Victor Dlugosz 5, John Lind 2, Chris Parker, Josh Simmons

REAGAN SCORING: Tre Demps 25, Bryan Hardy 13, Matt Medell 12, Brad Coulter 5, Max Yon 2, James Henderson 2, Connor Knight, Carlos Hernandez

MacArthur boys hold on to share of first

Josh Williams scores 13 in Brahmas’ 44-27 victory over Roosevelt

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

The adage goes that there’s no such thing as an ugly win.

But after MacArthur’s 44-27 victory over the Roosevelt Rough Riders Wednesday night, Brahma coach Mark Murphy would surely insist there is such thing as a homely one.

After Wednesday’s results, MacArthur remains tied with Madison for first place in district with two games to go. Each team has a game remaining against Reagan; MacArthur also hosts New Braunfels, while Madison also faces Roosevelt. MacArthur and Madison split their district meetings.

Keeping up with Madison, however, proved to be a peculiar adventure. The weather was cold outside Littleton Gym, and the shooting was cold inside it. Halfway through the first quarter, Brahmas Jordan Pratt and Josh Williams were on the bench in foul trouble, and Roosevelt was in the bonus because MacArthur had committed six team fouls.

And the game was still scoreless.

It was senior night, and Roosevelt coach Ramiro de Leon gave Zach Alcala the start as a graduation present, but he did little to cause the opening malaise. Matt Gramling finally broke the scoring drought with a layup, putting MacArthur ahead 2-0. Jovante Vinson scored to tie the game, then Chris Parker’s deuce made it 4-2 at the end of the first quarter.

After one quarter, MacArthur had outfouled Roosevelt 7-2, and outscored them 4-2.

The scoring picked up a little in the second quarter. MacArthur led 14-10, as Roosevelt decided not to go for a fourth-and-goal at the MacArthur four yard line and settled for a field goal. By now, there were more points scored (24) than fouls committed (19) in the game, but not a lot more.

Once Josh Williams returned to the game, the MacArthur offense opened up. Williams, held scoreless in the first half due to foul trouble limiting his playing time, scored six in the third and seven in the fourth to lead his team. After a three-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter, Williams made the first of five successful free throws in six attempts to help MacArthur ice the game.

Roosevelt’s Darian Burke, who scored 30 points against Johnson Saturday afternoon, was held scoreless through the first three quarters. He finished with four points. Kevin Johnson led Roosevelt with six points.

No incident better summed up the strangeness of the game than Jordan Pratt’s first half free throw attempt with two minutes left. Pratt missed, then as players on both teams watched the ball bounce in the lane, Pratt scooped it up and ran to the basket for an easy layup.

Pratt was the only player to remember he was shooting the front end of a one-and-one.

It was that kind of night.

Quarters
ROOSEVELT 2 8 7 10 - 27
MacARTHUR 4 10 13 17 - 44

ROOSEVELT SCORING: Kevin Johnson 6, Bo Serros 5, William Bryant 5, Darian Burke 4, Jovante Vinson 3, Abraham Prather 2, Clarence Williams 2, Marquentin David, Zach Alcala

MacARTHUR SCORING: Josh Williams 13, Matt Gramling 9, Jordan Pratt 6, Chris Parker 4, Chris Gramling 3, Josh Simmons 3, Michael Flores 2, Ben Lytle 2, John Lind 2

Brahmas stampede Volunteers

Lee without Garnica falls 71-38 to MacArthur

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

A month ago, when MacArthur met Lee in the first round of district play, Paul Garnica sank two free throws with 2.8 seconds left to give Lee a 64-62 victory.

This time, Garnica, who scored 33 in Wednesday’s victory over Johnson, was out due to injury. MacArthur took advantage for a 71-38 victory Saturday afternoon at Littleton Gym; the Brahmas have won eight straight since the loss to Lee, defeating all eight of their district rivals along the way.

