Staff writer
A first round substate loss ended the Peabody-Burns High School Warrior season March 2 at home. The team lost to Goessel, 67-62. The Warriors ended the season with 16 wins overall and five losses.
Brian O’Neal opened the game with a basket. Goessel responded with 2 points. Sean Jones made 1-of-2 from the line and the Warriors were up by 1. Goessel added two baskets, but Topham came back to cut the Bluebird lead to 2, 7-5, with 4 minutes, 12 seconds on the clock.
Another Goessel basket put the gap at 4 but two baskets by Jacob Simmonds made the contest even at 9-9 with 3:17 on the clock. Martin Hofkamp gave the Warriors a 2-point lead with a basket, but Goessel cut the lead to one with a free throw. A Bluebird basket gave the Goessel team the lead but Isaac Burnett made 2 points from the line and PBHS led, 13-12. Goessel made a 2-point basket with just seconds left in the quarter and the lead shifted again to the Bluebirds, 14-13.
Jones opened with a basket in the second. O’Neal followed with a trey and PBHS led, 18-14, with 5:50 left in the half. Goessel added 2 but Simmonds answered with a basket. The Bluebirds scored one from the line but Burnett came up with basket for PBHS. Goessel scored twice from the line but Jones added 2 more to the Warrior total. PBHS led, 24-19, with 3 minutes left in the quarter. Goessel got on the board with a 2-pointer but Simmonds and Jones combined for 4 points and the Warriors led, 28-21.
Goessel scored a basket but Simmonds again came up with 2. With 1:14 left in the half, Goessel cut the PBHS lead to 4 with a trey. Burnett added one from the line but Goessel cut the lead to 3 points with a basket. Simmonds shot another basket and added a free throw. Goessel added another free throw but PBHS had the advantage, 34-29, at the half.
Simmonds opened the third quarter with a basket. The Bluebirds then added 5 unanswered points to cut the lead to 2, 36-34. A PBHS 8-point run that included a basket by Brody Kyle, a trey and a 2 from O’Neal, and a free throw from Simmonds gave the Warriors the largest lead in the contest, 44-34. Goessel scored 2 with 4 minutes left on the clock but Kyle came back with a basket for PBHS. The Bluebirds added 2 points from the line but Topham added 2. The Bluebirds again cut the lead to 8 points with a basket, but Burnett put the margin at 10 with two free throws. Goessel scored a basket late in the third, but PBHS had the lead, 50-42, at the end of the quarter.
Goessel scored the first 2 points in the fourth quarter. Hofkamp added a PBHS basket, but Goessel came back with a trey. Hofkamp added 2 points and O’Neal put in two free throws. PBHS led, 56-47, with 5:22 left in the contest.
The Bluebirds made a basket and Jones put in one for the Warriors. A Bluebird trey cut the Warrior lead to 5 but Simmonds added two free throws and the gap was 7 points with 4 minutes left in the fourth. Goessel added 2 points and the Warrior edge was cut to 5 points, 59-54. A Bluebird trey made it a 2-point game with 3 minutes left on the clock. Jones made two Warrior free throws but Goessel responded with another a 2-point basket.
With 1:18 left in the game, Goessel hit a trey to take the lead, 62-61. With 46 seconds on the clock, Simmonds hit one from the line and the contest was tied, 62-62. Goessel came up with a basket and a free throw and led, 65-62, with 18 seconds left in the game. PBHS had two failed 3-point attempts to tie the game. A PBHS foul sent Goessel to the line with three seconds left in the game. The Bluebirds defeated the Warriors, 67-62.
Simmonds led the offense with 19 points, O’Neal had 12, Jones 10, Burnett 7, Hofkamp 6, and Kyle and Topham had 4 each.