Both Buchholz and P.K. Yonge came into the game Tuesday on a 1-game winning streak, but only the Bobcats left with their winning streak intact. The Bobcats moved to 2-0 on the season after the victory, while the Blue Wave have now fallen to 1-2, their other loss came to Buchholz’s arch rivals, the Gainesville Hurricanes. Buchholz and P.K. were very familiar with each other coming into the game, last season the Bobcats swept the season series 3-0, with a neutral site win, 56-25, a home win, 52-48, and a win on the road, 75-64. With their 56-45 victory yesterday the Cats now have an impressive 4-game winning streak over P.K., and they don’t plan on stopping at 4, as they will meet the Blue Wave at least one more time this season, January 7th @ P.K. Yonge.
The Bobcats victory was a relatively worry-free one, they trailed at the end of the 1st quarter, 7 to 6, but quickly took the lead in the 2nd quarter and didn’t trail for the rest of the game. The 2nd and 3rd quarters of the game were truly where Buchholz won the game, in the 2nd quarter, they held P.K. scoreless for almost 6 of the 8 minutes and only ended up allowing 5 points in total for the entire quarter. This compared to their 14 points gave them a nice 8 point lead going into the half, an 8 point lead they expanded all the way out to a 16 point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. Buchholz’s dominance on the boards was another huge reason they came away on top, the Bobcats pulled in 35 boards, 28 defensive and 7 offensive, almost double that of P.K. who only had 18, 11 defensive and 7 offensive. Control the backboard and you control the game, and the Bobcats controlled both.
Standout Performances
2 Bobcats reached double-figures in scoring against the Blue Wave, Sophomore Forward Jacob Bromirski and Junior Guard Lucas Bhatia each had 11 points. Bromirski shot 4-7 from the field, all 2-pointers, and went 3 for 4 from the free throw line to score his 11. Bhatia shot 4-7 from the field as well, but went 1-3 from the 3-point line, and went 2 for 2 at the free throw line. It wasn’t just scoring where Bromirski and Bhatia contributed though, Bromirski hauled in 10 rebounds, giving him his first double-double of his Varsity career and chipped in 4 assists. Bhatia, the only starter who returned from last year’s team, still serves as the team’s Point Guard and he excelled as a playmaker vs the Blue Wave, dishing out 7 assists, producing half of the team’s total assist numbers, 14.
Senior Guard Peyton Warring led the team in 3-pointers made, splashing in 2 in 5 attempts, he finished the game with 8 points, but also contributed on the glass with 5 rebounds. Sophomore Forward Collin Reynolds left a mark on the game despite limited minutes. Within seconds of entering the game, Reynolds hauled in an offensive rebound and scored on an and-1 putback layup. Reynolds finished the night with 4 points, 2 for 2 shooting, and patrolled the paint with a team high 2 blocks. Junior Forward Jamison McTureous had himself a solid night, 8 points on 8 shots with 6 boards and 2 blocks. Late in the 4th quarter he attempted one of the ballsiest dunks I’ve witnessed, and if he had made it, it would’ve been a SportsCenter Top 10 worthy play, The P.K. player was called for a foul on the attempt, a much better outcome for him than being put on a poster by Jamo. Junior Guard Ezra Olmedo provided scoring off the bench with 8 points, 3 of them coming off a 3-pointer. Junior Guard Davarian “Hitman” Howard made the start as the 3 guard for the Cats and he made a huge contribution in all aspects of the game. 4 points, 3 coming from a trey ball, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while being the only starter to not record a turnover in the game. Hit is gonna be a huge factor for this Buchholz team this year. In the final minute of the game Coach Harris made a move to bring in some size off the bench, Junior Forward Jacob Rosenberg and Sophomore Center Charles Klodell came in to close the game out and provide some help on the boards and additional interior defense. Rosenberg in the final seconds grabbed a game-ending rebound and was fouled by the Blue Wave which sent him to the free throw line where he went 2 for 2, scoring his first career Varsity points.
The Bobcats will be back in action Thursday Night when Coach Harris’s former team and alma mater, the Santa Fe Raiders, come to the Bud for a battle of undefeated. Buchholz went 2-0 last year vs the Raiders, but some familiar faces will be across the sideline lacing up for the red and black, as multiple former Bobcats transferred to Santa Fe this past offseason. P.K. Yonge will play the Eastside Rams Friday in an away game where they’ll look to bounce back from this loss.
Bobcat Stat Leaders
***THE STATS I AM PRESENTING ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY CORRECT***
Points – Jacob Bromirski(11), Lucas Bhatia(11), Peyton Warring(8), Jamison McTureous(8), Ezra Olmedo(8)
Rebounds – Jacob Bromirski(10), Jamison McTureous(6), Lucas Bhatia(6)
Offensive Rebounds – Jacob Bromirski(3), Peyton Warring(2), Jamison McTureous(1)
Assists – Lucas Bhatia(7), Jacob Bromirski(4), Davarian “Hitman” Howard(2)
Steals – Lucas Bhatia(2), Davarian “Hitman” Howard(2), Peyton Warring(1), Jacob Bromirski(1)
Blocks – Jamison McTureous(2), Collin Reynolds(2), Lucas Bhatia(1), Davarian “Hitman” Howard(1)
3 Pointers Made – Peyton Warring(2), Lucas Bhatia(1), Ezra Olmedo(1), Davarian “Hitman” Howard(1)
Team Stats
FG% – Buchholz(52%), P.K.(34%)
3P% – Buchholz(42%), P.K.(30%)
FT% – Buchholz(53%), P.K.(57%)
Rebounds – Buchholz(35), P.K.(18)
Offensive Rebounds – Buchholz(7), P.K.(7)
Assists – Buchholz(14), P.K.(5)
Fouls – Buchholz(10), P.K.(16)
Steals – Buchholz(6), P.K.(3)
Blocks – Buchholz(6), P.K.(4)
Turnovers- Buchholz(16), P.K.(10)
