Bombers Top Lobos, 100-54 - by Bryson Peters

The Richland Bombers come off a blowout win against Southridge High School with a score of 109 to 53. The Bombers have been doing this all year so far, with 8 out of their 16 wins ending with 100 or more points. The Bombers played SageView High School, which is a much newer school in the Tri-Cities that is still looking for its spark. Now I wouldn't say the Lobos are doing badly for their first basketball season, which they are currently 8-7, but after last night's loss, their record is 8-8. Going up against a powerhouse team like the Bombers, who have been a very successful team in the last decade and more, is often really hard for teams, especially when you have to go against a team whose starting average is 6'5. 

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff

I was able to find a great seat up top for last night's game, and the atmosphere was actually really great for a Saturday night game. The student section did show up, and there were roughly 800 people in attendance to watch the game. I was able to speak to Richland Bombers Head Coach Earl Streufert, who has been, if not the best, coach at Richland High. I was able to ask him what his overall perspective on this season has been for him and the team and he stated, " They're getting a lot better in a league that isn't very good." He also stated," But I like how the guys approach every game the same way, no matter what and who we're playing." To be fair, this year a lot of teams in the district have not been very good as you can see by how much the Bombers have been blowing teams out by. After I was able to get a little interview with Straufert, the Bombers and Lobos were warming up and getting ready for the game.

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff

Before the game started, the Seniors for the Bombers Dance Team got congratulated for senior night. They were congratulated for everything they've done for the Dance team and their overall effort they put into the team. After that, the Lobos players were getting introduced for the game. I was able to see that the height difference was very significant between the Bombers and Lobos, as the tallest player on the Lobos was 6 '5 which is still really tall considering they have 4 other players 6'3 and over. For the Bombers, though, they have a 6'8 giant, Lance Horntvedt, who has been incredible all year. Lance has been the standout player for the Bombers so far this year, but you also have other players like Landen Northrop and Jackson Woodard who could easily score 30 points in any game.

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff

The first quarter of the game started off hot for the Bombers as Jackson Woodard  got an assist from Landen Northrop to put them up on the board first. The Bombers have been a very fast team since the start of the year, racking up a ton of points in the first half and putting a ton of pressure on opposing teams. Lance Horntvedt has also been a problem in the paint, obtaining a ton of fouls because teams seem to not be able to stop him when he's down there. The Lobos scored their first points with 5:25 left in the 1st quarter by Jakarri Ellis, who scored with a layup. Following that, though, Jackson Woodard drilled two back-to-back three-pointers from the corner. He's been on fire recently and nobody seems to be able to cover him. With the 1st quarter winding down, both teams had a lot of opportunities to score but seemed to not be able to. With 10 seconds remaining, Braylon Edwards had an amazing block on Rashaad Kinsey. The Lobos are looking to score before the quarter ends. Caden Schulz steals the ball from Jakarri Ellis and then passes it to Landon, who swishes it in for three on the buzzer. That ends the First with the Lobos trailing the Bombers 11 to 30. I was able to talk to a student from Richland High and I asked him how he feels the team has performed this year so far. He said, "The boys have done the best since I've been in high school, it's just unfair." - Sam Amiya 

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff

The Lobos get the ball to start the second quarter. Nano Contreras tries to get a lay-up but misses as Lance is able to get the ball down the court and pass to Josiah Scacco, who gets fouled. Josiah has been amazing this year, especially in tallying steals for the team and being able to cover opponents perfectly. With 4 minutes left in the quarter, Lance Horntvedt gets two back-to-back dunks to put the Bombers up 29 points over the Lobos. There was a lot of scoring for the Bombers in the 2nd quarter as the score is now 60 to 28. The Bombers were able to rack in a lot of threes and layups this quarter. During halftime, The Cheer team honored their seniors for Senior Night. Then the Bombers Dance team put on a great performance and had the crowd loving it. 

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff

With the 3rd quarter starting, the Bombers were still on fire from the first half, putting up 28 points in the 3rd quarter and only allowing the Lobos to score 11. With such a significant lead, Coach Streufert decides to pull his starters and let the JV/Backups play. The Bombers, who were looking to keep their streak of scoring 100+ points a game, achieved it when Caden Schulz got a steal and lay to put the Bombers up 100 to 54. That concludes the Game as the Richland Bombers now move up to 17-0 on the season and will be looking forward to keeping that streak alive.

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook Staff