Bridgeport - In their first meeting back on December 8th, it every second of all 32 minutes to decide the contest, with Bridgeport winning on a buzzer beating basket by Rahumus Wingard in Frankenmuth.  This time around, there was no Wingard due to injury and it certainly didn't take 32 minutes for this game to be decided.  Behind monster games by Jeremy Sewell, Josh Barnes and Calvin Green, the Bearcats dominated from start to finish, using their height and athleticism to control the game.  On more than one occasion, the Bearcats had 4 and some times even five cracks at the basket during a possession.  Frankenmuth has had to compensate for their lack of height all year and in this Tri-Valley East showdown, it caught up to them. 

The first five minutes of the game were the most competitive portion.  Frankenmuth jumped out in front by scores of 2-0 and 4-2 with Eric Nuechterlein and Travis Gilmour getting buckets.  On the Bearcat side, Jeremy Sewell answered both Muth scores with 4 points of his own.  Sewell had 6 points in the opening quarter.  It was at 4-4 where things got sour for the Eagles.  The Bearcats went on an 11-5 run to close out the first quarter, leading 15-9.   During that stretch, Josh Barnes had 7 points, including a three ball.  The Eagles were down by just six but that is as close as they would come the remainder of the contest.

The beginning of the 2nd quarter is what really set the tone in my mind.  Up already by 6, the Bearcats opened the quarter with a 7-0 run.  The run was capped by a Barnes three point play which was the result of yet another offensive rebound and put back.  Thanks to Brad Redford's free throw shooting in the 2nd, the Eagles were able to keep it within 10 at the break.  Redford did not have a first half field goal but was a perfect 10-10 from the line.  He was the only Eagle to score however.  Redford had fits trying to get shots off and at times threw up whatever he could, resulting in Un-Brad-Like shots, a few air balls as well, something that you won't see a whole lot of in Brad's career. 

Up 29-19 at the break, the game was not out of reach for the Eagles but they would have to play a totally different game in the 2nd half.  They didn't and it actually got worse.  The Bearcats had their best quarter of the game, outscoring the Eagles 25-13, extending their lead to 22 points at the end of the third period.  Redford finally hit one from the field but it took him 2 and a half quarters to get there.  The first and second quarters belonged to Barnes and Sewell but the third was Calvin Green's.  The big man had 10 points in the 3rd.

The fourth quarter was quite honestly the longest quarter I have ever witnessed.  Whistles blanketed the game, it seems every couple of seconds.  Both teams combined for 64 fourth quarter points, many of those coming from the line.  Redford broke through a little bit with 3 baskets from downtown to finish with 22, but it was too little too late.  Barnes had another big quarter in the fourth, with 10 points, 8 coming from the charity stripe.  Not to be outdone, Sewell also poured in 10 points as he became the man to make sure everything was kept under control when the benches came in for clean up time, with the game well out of reach. 

When the final horn sounded, the score read 88-62.  Many games are not telling of the final score, however this one said it all.  Redford wasn't given a chance by the Bearcat defense to do his thing.  Bridgeport did a wonderful job of executing traps, which led to bad shots and turnovers.  The Bearcats would allow a pass, so that when he receiver caught the ball he couldn't go anywhere because he was immediately surrounded by two or three defenders.  The Eagles tried to step up the pressure on defense as well but were unable to match the slashing bearcats as they used their height to navigate through traffic.  It's no secret that the Eagles have a size disparity but they have learned to compensate for it.  They just didn't have the answer tonight.

With the win, the Bearcats move 2 in front of Frankenmuth and Birch Run who had a big win over North Branch to stay within the 2 games.  The showdown between those two takes place in  Birch Run next Friday, the 9th.  It is now unlikely that any team will be able to catch the Bearcats because of how well they are playing but there is still a lot of basketball to be played.  Both teams travel this Friday to TV-Central teams in crossover action. 

The undefeated Bearcats impressed me yet again tonight, showing me they have what it takes to be successful in March.  Their strategy of keeping their foot on the gas, even when up by 20+ points paid off tonight but it may backfire against a team that gets hot and has several shooters.  When up by a big margin many teams slow it down and shorten the game to eliminate the chance of a comeback.  However, when you change your game, that can also be a mistake, you have to go with what you are good at and clearly the Bearcats are a team that excels on the run and in transition.