Puxico, Missouri – The Bernie Mules varsity boys basketball team improved their record on the road Friday evening 15-2 by defeated the Puxico Indians 64 – 54.
“It was a grind tonight, but we found a way to get the ‘W’,” stated Bernie’s coach Brad Botsch. “Puxico is always a tough place to play, and we dug just deep enough to get out of there with a win.”
Caleb Ellenburg keeps pounding it out for the Mules recording another game-high 26 points including one trey.
“I thought Ellenburg stepped up his play tonight for us and we need him to continue to be a force for us,” Botsch stated. “If we can ever get everyone having a good night on the same night we could really be tough. Our seniors realize there isn’t a lot of time left in their careers here and they need to start feeling that urgency to take the next step in effort and coachability.“We have to have the attitude of never being satisfied and keep pushing forward. I look forward to seeing what we can do in the county tournament next week,” continued Botsch. “We have played most of these teams at least once and I am anxious to see how our kids play in Round 2.”
Brandon Sparks recorded 23 points for Bernie hitting four 3-pointers.
Puxico’s leading athlete was Zack Tucker who tallied 24 points including a couple of 3-pointers. Seth Luttrell added 18 points.
Bernie and Puxico both begin play on Monday evening at the 2015 SCAA varsity boys basketball tournament. Top-seeded Bernie will play #8 Richland at 6:30 p.m. and #6 seed Puxico Indians play the #3 Dexter Bearcats at 8:00 p.m.
Final score Bernie 64, Puxico 54
Bernie 18 9 19 18 - 64
Puxico 18 7 14 16 - 54
Bernie (64) – Matt Vernon 9, Brandon Sparks 23, Caleb Ellenburg 26, Devin Tramell 3, Gavin Smith 3, FG 20, FT 17/27, F 13. (3-pointers: Brandon Sparks 4, Matt Vernon 1, Caleb Ellenburg 1, Devin Trammell 1. Fouled Out: Trammell).
Puxico (54) – Levi Woods 4, Chris Siler 4, Dalton King 2, Zach McCoy 2, Seth Luttrell 18, Zach Tucker 24. FG 19, FT 14/15, F 18. (3-pointers: Luttrell 2, Fouled Out: Corey Pratt).
