The Blair High School boys basketball team lost a 62-46 game to the Platteview Trojans on Saturday during the annual Cougar Classic tournament finals.
To reach the championship game at Omaha Gross, though, coach Chris Whitwer's Bears (2-2 overall) came back from 10 points down during the fourth quarter Friday to beat the host team, 74-69.
“We just wanted it more,” BHS freshman guard Brevin Leggott said. “The five that went out onto the court stepped up.”
After trailing 56-46, the Bears first evened the score at 61-all with a 6-0 scoring run from the foul line. Bo Meier — who, alongside teammate Easton Bosanek, returned from injury to make his season debut against the Cougars — made the first free throws before a Hayden Daggett blocked shot on the defensive end led to two more makes by freshman Kalan Steinbeck.
With 4:28 left during the fourth quarter, Meier's third set of fourth-period free throws finally tied the game, but not for long. Back-to-back buckets in the post by the 6-foot-5 junior and teammate Aidan Slominski gave Blair a 66-63 advantage.
The lead didn't last long either, though, as Gross scored four-straight points to regain a one-point advantage. Fortunately for the Bears, Daggett's been practicing his 3-point shot.
“Last week I actually air-balled a 3, so I've been working on it all week,” he said less than 30 minutes after nailing the go-ahead bucket from the left-hand corner. “I knew, once I got that ball, it was going down.”
Ahead 69-67, the Bears' continued success from the foul line held off the Cougars from there. Coach Whitwer's squad was 16-for-20 on freebies during the fourth quarter alone with Meier going 7-for-8 all by himself.
Altogether, BHS' top post player finished with 17 points, while Leggott finished with a game-high 25. The ninth-grader scored 20 during the first three quarters, keeping the Bears within striking distance with six made 3-pointers. He credited his teammates for his success.
“I wouldn't have done it without them,” Leggott said. “They helped me get open shots whenever I needed them. I was feeling it, so they kept finding me.”
Daggett, meanwhile, scored 13 points — including nine of the Bears' 30 in the final period — as Steinbeck added 12. Both Daggett and Leggott, though, didn't hesitate when asked about how important it was to have returning starters like Meier and Bosanek back in the lineup against Gross.
“They're two real key players to our team,” Leggott said. “They really help us a lot.”
“It was crucial to our game,” Daggett added. “Bo and Easton both played a really big role tonight.”
Platteview wins by 16
The Cougar Classic final went to Platteview, which bested Blair by 16 points — 62-46 — Saturday.
After shooting 80 percent from the foul line the night before, the Bears hit 100 percent of their attempts against the Trojans. Coach Whitwer's team, however, was only awarded two across 32 minutes of game time.
The Trojans, meanwhile, made 14 free throws against the Bears. Owen Trofholz was 6-for-8 from the line, finishing with a game-high 15 points.
Leggott, meanwhile, led BHS with 12 points. Bosanek added 10 and Steinbeck had eight points.
Tentatively, the Bears next play Friday during the opening round of the Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament. Game information was unavailable as of press time.
BHS BASKETBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Platteview 62, Blair 46
BHS (2-2) 9 11 16 10 — 46
PHS (4-1) 11 23 10 18 — 62
Scoring: BHS — Brevin Leggott 12, Easton Bosanek 10, Kalan Steinbeck 8, Bo Meier 4, Aidan Slominski 4, Andrew Smutny 4, Cooper Sorensen 2, Hayden Daggett 2.
PHS — Owen Trofholz 15, Elijah Steele 13, Reiman Zebert 12, Jaxon Adams 9, Tarin Riley 9, Levi Ekue 4.
Friday
Blair 74, Omaha Gross 69
BHS (2-1) 11 16 17 30 — 74
OG (0-4) 14 18 20 17 — 69
Scoring: BHS — Leggott 25, Meier 17, Daggett 13, Steinbeck 12, Colin McCabe 3, Sorensen 2, Slominski 2.
OG — Tyson Heilig 16, Deng Keer 14, Colton Sweetmon 10, Elijah Scott 9, Cael Biggs-Berger 9, Rocky Kersey 4, Will Kroll 3, Tyler Waring 2, Jacob Heffelfinger 2.
