Maybe now folks will quit talking about Bishop Brossart’s 3-26 record last season.
The Mustangs silenced any doubters in Thursday’s 10th Region All “A” final – they knocked off Paris, 77-63, at Robertson County and earned a trip to the state small-school tournament beginning Jan. 23 in Owensboro.
Brossart claimed its second All “A” region title in three years. To senior Dom Hadden, the newest title was nicer.
“We came from a 3-26 record, people were doubting us,” Hadden said. “We come in and win this, it’s a lot better.”
The regional small-school tournament came at a good time for Brossart. The Mustangs’ wins over Robertson County, Augusta and Paris stopped a 1-3 stretch in losses to Campbell County, New Richmond and Highlands and a win over Louisville Southern.
Brossart (9-5) unleashed a trio of double-figure scorers Thursday: Parker Mulberry led everyone with 23 points, Alex Combs had 18, and Ben Doyle added 15.
While Brossart’s 38 first-half points wasn’t the most the Mustangs amassed this season, they were maybe one of the more impressive efforts because of the defense.
A little more than two minutes into the first quarter was a good example. Brossart’s Beckett Kuntz stole a pass near mid-court and converted it into a 10-foot jumper.
Brossart’s task: contain Carter Cobb, who averaged 18.3 points a game and scored 26 in Monday’s 70-53 semifinal win over Bracken County. It was a defense by committee that held Cobb to two points at halftime – Mulberry, Doyle and Hadden on the perimeter and Combs in the low block.
“We just want to be aggressive,” Brossart coach Ben Franzen said. “We try to be aggressive game in and game out regardless of who our opponent is.”
Paris didn’t score until Rice’s bucket a little more than four minutes into the game.
“I think we came out a little flat,” Greyhounds coach Shawn Ransom said. “(Brossart) got up on a run on us; they had the momentum early.”
The rest of the quarter, Mulberry and Combs were all Brossart needed – Mulberry’s seven points and Combs’ five staked the Mustangs to a 19-8 lead. Ransom didn’t think his team panicked.
“I think we were a little bit more in shock,” Ransom said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that don’t have a lot of experience, so they didn’t know how to react. But I love my guys; we fought hard.”
Loose balls even benefited Brossart. When Cobb deflected a pass late in the second quarter, Combs converted it into an and-1 – and a 34-16 lead.
“Honestly, it wasn’t nothing (Brossart) did, it was us,” Ransom said. “We beat ourselves early.”
The Greyhounds came no closer than 63-54 midway through the fourth quarter. Elijah Webb led Paris with 15 points, and Cobb added 14.
Brossart meets 13th Region winner Pineville at 10 a.m. next Thursday. To Hadden, Thursday was as big a deal as winning the 37th District title next month.
“This is just more important to our school,” Hadden said. “We’re supposed to win it, and us winning it now, it’s just a bigger deal, especially to us personally.”
MUSTANGS 77, GREYHOUNDS 63
BISHOP BROSSART — 19-19-19-20 – 77
PARIS — 8-10-24-21 – 63
Bishop Brossart (77) — Kuntz 8, Doyle 15, Mulberry 23, Boruske 4, D. Haddon 5, Hesse 4, Combs 18. 3-Pt. FG: 7 (Doyle 3, Mulberry 3, Kuntz). FT: 14-25 Fouls: 18. Fouled out: None.
Paris (63) — Murrell 10, Cobb 14, Johnson-Miles 3, Rice 5, Webb 15, Snowden 7, Carson 5, Frederick 2, Heilig 2. 3-Pt. FG: 6 (Murrell 2, Cobb, Johnson-Miles, Rice, Carson). FT: 11-19. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: Carson. Records: Bishop Brossart 9-5, Paris 8-9.
All-tournament team
Bishop Brossart: Alex Combs, Dom Hadden and Beckett Kuntz
Paris: Carter Cobb and Elijah Webb.
Academic team: Parker Mulberry (Bishop Brossart), and Kaden Fredrick (Paris).