The Bombers made the trip to East Central on Friday night.
A rematch for these two teams from earlier in the season, when Braham won. This time around East Central was hoping home court could play in their favor.
It didn't take long at all before the Eagles not only scored but took over the 1st half. With 9 minutes left in the half East Central was up 17-3 and even though the defense was the talk early on, the offense certainly had its way. For Braham it was no doubt one of those off nights, playmakers couldn't get a shot to fall, and no matter how good the defense was aligned they just couldn't make a stop. The Eagles piled up some fouls in the 1st half but all in all the only thing that mattered was the scoreboard. At the half EC was up 44-14.
For Braham a comeback seemed nearly impossible, not because they aren't talented to pull one off, but the way the Eagles were playing so well and complimentary on both sides of the ball. At the beginning of the 2nd half, both teams lit up the scoreboard. The Eagles started where they left off but Braham seemed to shake off some of the rust from the 1st half, where there didn't score a single bucket. The points came from the free throw line or from 3. The Bombers showed a ton of resiliency in the 2nd half but just couldn't stop the potent EC offense. The Eagles kept Braham from cutting their deficit to under 25 points and were only minutes away from a win. A couple of late buckets by both teams would only change the final score where the Eagles came out on top 81-46.
East Central will be able to hold their spot in the section over Braham with this win and should help them be in line to try and have the #1 seed in the playoffs. The win also sets them up for the chance at a Great River Conference championship against Mora in their final game of the regular season.
For Braham although the loss certainly stings, they were also not at full strength. But the heart they showed even being down as much as they were both player wise and on the scoreboard, is something they need to rely on. They'll get back to healthy and be just fine, but the next test isn't easy. They'll travel to Swanville on Tuesday night for another section matchup, but after a loss like this they have enough motivation to go on an exciting run.
Scoring
Braham:
Tyler Ecklund 23
Soren Lilly 20
Tanner Doble 3
East Central:
Xavior LeTexier 22
Ben Carlin 14
Cameron Oetterer and Ramsey Keranen 9
Thomas Kam 7
Reace Youngberg 6
Bayden Olson and Levi Kosbab 5
Gradyn Swenson 2
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