MacArthur used its passing game to draw defenders to the perimeter, time and again opening up Jordan Pratt under the basket for layups. MacArthur also had a pair of three-pointers from Matt Gramling and one from Victor Dlugosz. MacArthur led 20-13 after one quarter, then outscored Lee 21-6 in the second to take a 41-19 lead into the locker room. Pratt finished with a career-high 21 points and Matt Gramling tied his career high of 16, set against Lee a month ago. John Lind tied his career high of six points, set against Stevens on November 21st in the North East Tournament; all Lind’s points were scored in the second quarter.

Such was MacArthur’s dominance that a pair of Brahmas were also able to break long scoring droughts. Ben Lytle, younger brother of Brahma standout Tim Lytle, scored in the fourth quarter for his first tally since the Highlands game on November 21st. Michael Flores scored for the first time since the Jefferson game on December 19th in the Harlandale Tournament.

Jeremy McKracken was the only Lee starter to score in the first half; McKracken scored eight in the first half and finished with 11. After Mac starter Josh Simmons committed his second foul with 5:01 remaining in the first quarter, he did not return to action until the second half. He wasn’t needed.

After Saturday’s action, Madison and MacArthur are both 10-3 in district and split their regular season meetings. The Brahmas can clinch a playoff berth with one victory in their last three games or one Reagan loss.

Lee, at 8-5, is tied in the loss column with 9-5 Churchill, while Reagan sits one game behind in at 7-6. Reagan split with both Churchill and Lee; Churchill has one win over Lee, and the Chargers and Volunteers will meet again for their last regular season game.

Quarters
MacARTHUR 8 10 16 14 - 48
LEE 13 13 18 9 - 53

MacARTHUR SCORING: Jordan Pratt 21, Matt Gramling 16, Victor Dlugosz 8, John Lind 6, Josh Williams 6, Michael Flores 4, Chris Parker 4, Chris Gramling 2, Josh Simmons 2, Ben Lytle 2

LEE SCORING: Jeremy McKracken 11, Michael McPherson 8, Patrick Ybarra 6, George Cardenas 5, Joe Uribe 3, Abel Mota 2, Chris Canedo 2, Rudy DeLeon 1, Christian May, Jose Chapa

MacArthur boys create first place deadlock

Three-way tie for first after Brahmas 54-50 overtime win over Mavericks

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

The MacArthur Brahmas closed regulation on a 9-3 run, then outscored Madison 8-4 in overtime on their way to a 54-50 victory Wednesday night at Littleton Gym.

The MacArthur victory creates a three-way tie for first place in the loss column among Madison (17-12, 8-3 in 26-5A), Churchill (8-3 in 26-5A), and MacArthur (22-6, 7-3 in 26-5A) with six dates left in the regular season.

Madison had gone on a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a 44-37 lead. A Matt Gramling three was answered by a basket from Tyler Wood to give Madison a 46-40 lead, then three Brahmas free throws pulled MacArthur within one possession at 46-43 with 1:23 remaining.

After the Mavericks lost a pass out of bounds, MacArthur used about 30 seconds off the clock before Gramling’s three with 27 seconds left tied the game at 46. Gramling scored 8 points in the fourth quarter, all after committing his fourth foul with 5:24 left in regulation.

Wood missed a five-foot hook shot with 3 seconds left which would have won the game in regular, but did make the first basket of overtime. The 48-46 lead held up almost half the overtime period.

MacArthur got the ball back when Josh Williams, who committed his fourth foul with 6:14 remaining in regulation, took a charge with 2:38 in overtime to get MacArthur the ball. It set up Josh Simmons’ game-tying reverse layup.

After Gramling fouled out with 2:03 left in overtime, Jamal Johnson made the free throws to give Madison the lead back at 50-48. Then Brahma sophomore Jordan Pratt took over, scoring and drawing Emilio Trejo’s fifth foul; the free throw put MacArthur ahead for good at 54-50. A Pratt rebound gave MacArthur a stop on the next possession; Victor Dlugosz later made a free throw to put MacArthur ahead 52-50. Williams took another charge with 7.7 seconds left, then two free throws by Pratt with 6 seconds to go clinched the MacArthur win.

