Southridge's Shot at Redemption, Bombers Score 109 - By Ayden Orosco
Tonight, the 15-0 Richland Bombers are heading up to the 6-7 Southridge Suns for a regular-season bomber basketball game. The Bombers, being led by head coach Earl Strefuert, and the unstoppable duo of Lance Horntevedt and Landon Northrop, will battle the Southridge Suns, led by head coach DJ Traver and lead scorer Jose Tijerina. The last time the Bombers met the Suns, the game ended in a decisive 91-44 win for the Bombers.
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
The Suns have a shot to redeem themselves tonight after their past meeting with Richland, which was virtually over at halftime with the score being 55-24. The Bombers are hoping for a routine win to advance their record to 16-0 and retain their number 1 ranking inside Washington State, while the Sun's are itching for a chance to prove they have what it takes and break their 3-game losing streak to advance their record to 7-7. There's a lot of talk around the game tonight some students are saying tonight could be a routine win for the Bombers, while others are saying tonight could be a blowout, a fellow Richland teacher, Mr. Gutierrez, said this about the matter " tonight the Bombers have two options, they can either play their starters and advance to an early lead to allow their bench players to get playing time, or they can keep their starters in and force them to play when they are tired to get them ready for state"
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
Leading up to the game, the atmosphere in the building is phenomenal. Coming off a Richland Varsity girls win, the student section and the crowd are fired up to see the boys Varsity game, and the Southridge Suns are even more psyched to get a shot at redemption. Although Richland is a favorite to win the game, you can never count Southridge out. When asked what he thought about the upcoming match, Bombers Assistant Vice Principal Mr. Davis said, "Let's take care of business and let's get out of here."
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
The Bombers start the game, setting the pace with a quick 2 points after the toss. Shortly after, the Bombers came to a 5-point lead, right after Josiah Scacco slammed the ball in the hoop for a crowd-erupting dunk, with the score being 8-3 Bombers. Advancing their lead early, Josiah Scacco threw a mid-air pass behind his back to Landon Northrop for a wide-open Dunk. At the same time, Southridge almost immediately responded with a layup, making the score 12-5. Closing out the first quarter, the Bombers are up to a 12-point lead with the score being 25-13. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Southridge starts with the ball and, on that possession, shoots a quick 3, but misses. The Bombers come out strong with their swift offense, scoring multiple baskets and breaking away from the Suns, leading 35-15. Throughout the first half, the Bombers have played with a lightning-fast offense and a strong defense, resulting in a leading score of 58-29 at halftime.
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
Starting the 2nd half, the Bombers have possession of the ball and immediately score a short-range 3. The Suns eventually respond with a 3-pointer of their own following a foul. Despite the enormous lead, the Bombers have not taken their foot off the gas, drawing the score to 96-47 Bombers. Coming into the 4th and final quarter of the game, the Bombers look strong, starting the quarter off with a nice layup. After a series of shots, the Bombers have a comfortable lead with the score being 102-52, Bombers. Closing out the game, the Bombers ran out the clock and came away with a spirit-deflating win, finishing a game that was already decided at halftime with the final score 109-53 in Richland's favor.
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
Following the game, we caught up with head coach Earl Streufert and senior Josiah Scacco. When asked about his thoughts going into the match, Streufert said, "You look at these games kind of like rehearsals." When asked the same question, Scacco responded, "We just play as hard as we can and just get the win." Scacco was then asked about his thoughts coming into halftime, to which he replied, "I did have a lot of fouls and was just thinking about not getting a foul and getting back into the game and coming away with a win." Struefort was also asked the same question, to which he replied, "For us, halftime is an opportunity to clean up." All in all, the Richland Bombers came away with a dominating win over the Southridge Suns, advancing their overall record to 16-0 and sending the Suns further into a losing record of 6-8.
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| Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook |
