When the half-court offense slowed, the Blair boys basketball team sped up Friday's 53-33 win against Plattsmouth with defense.
“I think we had to,” senior Greyson Kay said. “First off, we came out too slow, so we had to put the pressure on them in some way.”
Crayton Macholan and he led the assault, pressuring the Devils' guards and causing turnovers. The Bears (2-2 overall) flustered them in Kay's opinion.
“We were all over the top,” he said.
Coach Chris Whitwer's team led just 21-16 at halftime, but created some distance on the scoreboard with a 14-10 third period.
From there, though, BHS tore away from their visitors from the Trailblazer Conference. Steals led to buckets from Macholan, Bo Meier and Kay as the Bears pushed their advantage from 41-27 to 49-28 with just 2:23 left.
Overall, Whitwer's 6-foot-5 freshman — Meier — led all scorers with 19 points. He finished three and-1 baskets with foul shot makes during the 20-point win.
“He's the easiest to pass it to,” Kay said, complimenting the ninth-grader. “He's always there, hands ready.”
The senior believes Meier will play a key role as the young BHS season rolls on.
“He's going to be huge for us this year,” the guard said. “Great player, especially as a freshman. Poised like that? He's special.”
Macholan added 10 points for the Bears, while Kay had 12, too.
Gage Olsen led Plattsmouth with 14 points in defeat. The Devils fell to 0-3 with the loss.
Bears lose in Iowa
Twenty-four hours after the home win, BHS lost Saturday on the road at Harlan (Iowa). The Cyclones picked up the victory, 52-43.
Easton Bosanek and Kay scored 12 points apiece to lead the Bears. Bosanek made four 3-pointers during his team's 21-point second period, while Kay hit two 3s during the first quarter.
Macholan added eight points, too, but the Bears fell to 2-2.
Jacob Birch, meanwhile, led Harlan with 20 points. He scored five in the final period as the home team held off their visitors from Nebraska.
BHS next plays today at Schuyler.
BLAIR BASKETBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Harlan 52, Blair 43
BHS (2-2) 12 21 2 8 — 43
HHS 20 13 8 11 — 52
Scoring: BHS — Easton Bosanek 12, Greyson Kay 12, Crayton Macholan 8, Bo Meier 7, J'Shawn Unger 2, Nolan Slominski 2.
HHS — Jacob Birch 20, Franz R. 9, Teagon Kasperbauer 8, Will A. 6, Isaiah Ahrenholtz 4, Jace C. 4.
Friday
Blair 53, Plattsmouth 33
PHS (0-3) 7 9 10 7 — 33
BHS (2-1) 12 9 14 18 — 53
Scoring: BHS — Meier 19, Kay 12, Macholan 10, Unger 5, Elijah Morgan 4, Slominski 3.
PHS — Gage Olsen 14, TJ Fitzpatrick 6, Kevin Sohl 5, Drew Iverson 3, Henry Loontjer 2, Liam Lasure 2, Hunter Mazzulla 1.
