It's Just the Beginning - By Junior Kenfua

    Richland Bombers versus the Pasco Bulldogs. This matchup was the only thing on the minds of the players for the past weeks. This was the first game of the season for Richland, which would determine the pathway for the Bombers.  It was clear who was the favorite to win, but a good performance would mean the Bulldogs have a chance to have a better season than last year with only one win for the whole season. A bomber dominance would only mean they are picking up from where they left off last year. As seen on Tuesday the 5th of December, at 7:30pm, the result was quite expected. It was a dominant win for the Bombers in an 89-35 blowout win. The bombers were indeed picking up from where they left off last year, even though they lost 2 of their best players, Jase and Jordan, who graduated last year as seniors. It's an unfortunate start to the season for the Pasco Bulldogs, who look like they might be in for another long season.

Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_)

    The game started slow for the Bulldogs as they couldn’t stop Richland's 14-0 run. Richland came out scorching hot, and they brought the energy, and as the game went by, they sucked up all the energy from Pasco. The deadlock was broken by Max Valencia, who scored a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs on the board. They started putting up some points but nothing compared to the Bombers, who shot a whopping 64.9% from the field and 50% from 3 in the first half. The Bulldogs only took 29 shots on a 31% field goal percentage and only made 4 of their 15 3-point attempts. Richland’s perimeter defense was terrific. They close out on shooters and just have an all-around lockdown defense. Luke Westerfield recorded 2 blocked shots and 4 as a team. These rejections in the paint caused Pasco to only have 16 points in the paint. This forced them to shoot more, leading to bad shot selections. The defensive presence was only the sub-problem to the bigger issue of the Pasco Bulldogs, which was the crystal clear difference in size. One could say it wasn’t a fair matchup. Pasco is very undersized, with only one player over 6 feet, Cooper Cazier, who is 6 foot 7. Josh Woodard, the bomber's star point guard, is taller than the rest of the Bulldog's starting line-up, standing at 6 feet tall. The difference in size could also be seen in the rebounding numbers and second-chance points. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 49-21 with 18 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points. Pasco only had 2 offensive rebounds and 2 second-chance points, so they couldn’t capitalize on their misses. 

Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_)

    The second half wasn’t any different, even as the Bombers’ starters took the bench. Richland scored 12 points off the bench, which could be the only stat Pasco surpassed the bombers with 15 points off the bench. With the win already in their grasp, the Bombers just went out there to have fun. They were throwing alley-oops off the glass, dunking, and just really doing whatever they wanted on the court. This can be seen in their field goal percentage; it dropped to 50%, and they only made one of 8 3-point attempts as they took many ill-advised shots caused by the lead being insurmountable. This was a time for the coaches to test new strategies and plays, and some players were playing hard to earn more minutes and a possible starting spot. Having played only 20 minutes, Richland's starters still put up some points, with four of them putting up double-digit points, and the scoring leader, the star point guard Josh Woodard, put up 22 points on 52.6% shooting, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. When asked about the game, this is what he had to say: “ I feel like we played well today, and my teammates came out of the gates strong, and we just fed off that energy to get the win today, but we still have a long season ahead of us.”  A  true leader, his teammates call him. The game came to an end, which was a relief to Pasco, and they look forward to their next game. Meanwhile, the victorious Richland Bombers look forward to playing Meridian this Saturday, the 9th, at home.