By Alissa Chapman

The Willow Bears played in the 65th annual Blue and Gold Tournament at Missouri State University in Springfield during the Christmas break. There were 32 teams, divided into two divisions, competing for the championship trophy. The Bears were seeded fourth in their division, going up against schools much larger. With the odds against them, the Bears earned a third place trophy and proved that they should not be overlooked.

Congratulations, Bears!

In the first round, the Bears faced the Skyline Tigers December 27, 2010. Willow dominated the game with a 20 point lead after three quarters over Skyline. The Bears ended the game 64-54, pushing their record to 7-1.

Individual Scoring: Clint Harper 17, Tyler Fredrick 11, Allen Brasier 8, Jon Martin 8, Zach Cunningham 6, Blayne Collins 6, Jared Hummel  4, Cole Johnson 3, Taylor James 1.

In the second round, December 28, Willow took on the Lebanon Yellow Jackets. Allen Braiser dominated the first quarter with 10 points to help the Bears to a 7 point lead. “We shot the ball better than we did the first round. Allen hit some huge shots early to get us started,” said Coach Mike Mallow.

During the entire game, the Bears led the score, but Lebanon wasn’t too far behind. With 4 minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, Lebanon was only down by 4 points. Keeping their composure, the Bears ended the game 58-49. By winning their first two games, the Bears were guaranteed two more games in the tournament regardless of if they won or lost. It was the first time in three years the Bears advanced to the third round.

Individual scoring: Braiser 16, Harper 12, Hummel 10, James 9, Collins 6, Fredrick 3, and Johnson 2.

On December 29, the Bears played the top seeded Nixa Eagles in the third round. Unfortunately, the Eagles controlled the game from start to finish. Nixa defeated the Bears 70-40, yet the Bears still advanced to compete for the third place trophy.

Individual scoring: Harper 16, James 9, Hummel 6, Fredrick 5, Brasier 4.

For the third place game, the Bears battled against the Rogersville Wildcats on December 31 at the JQH Arena. Due to improper warm-up procedures, the game began with a technical foul against the Wildcats. Willow was awarded two free throws and had the next possession. Though Willow had the advantage, the Wildcats fought back and ended the first quarter with the lead. The Bears answered back, scoring 25 points in the second quarter and ending the first half 37-35.

Rogersville changed their defense to an aggressive man-to-man defense, forcing the Bears to adjust and change their game plan. The Wildcats ended the third quarter 48-42, their favor. Willow wasn’t going to let down just yet. Taylor James hit a clutch three-pointer with under 30 seconds left.  Allen Brasier came up with a rebound to keep the Bears in control. Brasier then made one free throw to keep the Bears up by three. The Wildcats fired up two threes, but both shots fell short.

The Bears captured another victory with a final score of 59-56, bringing home the 3rd place trophy. Coach Mallow commented: “I was really proud of our guys. They had a great week. It was great the way they rebounded after the Nixa game. We are off to a great start, but there is a lot of ball yet to be played.” Taylor James scored 28 points, his season’s highest, and was named into the third team All-Blue and Gold Tournament team.

Individual scoring: James 28, Brasier 11, Hummel 7, Harper 6, Collins 3, Johnson 2, Cunningham 2.

Willow ended the tournament with a solid record of 9-2.

Total Individual Tournament scoring:  Harper 51, James 47, Braiser 39, Hummel 27, Fredrick 19, Collins 15, Cunningham 8, Martin 8.