After sneaking into the CIF-SS playoffs by the skin of their teeth, the Bruins were forced to take a two-hour bus ride to face off against Calvary Baptist in La Verne. Already a difficult situation, the team bus, which was scheduled to depart at 3:30, didn't leave until nearly 5:00 because of issues with the engine unable to start. Already a precarious scenario, the downpour of rain only slowed the commute to the arena. Geffen Academy arrived fourteen minutes before the opening jump, and managed to squeeze in a quick review session and a hasty lay-up line prior to game time. Conversely, the Calvary Baptist Cougars had ample time to warm up, and a raucous crowd and a myriad of cheerleaders hyping up their players, who looked vastly intimidating at first glance. Bruins small forward Jordy Ohebsion, who was ruled out due to a rib injury, discreetly commented that the Cougars big men looked like, "Thon Maker lookalikes." Maker, of course, gained immense recognition for his tall stature and skinny, long legs from his time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. Ohebsions' remark was justified; the Cougars had three players who were nearly seven feet tall.
Similar to their second playoff game last season, the Bruins were troubled by size. Center Jonathon Katz, who was ruled out with a last minute injury, left the Bruins with only one big man: Senior Russell Fisher. Head Coach Devon McNairy attempted to address the issue by inserting sophomore Connor Branch into the game in a desperate endeavor to deal with the interior dominance of the Cougars. Although both Fisher and Branch gave it everything they had on each and every possession, the size simply became too much for Geffen Academy to overcome. The Bruins didn't score a basket for nearly eight consecutive minutes in the first half, and found themselves trailing 38-9 halfway through the third quarter.
Although Geffen Academy managed to close the deficit in the fourth period, it was too little, too late. Nathan Muhumuza and Stevan Markovic, who have been unequivocally the Bruins' leaders and top scorers all year long, scored 35 of the 37 points Geffen Academy totaled. (Fisher scored the other bucket early in the first quarter). Additionally, the Bruins only scored two threes throughout the entire contest, which left them vulnerable to various fast break opportunities after long rebounds that the Cougars hoarded after Geffen Academy missed. Although the Bruins ended the game on a 12-2 run to make the final score respectable, the game was long over fifteen minutes after tip-off.
If this year was difficult for Geffen Academy, next year will only be harder. The Bruins will not only lose both of their centers to higher education, but guard Nick Hunter and energy-filled reserve forward Muze Beale are also heading to greener pastures. Additionally, according to multiple industry sources briefed on the situation, the Bruins are "heavily considering a relatively significant coaching change." While the reasons are currently unknown, you can expect them to be reported here as soon as the details are made public. Thanks to everyone for following the team all year, and I'll be back next season as well. Stay tuned for articles regarding the Geffen Academy girls team, and their playoff run, as well as various reporting on the latest updates in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.
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