Two undefeated teams entered Bud Seymour Gymnasium Thursday Night, the 4-0 Santa Fe Raiders and the 2-0 Buchholz Bobcats, with the Bobcats holding onto their undefeated status with a gritty 47-41 win. And when I say gritty, I mean gritty, the teams combined for 37 total fouls committed, 21 total turnovers, and only 4 made 3-point baskets, 3 from BHS and only 1 from SHFS. It was expected that tempers would flare coming into the game, 4 former Bobcats are now on the Raiders and Coach Elliot Harris, one of the greatest basketball coaches in Santa Fe history, was on the sideline coaching against his former team and alma mater. But Coach Harris made sure to tell his boys to keep their calm and “just play basketball.” A mindset his team took and followed throughout the game as they didn’t let their emotions take over in the heated rivalry game. This win for Buchholz makes it 3 straight over the Raiders, after sweeping the season series 2-0 last season. This win also marks the best start to a season for Buchholz in over a decade, the exact year I cannot confirm as MaxPreps is missing scores.
The game was close for all 32 minutes, but the final moments of the game ultimately decided the winner. As the clock ticked down, under a minute was left remaining and the Raiders were down 44-41, a one possession game. The Bobcats had the ball on a sideline out of bounds on the Raiders side of the court, but a beautiful play design opened up Jacob Bromirski, on a deep fade route right to the basket. With an excellently placed pass from Peyton Warring which put it in his hands, Bromirski went up with the ball for a game clinching layup, but he was blocked from behind by a Raider who had seemingly saved the game for Santa Fe. The Raiders had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but after a deflection that caused the ball to go back past halfcourt, the Raiders attempted a dangerous pass which Lucas Bhatia, resembling a free safety, picked off, got fouled, and went 2 for 2 at the free throw line to ice it.
The Bobcats will travel to Flagler County Friday night to play the 5-0 Tocoi Creek Toros, who are ranked 13th in the state of Florida. The Raiders will be back in action Saturday afternoon when they play the 1-2 P.K. Yonge Blue Wave.
Standout Performances
The Point Guard Duo of Lucas Bhatia and Peyton Warring led the way for Buchholz in terms of scoring, scoring 15 and 12 respectively, accounting for 57% of the Bobcats’ total scoring. Bhatia and Warring were also the only Bobcats to make a 3-pointer, Bhatia going 2-4 from long range and Warring going 1-5. The PGs also contributed assist wise, as one would expect, with Warring dishing out 3 and Bhatia dishing out 2.
Junior Guard Ezra Olmedo was a key player for the Bobcats in the second half, where they outscored the Raiders 28-14. His impact was seen instantly as he took the first shot of half, a mid-range fadeaway jumper that was straight nylon. In fact, Olmedo was so impactful in the second half, these were his stats from just those 2 quarters, 6 points on 4 shots, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. Olmedo was also the only Bobcat starter to not record a turnover in the game.
Forward Jamison McTureous was all over the court in the win, he scored 6 points, grabbed 3 boards, and assisted on 2 baskets while playing critical defense on the other side of the court. One of his biggest moments of the night was drawing an offensive foul on a made Raider shot in crunch time, a foul call that really irked the visiting fans from Santa Fe.
Forwards Jacob Bromirski and Collin Reynolds got into foul trouble early in the 3rd quarter and each had to spend numerous minutes on the court while at risk of fouling out. Bromirski hauled in 4 rebounds, tied for the team high, and scored 4 points on 3 shots from the field. Reynolds was a force inside blocking 2 Raider shots and gathering 3 rebounds while scoring 2 points on 2 shots.
Bobcat Stat Leaders
***THE STATS I AM PRESENTING ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY CORRECT***
Points – Lucas Bhatia(15), Peyton Warring(12), Jamison McTureous(6), Ezra Olmedo(6)
Rebounds – Jacob Bromirski(4), Lucas Bhatia(4), Collin Reynolds(3), Peyton Warring(3), Jamison McTureous(3)
Offensive Rebounds – Jacob Bromirski(2), Collin Reynolds(1)
Assists – Ezra Olmedo(4), Peyton Warring(3), Jamison McTureous(2), Lucas Bhatia(2)
Steals – Ezra Olmedo(3), Lucas Bhatia(2), Peyton Warring(1), Jamison McTureous(1)
Blocks – Collin Reynolds(2), Lucas Bhatia(1)
3-Pointers Made – Lucas Bhatia(2), Peyton Warring(1)
