BROADLANDS — To win its fifth straight BHRA/Heritage Holiday Tournament Championship, the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys basketball team had to battle to win it.
In Monday’s final, the Blue Devils saw themselves actually down to start the game against Cerro Gordo-Bement, but were able to rally and hold on to the lead in a 58-45 win.
The Broncos started the game by hitting two 3-pointers for a 6-0 lead, but the Blue Devils fought back and led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter.
“They honestly surprised me because I didn’t think that we would see a team that was aggressive like Phalen (Academy), but they came out and punched us in the mouth and they come out loud,” BHRA senior guard Keison Peoples said. “I thought we did take them lightly and they definitely gave us a great game. They are coached really well and they all listen. It was fun to play them and Phalen and they were great.”
“They were a physical team and played a non-conventional defense that kept us out of sync a little bit,” BHRA coach Gary Tidwell said. “We got some younger guys that had some turnovers and didn’t handle the pressure.
The Blue Devils had a 28-19 halftime lead and then got the lead to around 20 points after the third.
But in the fourth, the Broncos started to make a move and cut that BHRA lead in half with defense and three-point plays. While the Blue Devils were able to hold them off at the end, the fact that they let Cerro Gordo-Bement back in was a problem.
“We came out in the third quarter and did a great job defensively and we could have put them away,” Tidwell said. “I think a lot of it has to do with our youth. It is a growth process and you need games like this where there is some failure to learn from your mistakes and to get better your next time out.”
“It was something that we didn’t expect,” Peoples said. “Those kids could shoot and whether it was with a hand in their face or uncontested, they were knock-down shooters. We hit a few, but they had an answer back.
“We got a little relaxed and it was my fault and should have stayed on everyone more. We had a 20-point lead and it was gone. It is harder to pick things up then to keep a steady kill-mode pace all game so that’s what we have to improve on in the next few practices so we don’t make that mistake again.”
Monday finished an amazing record-breaking weekend for Peoples. After setting the single-game scoring record with 56 against Phalen Academy on Saturday, he added 38 points and passed Drew Reifsteck as the top scorer in BHRA program history. He also won tournament MVP.
“It was a blessing and I am truly thankful, but I would not have done it without my teammates trusting me with the ball and trusting me with taking on a big role along with my coaches,” Peoples said. “It feels good to have that team chemistry and bonding to letting me be that guy.”
“He’s been a steady performer for us who changes the dynamics of the game,” Tidwell said. “With the ball in his hands, he knows to make the reads and knowing when to drive to the basket and when to make an extra pass. He’s taken a lot of shots for us because we are inexperienced, but he knows when to back off and run the offense and knows when to keep the ball in his hands with the pressure on. I credit Keison with his leadership and resolve throughout and that is an asset that we are grateful for.”
Micah Tidwell had seven points, while Mason Clapp and Cole Zarate each had four and Noah Rice added three. Gary Tidwell said that while the other players have done a good job in the tournament and this season so far, he feels one or more should step up to take on more as the season continues.
“I thought Dylan Farr came in and gave us some positive minutes and did a great job. I thought Mason Clapp was solid and Keison handled the ball under pressure well and has an unique ability to get to the free-throw line and he carried us. I saw some bright spots with guys coming in and getting some productive minutes, but we need that second or third scorer to be consistent to take the pressure off Keison.”
All in all, the fifth straight title showed that the Blue Devils can handle certain types of teams in coming off playing athletic teams like a Phalen and Providence Christo Rey to playing a more physical Cerro Gordo-Bement team.
“We have had some good success here so we are pretty happy with that,” Tidwell said. “It is a good tournament for us. We had a big win against a very athletic team and sometimes with a day off, it is tough to bounce back and playin a different venue. I think we handled ourselves well and when they made their run at the end, I thought we held our composure.
“We won it every year I have been here and it is a boost of confidence to win this tournament without the seniors from last season,” Peoples said. “It shows that we are still improving and hopefully that will give us the confidence when we go to the county tournament and the postseason.”
The third place game had an interesting story as Phalen Academy, who lost to the Blue Devils on Saturday, did not show up to play Salt Fork. With the forfeit, the Storm takes third, winning three straight after losing their first game on Friday.
I have said it multiple times that this is a first in my coaching career,” Salt Fork head coach Andrew Johnson said. “It is really disappointing because I thought the kids worked hard this tournament and I thought we got better as the tournament progressed. It is awkward to have it end like this but this is not on our end. We got ready for the game today, got together earlier watch film and got ready for our opponent and it was disappointing that’s how things played out.”
In the seventh-place game, Georgetown-Ridge Farm was able to beat Milford 49-37. Jase Latoz had 20 points, while William Runyan had 11, Landon Heck had seven and Austin Grider added six.