By Mike Reeder
View Sports Writer
 
Very little was easy but there was absolutely nothing flukish about Boerne’s wins over semifinals foe South San and finals opponent Brackenridge at Saturday’s Region IV basketball tournament at St. Mary’s University.

The Hounds finished off what had to be the toughest draw of any team in the region the same way they overcame Pflugerville Connally and Pflugerville Hendrickson in the area and quarterfinal rounds; by pounding the ball inside to their big men, keeping their poise under duress and knocking down free throws down the stretch.

Region IV Championship
Boerne 64, Brackenridge 48
 
Boerne and Brackenridge traded scores through most of the first half of Saturday’s championship game, with Brack leading 12-11 after one quarter.  The Eagles’ inside defense, led by six-foot, six-inch star post Chris Johnson, held Boerne forward Robert Moore to a single field goal in the first period. Despite Johnson’s considerable presence, the Hounds kept pounding the ball inside and center Chuck Thornally kept the score close with six first-quarter points.

The strategy began to pay dividends as Johnson, who had been getting away with a ton of hard contact early on, finally started picking up fouls.  With under three minutes to play in the half, Moore finished off a break against Brack’s press by powering up and over Johnson, who picked up his second foul in the process.  Moore’s free throw gave Boerne a 22-21 lead. No one knew it at the time, but the Hounds would never be tied or trail again. Boerne guard Hunter Simmons drew another foul at the 50-second mark and sank both free throws to put his team up by three at halftime. The Hounds were under no illusion about what they would face in the second half.

“We knew it was going to be hard and we knew the pressure was going to get worse in the second half,” point guard Sterling Bennett said.  “They were going to press the whole game.  We were going to have to stay strong and pass smart.  You can’t stand still, you have to keep moving.”

The Hounds extended their lead to 34-26 in the third quarter. Johnson picked up his third foul trying to block Thornally on the first possession of the period.  Moore and Thornally began finding room inside and shooting guard Daniel Rogers nailed a three.  Brack responded with a six-point run, but then disaster struck the Eagles.  Johnson picked up his fourth foul trying to block Moore, and was slapped with a technical for his fifth and final personal foul after objecting to the call.

Moore missed his first free throw but drained the next three.  Thornally and Simmons scored the last two baskets of the quarter to give Boerne a 41-32 lead heading into the final period.
Brack’s other players responded to the loss of their star with their best defensive effort of the game.

“Coach told us they’re not going to give up, and you could really tell the way they elevated their game,” Thornally said.  “It took us a little time to get used to their play.”

Brack’s pressure defense harried the Hounds into three quick turnovers, as the Eagles cut Boerne’s lead to just 43-40 with 6:14 to go. But the Hounds weathered the storm. Forward Zach Burdick drew consecutive fouls and made all four free throws to push Boerne’s lead back to seven. Rogers broke Brack’s back with his second three and went to the line for two more for an 11-point lead.

The Hounds kept marching to the free throw line and connecting, and Brack continued misfiring.  Boerne ended up making 16 of 21 free throws in the fourth period, while Brack went just three for 16.  Two free throws by Moore gave Boerne a 16-point lead with 1:26 to play, and the celebration was on.  Moore led Boerne with 19 points, including an 11-for-15 day at the line.  Rogers finished with 17 and Thornally made it three Hounds in double figures with 13 points.  Burdick added seven, Simmons contributed six and Bennett ended up with four points.
 
Region IV Semifinal
Boerne 91, South San 75
 
South San needed to grab an early lead against the much taller Hounds and then stall to have any chance at winning Friday night's opening match of the regional tournament.  Instead, Boerne muscled its way to an 11-0 start and never trailed, despite some nervous moments. 

Most of those moments came courtesy of South San’s Adam Guerrero, who knocked down nine three-pointers.  Every time it looked like Boerne was pulling away for good, Guerrero would nail a three to keep the Bobcats in striking distance.  When the Hounds were finally forced to come out of their zone defense and defend the perimeter, the quick Cats drove the open lanes for easy layups.

“Guerrero shot lights out and kept them in the game,” Bennett said.
Boerne led 18-10 after a quarter and 40-28 at halftime.  Guerrero’s fifth three of the night shaved the margin to 56-51 late in the third quarter, but the Hounds came charging back and were up 66-51 heading into the final period. 

With South San forced to take chances on defense Boerne began running the court and finding the back door for easy layups.  Moore and Thornally combined for 19 fourth quarter points as the Hounds maintained a double digit lead.  Guerrero pumped in four more threes to keep things interesting, but Moore finally slammed the door after being fouled on a successful layup with 3:10 to play.

The old-fashioned three point play gave Boerne a 17-point lead, and the Hounds were finally able to exhale.

Moore led all scorers with 36 points, including a 17-of-21 performance at the line.  Thornally added 23 and Burdick completed the hat trick for the team’s big men with 15 points.  Rogers scored five points and Bennett, Chris Essick and Isaac Evans each chipped in three.  Simmons rounded out the scoring with two points.