Madison led 23-21 at the half, with Topher Campbell scoring nine points and Wood eight. At the end of the first quarter, MacArthur took a 13-12 lead with 10 seconds left on a three by Simmons, only to have a Wood putback at the buzzer give Madison a 14-13 lead after one. Baskets from Jamal Johnson and Ron Olmos gave Madison their halftime lead.

The Brahmas, who normally shoot 39% from the three-point line, came out of halftime determined to feed the ball to Josh Williams on the block. The tactic ignited an 11-2 to run start the half and led to eight Williams points for the quarter.

Quarters
MADISON 14 9 9 14 4 - 54
MacARTHUR 13 8 15 10 8 - 50

MADISON SCORING: Topher Campbell 18, Tyler Wood 13, Jamal Johnson 10, Ron Olmos 4, Emilio Trejo 4, Taylor Vincent 1, Andre Scott, Taylor Henry, Manny Barela, John Davison, Philip Brown

MacARTHUR SCORING: Matt Gramling 18, Jordan Pratt 11, Josh Williams 11, Josh Simmons 7, Victor Dlugosz 2, Chris Parker, Chris Gramling

Lady Brahmas outrace Mavericks

Kindred comes off bench for 12, leading MacArthur to 48-39 victory

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

Nichole Kindred, a starter throughout the season for MacArthur, came off the bench for their game against Madison Wednesday evening at Littleton Gym.

MacArthur coach Jessica Meador may consider doing this again, after Kindred’s points led the Brahmas and helped them to a 48-39 victory.

MacArthur (19-8, 8-4 in 26-5A), which lost to Madison 59-58 in the first round of district, once again came up against a determined Maverick team. Madison took a 32-31 lead early in the fourth on a basket by Casey Wallace, before a 9-0 MacArthur run put the Lady Brahmas ahead to 40-32. Even then, Madison (11-18, 4-9 in 26-5A) battled their way within five with 32.8 seconds left before free throws by Victoria Willems cinched the win. MacArthur made six free throws in the fourth quarter to keep the Lady Mavericks at bay.

The Brahmas outscored Madison 10-9 in each of the first two quarters. Kindred scored four points each in the second, third, and fourth quarters. Charlicia Harper of Madison, who scored 30 points in the first MacArthur-Madison game, led all scorers with 18 points.

The win keeps MacArthur in third place in 26-5A, one game ahead of fourth-place Reagan in the loss column and two games ahead of fifth-place Smithson Valley and Roosevelt in the loss column. In the first round of district play, MacArthur defeated Smithson Valley and lost to Roosevelt.

Quarters
MADISON 9 9 8 13 - 39
MacARTHUR 10 10 11 17 - 48

MADISON SCORING: Charlicia Harper 16, Casey Wallace 11, Briana Jones 3, Monica Perez 3, Crystal Valero 3, Sonja Haga 3, Lauren Tucker, Genevieve Morales, Britanny Vasquez

MacARTHUR SCORING: Nichole Kindred 12, Marquisha Sparks 11, Victoria Willems 7, Alexis Isaac 5, Karisa Cantu 5, Danielle Mitchell 2

Lady Brahmas solidify playoff berth

MacArthur applies smothering defense in 47-25 victory over Johnson

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

As they warmed up for their game against the Johnson Lady Jaguars Wednesday night at Littleton Gym, the MacArthur players each wore pinks T-shirts rather the usual Brahma blue.

The Lady Brahmas were dressed in honor of Johnson head coach Audra Bredemeyer, a recently diagnosed breast cancer patient. The shirts were designed by Churchill coach Stacey Moore, on whose staff Bredemeyer coached before she left Churchill to found the Johnson program.

MacArthur head coach Jessica Meador wore a pink shirt as well. Her assistants Chris George and Jamie Grams each added a breast cancer ribbon to the MacArthur logo on their shirts.

In short, MacArthur did everything they could to show their support for Coach Bredemeyer except let her team win.

MacArthur started the game on a 13-0 run on their way to a 47-25 victory.

