LABRAE ABSORBS WARRIORS BEST SHOT
By Matt Maher
BROOKFIELD, OH – The 5th place Warriors welcomed the 1st place Vikings to town for one heck of a battle that saw Brookfield hold their own and stay extremely close to the powerhouse LaBrae has proven themselves to be. While the Warriors stood strong and showed everyone they could tussle with the big dogs they could never deliver the final blow and take back the lead and the result was a 66-59 win for LaBrae.
Brookfield started off well with a nice stop after the tip and the first 2 points of the game but it didn’t take long for LaBrae to wake up and show us what they could really do and the result was a 7 point run that would help lead them to a 22-12 1st. Brookfield saw their scoring come from Matteo Fortuna, Judah DeJoy and Riley Russo who all scored 4 points in the paint. Jay McGarry and Austin Rowe would have an impressive 1st with McGarry sinking two 3’s and Rowe sinking two 3’s as well as a 2, Derek Wilson would also find his first 4 points of the night as well.
The second quarter was even and the score reflected that with both teams putting up 14 points. DeJoy and Teagan Barbie both hit 3’s while Shaun Dungee went a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. Derek Wilson accounted for 11 of LaBraes points with three made 2’s and 50% from the line with 3-of-6 made free throws, Rowe found the other 3 from beyond the arc.
Brookfield stepped up their game and built off of a solid 2nd and finished the 3rd 21-15. Owen Boone found himself leading LaBrae in the 3rd with a made layup and-1 and two more made free throws. Jaxson Lancaster would also go 2-for-2 and Rowe and Wilson both hit 3’s. The headline of the quarter was Matteo Fortuna who found 13 points all by rushing into the paint and either laying them in or drawing fouls, he found for 2’s and went 5-for-5 from the line.
The 4th quarter stayed close but Brookfield would only score 12 while LaBrae found 16 more points to cap off the night. Fortuna went cold only hitting 1-of-2 free throws and Dungee, DeJoy and Barbe all hit 3’s. Rowe stepped up once more for LaBrae with 7 more points including a 3 and two 2’s. Boone added two more points by going 2-for-2 from the line and McGarry capped his night off with a 3.
While LaBrae showed a great effort and earned the victory, Brookfield looked fantastic against the MVAC’s best and showed that they have what it takes to stand toe to toe with the top teams. LaBrae saw Austin Rowe finish with 16 points, Derek Wilson with 18 and Jay McGarry with 10 while Brookfield was led and at times carried by Matteo Fortuna who led all scorers with 21 points. LaBrae (13-2, 9-1) will be back at home on February 2nd when they host Liberty at 7:00PM while Brookfield (6-10, 4-6) will hit the road to take on Campbell Memorial on February 2nd at 7:00PM.
