CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction boys basketball team played a close game all night against the Branson Pirates, but ultimately prevailed in a 66-61 win.
“This game meant everything to the seniors,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “They’ve been through a lot. And we’ve had a season where we’ve had some defeats, and sometimes guys quit, but these guys don’t quit.”
In the first quarter of their Senior Night festivities, three seniors had some fun. Blake Poorman got the game started with an amazing dunk. Sincere Williams added a beautiful 3-pointer and Alex Baker went off for 10 points. The Pirates ultimately took the lead off a 3-pointer made at the buzzer, giving Branson an 18-17 lead going into the second quarter.
Not to be outdone, the Carl Junction juniors then took center stage in the second quarter, with Josh Cory getting 10 points and Kyler Perry adding a three of his own.
Cory racked up nearly all of his points on the night on the same assist play, seemingly scoring against the Pirates on it every chance he got. Williams also went 1-for-2 at the line, giving the Bulldogs a 31-27 lead at halftime thanks to a 5-2 run to end the second quarter.
“We just have to keep our head, and keep making the next play,” said coach Pock. “We just had to play through the closeness, and I thought our guys did that.”
Coming out of the locker room, the Bulldogs appeared ready to put the game away by going on a 9-2 run and led 40-33 with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Cory continued his scoring party with a field goal and 3-of-4 from the line. Williams also scored five points and senior Mylas Derfelt added a free throw.
The Pirates came roaring back quickly with an 8-0 run of their own in less than two minutes, briefly taking the lead. Both teams exchanged shots and headed into the fourth quarter with a tied game of 42-42.
Once again, the Pirates were unable to stop Cory who scored on the same play four more times in the fourth, giving him 23 points on the night.
Williams went 4-for-4 from the line, getting 13 points for the game. Derfelt added another basket, and Perry also made two free throws to keep the Bulldogs in it. Finally, after two quiet quarters, Baker finished off Senior Night with two field goals and five free throws, giving him 19 points and the Bulldogs a win in their regular season home finale.
“I just told our guys to keep driving and keep going,” Pock said. “We knew they were going to come back and keep trying, and we just had to withstand it and I thought we did that. We just have to keep getting better and I think we’ve done that. We’re not done yet.”
