Bucs celebrate Senior Night at East

By Bob Kopp

BDR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Despite Rockford East featuring a young roster highlighting D1 prospect sophomore 6’2″ Chris Burnell and deadly sharpshooting junior 6’2″ Scott Gowan and another distinct height disadvantage for Belvidere, it was Senior Night for the Bucs as they traveled East to beat the E-Rabs 56-52.

After the hosts opened strong and studly with what seemed to be over-the-top confidence and chirpiness to take a 19-12 lead after the first period, the game went back and forth: 29-26 Bucs at intermission and 41-38 E-Rabs at the end of the third period. However, seniors stepped up for the Bucs for a workmanlike win.

With 37 ticks to go in the fourth, senior Joey Hernandez, who finished the night with 11 points, hit both ends from the charity stripe to give the final edge to the Bucs and sealed the deal with four seconds to go by dropping two more from the foul line.

Sandwiched between Hernandez’s clutch and anticipated breakout game as one of the Bucs most seasoned, skilled, and athletic players, senior Austin Revolinski, who always draws the most punishing and provocative defenders yet still manages to out-muscle, out-hustle, and out-score them as one of the most competitive, consistent, successful, and highly regarded athletes in Belvidere history, hit another two from the line with 21 seconds left in the contest on the way to a game-leading 17 points.

While Burnell seemed almost unstoppable in the paint (13 points) and Gowan dropped four three-point bombs (14), BHS Head Coach Aaron Pearson and top assistant Nate Lister limited their ultimate influence on the outcome by shuffling in seniors Xavier Dent (eight), Will Morris (two), and Austin Brockmann to stifle their instincts and intentions with multiple suffocating defensive schemes that kept them off balance when it counted the most.

Senior Nate Horton (seven points) and Jacob Rodriguez (one) directed traffic from the point for most of the evening and seem to be overcoming a previous penchant for turnovers as juniors Brady Hauser (four including a howitzer from beyond the arc bringing alumnus brother three-point sensation Josh to mind), Phil Kolk (four), and Shawn Dean (two) completed the tally.

The Bucs return to action on Thursday, Jan. 12 to host formidable Boylan with Air Force Academy recruit Zach Couper leading the way for a very tall and talented Titans’ roster at the top of the NIC-10 standings.

Varsity action follows the sophomore game tipping off at 5 p.m.