The B-CC boys basketball team played in the county championship game on Friday, Feb. 23 after winning a four-way coin toss to get the second seed. They took on the top seed, Magruder High School. The game was held at Richard Montgomery High School, a neutral site with lots of room for fans.
The Magruder Colonels jumped out to an early lead, but the Barons kept it close. Some big rebounds and second-chance points by Adam Strong-Jacobson as well as multiple threes from Cam Rothstein-Epp kept the Barons in striking distance for most of the game.
Senior guard Nate Bromberger was fighting both sickness as well as the Colonels, but battled through and played almost the entire game, putting up a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. After getting fouled with a few seconds left, down by two, Bromberger made the most clutch free throws of his career, tying the game and forcing overtime. “I felt the pressure of the game but I knew if I made these free throws, we were going to get the win in overtime,” Bromberger said about his thoughts at the line.
His confidence spread to the rest of the team. In overtime, B-CC jumped out early, scoring quickly and constantly. On the other end of the floor, the officials seemed to call a foul on every offensive possession for Magruder. But in the end, the Barons topped Magruder 75-65 and raised the county championship trophy.
Being crowned county champion was a great feeling for the team, but now they’re shifting their focus to the state playoffs. There was a separate coin toss to decide who got the top seed in the region and, unfortunately, B-CC lost to Whitman, meaning the Barons are the second seed.
B-CC took on Quince Orchard in the regional semifinals Thursday night after getting a first-round bye. After coming out hot, the boys seemed to take their foot off the gas. Their defense was stellar throughout the game, making up for their uncharacteristically weak shooting performance as a team.
In the fourth quarter, BCC slowly watched their lead wither away until the game was within a basket, but in the end, the Barons prevailed, winning 45-43.
They will take on Walt Whitman in the regional final away next Tuesday at 6 pm.
