Prior to tip-off, Oak Hall’s game against Bronson was expected to be close and contested throughout. The Eagles came into tonight’s game looking to build off their opening night win. Unfortunately, Bronson started the game with an extremely high level of intensity that instantly put the Oak Hall Eagles behind. The Eagles were never able to recover, losing by a final 47-30.
Bronson in Complete Control
Bronson started the game displaying a clear understanding that in order to come away with a victory, they would have to play fast and hard. They began the game with extreme energy. Additionally, the socially-distanced crowd contributed to the atmosphere making their presence felt.
For most of the opening frame, Bronson led the game by a few scores, but it often felt like much more. Even late in the third quarter, once Oak Hall staged a minor resurgence, Bronson felt and appeared to be in complete control. As their season progresses, Bronson is a team to keep an eye on.
With 4:34 Oak Hall trails 38-23 and it would appear this game is all but over. The Eagles made a run to start the final frame but were unable to maintain the momentum.@ESPNGainesville @OakHallSchool @ThePrepZone
— William Silverman (@PhillySilverman) December 5, 2020
Extra Motivation for Bronson
From tip to final horn, it was clear Bronson was playing with a little extra juice in the tank. While it was unclear why, Bronson had a definite chip on their shoulder all night. Luckily, the mystery was solved postgame when interim coach John Miller was asked what allowed the team to coast to such a convincing victory.
Specifically, Miller said, “Our boys played really hard and they had some reason too. I am not the coach of Varsity Bronson basketball. Their coach, coach Reese, ended up in quarantine, and he has prepared these kids and they came out and played on his behalf tonight.” All things considered, coach Reese should be proud of his players and they properly represented his teachings.
Oak Hall Regression
Oak Hall showed promising signs on opening night but, tonight’s performance was a let-down. Different from game one, guards Andrew Pickens and Matthew McKinney struggled shooting from behind the arc. Both players showed tremendous heart and competitive spirit as they played hard despite their struggles.
However, the feat was simply too much to overcome. Additionally, freshman Andrew Powell who led Oak Hall in scoring during their season opener was held to just 7 points. Oak Hall is hopeful that this performance is just a minor hiccup and brighter days are ahead.
Final-Oak Hall falls to Bronson 47-30 and suffers their first loss of the season.
Bronson came out and established their dominance early. By the time Oak Hall rose to the occasion, it was too late.
Game recap out soon on WRUF @ESPNGainesville. @OakHallSchool @ThePrepZone
— William Silverman (@PhillySilverman) December 5, 2020
Coming Up
On Thursday, December 10th, Oak Hall will have their hands full when they face a Trenton team that already gave Bronson all they could handle, in a close loss for the Tigers.