Bridgeport Coach Mike Robey wasn’t downplaying the offensive contributions of senior Mackenzie Holmes in tonight’s game with Robert C. Byrd. After all, with leading scorer Braden Lesher in street clothes and second leading scorer Dylan Purcell saddled with foul trouble throughout, someone needed to step up against the Eagles.

 

In a season that had yet to see Holmes reach double figures, he did just that. Holmes finished the game with a team-high 11 points in a 53-47 win in Clarksburg to even the season series with RCB.

 

BHS is now 11-9 with the win. The Eagles fall to 11-9. 

 

Yet, it wasn’t those points that had Robey smiling after the game. It was Holmes' play on the other end of the floor that allowed the veteran coach to pile praise on his post player.

 

“Those 11 points were a bonus, but Mackenzie was a difference maker tonight on the defensive end. We made a couple of defensive adjustments involving Mackenzie that I thought really changed the way RCB had to attack and it slowed them down,” said Robey.  “We decided to put Mackenzie on their ball handlers to stop their guards from getting into the lane.”

 

The move was decisive. Although the Eagles never totally went flat with their drive and dish scheme that also included attacks on the rim, it was never as effective as it was in the opening period of the game. And the defensive strategy paid the biggest dividend in the fourth period.

 

Bridgeport held a 38-34 lead going into the final period of play and quickly upped the advantage to 40-34 when Blake Bowers canned a five-footer from the baseline. Then, as often happens in the rivalry, the team trailing made their move.

 

Starting at the 6:57 mark, the Eagles went on a 12-3 run to go up 46-43. Tanner Kenney started the surge with five straight points and Nate Helm ended it with five straight at the 3:05 mark to give RCB their first lead since early in the second period.

 

The Tribe then countered with what would be the knockout punch. The Eagles would manage just one point – a Helm free throw – the rest of the way as a 10-1 run down the stretch proved fatal for the hosts.

 

Holmes got the run started with a basket inside, Bowers hit a free throw to tie and then Purcell scored inside to make it 48-46 with 1:23 to go and the Indians would never relinquish the lead.

 

The Tribe would can 5-of-6 free throws in the final 46 seconds to keep RCB at bay.

 

“I was pleased that we had so many kids contribute. A lot of kids stepped up and people don’t understand; they look and see who scored this and who scored that, but it’s not about scoring,” said Robey. “We preach it every day. It’s how you defend. How hard are you making the other team work?”

 

While Holmes and J.T. Harris both finished with 11 points, there were several others that helped fill out the box score in a game where Robey asked for sacrifices be made for defensive purposes. Tyler Hardesty finished with seven points, while the foursome of Jake Bowen, Adam Bentz, Blake Bowers and Purcell all had six points.

 

There was also praise for those that didn’t even get in the scoring column.

 

“Jake Perine came in and guarded scorers really well tonight … He knew his job was to guard.  I didn’t care if he scored a bucket or didn’t score a point. All those kids did it,” said Robey. “ …  Kids accepted their role as that they might not score a lot tonight because I’m going to use every ounce of energy I got to defend. I was proud of them for their defensive effort.”

 

Robey’s defensive strategy was out of necessity after both teams started out hot and the Indians led early at 8-6 on the second straight Bentz 3-point field at the 6:10 mark. While BHS didn’t exactly go ice cold after that, the Eagles remained red on fire.

 

RCB knocked down five 3-point field goals in the frame. Brice Roseborough, who finished with a game-high 19 points, was the main culprit.  He started the game with a triple and added two more along with a 12 footer to put the Eagles up early. Roseborough’s 11 points proved to be the main reason for the Eagles’ early first period advantage.

 

“The first four shots of the game were threes and they hit them all,” said Robey, who was only slightly off. The Eagles hit their first five shots, the first three being triples, followed by a two-point hoop and another long ball. “I’m just used to it. Every time we come to RCB they shoot well over here.”

 

The good news was that the shooting cooled off as the Indians shook of the barrage of bombs to start the second period and came out closing on 3-point shooters and attacking the basket. The pressure on both ends of the floor didn’t end after a few minutes and carried throughout the second eight minutes of play.

 

Bridgeport outscored the Eagles 20-7 in the period and managed to take a 32-26 lead into the intermission. The culprits for the Tribe’s sudden reversal in fortune were plenty.

 

The Indians started the quarter with a 10-0 run that took BHS from down seven to up 22-19 with 3:49 to play. It wasn’t just offense, however, as the Eagles’ would go nearly six minutes in the second period before scoring their first basket on a Kennedy basket inside. By that time, BHS was in the midst of its second and final run of the segment – a mini 10-7 surge – to get the six-point lead at the half.

 

The initial run got a jump start when Hardesty nailed a 3-pointer from the baseline after Bowers drew the defense and kicked it to him for a clean look. Bowers would later can one of two free throws and Bowen would account for four points thanks to strong play down low. The run ended when Harris scored on a fast break layup off of a perfect feed from Bowen.

 

After Harris’ layup, Holmes went from doing the dirty work to filling up the score line. Holmes scored three straight baskets and that was followed by four straight Harris free throws to get the lead to six at the break.

 

After a first half that saw both teams have spurts of solid play, the third period saw neither team grabbing the momentum. In fact, after Roseborough hit a 3-pointer at the 7:07 mark, the next points weren’t scored until Hardesty scored inside off a feed from Harris.

 

By the time the frame ended, Bridgeport was still in the lead. However, the Eagles had shaved off two points and were down just 38-34 to set the stage for the dramatic fourth period.

 

RCB had two other players along with Roseborough in double figures. Helm and Kennedy both finished with 10 points.

 

"I was proud of our kids. I was proud of our effort," said Robey. " ...  For us to get out of RCB with a win with Dylan Purcell scoring six points and Braden Lesher in streets clothes says a lot about the character of our kids."

 

Bridgeport closes the regular season next week. The Indians are at Elkins on Tuesday and then host Class AA No. 1 Fairmont Senior Thursday. Both games are at 7:30 p.m.

 

Click HERE for a photo gallery from the game.

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Mackenzie  Holmes making a backdoor pass that would result in a J.T. Harris basket, while the second photo shows Harris going up strong. In the third photo,  Tyler Hardesty pulls up on the wing. In the bottom photo, Blake Bowers goes up for a 3-point shot at the key. Photos by Matthew S. DeMaria of www.benqueenphotography.com.