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Short-handed BHS Boys Basketball Team Opens Season Tonight at Home Against Liberty

By Chris Johnson on December 12, 2024

Bridgeport boys basketball coach Dave Marshall has the makings for what could be a great school project.
 
It’s just some of the materials needed for that project are at a friend’s house, at least for a few more days.
 
The Indians will open the season today at home against Liberty (the game was orginally scheduled to be at Liberty but moved to Bridgeport because of issues with Liberty’s floor). The varsity game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. with a JV game proceeded it at 5:45 p.m.
 
When the Indians take the court later this evening, they will be doing so without a handful of key players, all of whom have a pretty good reason for missing the game.
 
Jack Spatafore, Carter Zuliani, Gavin Williams and Donovan Williams are expected to be key contributors but all four are also key parts of the football team that will be playing in the Class AAA state championship game against Herbert Hoover on Saturday.
 
In a normal year, the state champions in football would have been crowned last weekend and those moving on to basketball wouldn’t be missing games, let alone full practices. But the reclassification issues and court litigiations have made this year anything but normal.
 
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Marshall said. “I’ve never had a situation like what we are in right now. It’s not anybody’s fault but it is quite a challenge for us and our guys and what we are trying to do.
 
“We are trying to keep our focus on what we can do today with what we have. It grinds on you after a while though and it’s a practice thing, we don’t have the depth at practice. The positive side of it is we are developing some guys for the future because they are getting some reps that they normally wouldn’t be getting.”
 
All of the football players have been allowed to participate in basketball practice on a limited basis without contact, so they all would be eligible to play in a game on Monday. From that vantage point, Marshall is more concerned about how quickly they will be able to get into basketball shape.
 
Next week is a tough early stretch for the Indians with games scheduled against rivals Fairmont Senior and Robert C. Byrd as well as a trip south to take on Nitro.
 
“I’m excited and happy for those guys to be having the success in football and we certainly want to see them win the state champioship,” Marshall said. “I love having football players on the team because of the toughness and the winning that they bring.
 
“And we know we are getting them back. It’s just a matter of how long is it going to take to get them to where they need to be.”
 
And It’s not like the cubbard is bare without them. The top two scorers and senior leaders are back an ready to go tonight in Phoenix Sickles and Landon Sanders.
 
“Since they have been with us, I bet Phoenix and Landon haven’t missed a combined five things in four years,” Marshall said. “That’s offseason, regular season, summer, everything. The leadership those two have, you could see it last season and it’s just been incredible this year.”
 
One of the most talented young point guards in the state, sophomore Anderson McDougal is also ready to go tonight.
 
Those three alone will keep Bridgeport in a game against anybody in the state and Marshall realizes that. He just also knows his seven to eight man rotation will look a lot different a few weeks into the season.
 
Other players on this year’s roster are senior Jax McDougal, junior Sam Romano, freshman Bodhi Sickles and a sophomore class that features Aryon Dodd, Jake Holcomb, Grayson Church, Evan Kidd and another football player in Jaylen Brown.
 
Editor's Note: Top photo of Sickles and bottom photo of Sanders by Joe LaRocca.

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