MacArthur dominated despite their third leading scorer, Nichole Kindred, being shut out for the game and despite their fifth leading scorer, Karisa Cantu, not playing. Marquisha Sparks led all scorers with ten points, while Alexxis Isaac, Lindsey Peterson, and Victoria Willems each added eight. MacArthur duplicated their 13-0 start with a 13-0 run in the second half.

Johnson (9-18, 2-8) is missing leading scorer Julie Knouse, who is on crutches and unavailable for play for at least two weeks. Shorthanded, the Lady Jags were ill equipped to cope with MacArthur’s quickness. Of Johnson’s first 15 possessions, one ended in an air ball, one ended in a blocked shot, and the other 13, including the first nine, all ended in turnovers. Johnson’s first shot to hit the MacArthur rim took place with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter; Johnson’s first basket by Sabriya Gladstone with 1:08 left in the first.

The Lady Brahmas (18-8, 7-4 in 26-5A) are now tied with Reagan for third place in district, and hold a two-game lead over fifth-place Roosevelt and Smithson Valley.

Quarters
MacARTHUR 13 11 12 11 - 47
JOHNSON 2 8 5 10 - 25

MacARTHUR SCORING: Marquisha Sparks 10, Alexxis Isaac 8, Lindsey Peterson 8, Victoria Willems 8, Danielle Mitchell 5, Noelle Kindred 3, Lauren Williams 3, Ranae Tibbett 2, Nichole Kindred

JOHNSON SCORING: Katelyn Stewart 6, Sabriya Gladstone 5, Taylor Wright 4, Clarisa Scott 3, Rachel Austin 3, Kim Piasecki 2, Lauren Elliott 2, Macy Gutsch, Holly Stadler, Jenny Marcum, Maddy Kammerer

Brahma boys take over third place in 26-5A

Passing game produces 57-35 MacArthur victory over Johnson

by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer

MacArthur’s tallest player is Jordan Pratt, listed at 6’4. Johnson has four players who are taller, two of them starters.

The Brahmas countered Johnson’s height with another display of their nifty passing game, overcoming a slow start to take a 57-35 victory Wednesday night at Littleton Gym.

After a competitive first half, MacArthur (21-6, 6-3 in 26-5A) took control in the third quarter with a 12-0 run. Victor Dlugosz contributed seven points and an assist to the surge, which built a 24-22 Brahma lead up to 36-22. The Brahmas also had a 10-0 run late in the fourth.

Such runs looked unlikely in the early going, as Johnson held MacArthur scoreless with first four and a half minutes of the game. The Jaguars (17-11, 4-5 in 26-5A) could only build up a 5-0 lead during that span.

As it would be later in the game, Dlugosz came off the bench to provide a spark. The Brahmas took the lead with an 8-0 run, including four points from Dlugosz, who scored a game-high 16. Justin Hammonds, who led Johnson with 14 points, tied the game with a three-point play; the score was 8-8 after one. Five second quarter points each from Dlugosz and Josh Williams helped MacArthur lead at the half 20-17.

In the second half, MacArthur took over the halfcourt game and began to run the floor as well. For the game, four different Brahmas had at least two assists: Pratt, Dlugosz, Josh Simmons, and Chris Gramling. The Jaguars had little answer for MacArthur’s transition game in the third quarter, and were outscored 17-7.

With the victory, MacArthur overtakes Lee for third place in 26-5A; the Brahmas trail district leaders Madison (7-2) and Churchill (7-2) by one game. Johnson, which could have forced a three-way tie for third with a victory, fall to fifth place, one game behind Lee.

Quarters
MacARTHUR 8 12 17 20 - 57
JOHNSON 8 9 7 11 - 35

MacARTHUR SCORING: Victor Dlugosz 16, Matt Gramling 14, Jordan Pratt 8, Josh Simmons 8, Josh Williams 7, Chris Parker 2, Chris Gramling 2, Ben Lytle

JOHNSON SCORING: Justin Hammonds 14, Pete Molina 5, Chris Zurcher 3, Lee Rolling 3, Alain Nataki 2, Layton Hammonds 2, Joey Louwagie 2, Daryl Threat 2, Anthony Walker 2, Kazden Baley, Scott Wilson, Brandon Bobjak, Walker Caloe