by LYNDHURST, OH— “100! 100!” Brush Arcs (4-2) head coach, Demarris Winters shouted that from the bench throughout the night Wednesday against the Padua Bruins (4-3). His players, especially Brooklynn Vickers, who led all scorers with 23, gave it 100% on both ends of the floor. Their hard work paid dividends, cruising to a 55-31 victory.
Padua quickly fell behind after the first quarter 16-6 with sound defense from the Arcs. Whether it was bringing pressure with a full court press or using the zone defense with active hands in the passing lanes, Brush got settled quickly.
“They came out and controlled the tempo right off the rip.” Bruins head coach Jake Lantz gave high remarks to what Brush was able to do.
A big reason why the momentum was lopsided is thanks in large part to Vickers’ aggression on defense and offense. She was not shy to shoot, hoisting 21 total shots with a few coming from way beyond the three point line.
Her quickness off the dribble led to 4-6 from the free-throw line. That ability kept Bruin defenders unsure on how to defend her all night.
She had some great help from her teammates too. Rhianna Williams dropped in 11 points with three shots from deep. Keyarra Shields and Amarie Hightower were defensive anchors throughout creating a formidable backcourt.
“Their guards do a nice job,” said Lantz. “They pressured us and got us off our game a little bit. But give Brush all the credit, they do a nice job.”
With a younger team, he mentioned that it’s going to be a journey.
“You just can’t get down. When you face adversity you can do two things, you can either keep working and fight your way through it or you can stop moving and slow down.”
He continued, “We’re young there’s times when someone might come smack us in the mouth and get a little shy instead of turning around and taking it right back at them. That will come with more and more experience.”
The Bruins have a chance to respond Saturday when they face St. Joseph Academy at home. The Arcs will look to build on their three-game win streak against Shaw Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Great job Zachary keep up the good work!!
WOW awesome job Zack..