Team: Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur
Mascot: Wolverines
Colors: UCLA Blue, Black, and Gold
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Cory Meyer (6th season) (107-28 record)
2018-2019 record: 27-1 (Won State)
Returning Starters: 5
Overview:
The BRLD Boys Basketball Team returns all but one player from last year's 27-1 State Championship Team with the lone loss being Nick Ronnfeldt.
The Wolverines return all five starters, including the likes of Dylan Beutler (6'5, JR), Will Gatzemeyer (5'10, SR), Lucas Vogt (5'11, JR), Darwin Snyder (5'10, SR PG/SG), and Jaxon Johnson 6'4, SR).
Other key contributors back include Arizona Riecken, Devin Hegge, Micah Henschen, Braxton Bargmann, Kobe Lyons, and Luke Kramer (6'1, SR).
BRLD figures to be loaded once again this year, but 6th year Head Coach Cory Meyer says the offseason wasn't good as a lot of guys were busy with football, AAU Basketball stuff, and baseball.
It's a concern of Meyer's.
You have to wonder how a long football season will affect the Wolverines as well, at least early on.
I'm sure BRLD will be just fine though and go on to have another great season.
It would be an incredible feat if the Wolverines could repeat as C-2 State Champs.
It can definitely happen too...BRLD just has to go out there and play the way they did last season, and maybe even up their game some.
The Wolverines have the perfect blend of size, speed, and athleticism, in my opinion.
All of their players are very skilled and quick, and everyone having speed isn't something you see from every team.
I feel the nature of BRLD's team alone gives them an advantage against a lot of teams they play.
These kids know how to win and are proven winners, and I look for them to show that once again during the course of this basketball season.
I feel it will be another good season for the Wolverines, and think BRLD will do very good for themselves.
I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for the Wolverines to run the table and go undefeated either, but it won't be easy.
I look at that January 3rd game at Ponca and that could be one heck of a game as could the Winnebago game at home at the end of January.
Season Outlook:
The BRLD Boys look to repeat as C-2 State Champs this year.
The Wolverines have a lot of tough games on the schedule this year, but a lot of those contests are at home.
There are some really good Northeast Nebraska matchups on the schedule this year, and it should be fun to see how some of the games play out.
BRLD hosts Omaha Nation in the season opener on Thursday. Meyer says the Chiefs are always good. "The thing about Omaha Nation is they're always salty. Just when you think ah they're going to have a down year they don't. I know Basketball is their sport over there, and they're always playing basketball, and I expect them to be very good."
The Chiefs along with Ponca, Wakefield, and Walthill are in Sub-District C2-4 with the Wolverines.
BRLD plays a very challenging schedule and has a loaded Sub-District, but I think playing these tough teams will only make the Wolverines tougher and stronger come District Final and State time assuming BRLD makes it that far.
Meyer says repeating would be quite the feat. "It'd be great, it really would be. But I expect it to be more difficult this year than it was last year just because of the talent's that coming back. I know we have a lot back, but there's a lot of teams that are around us that have actually gotten better since last year."
Meyer says repeating is a goal, saying his team has to stay hungry.
I don't think there's any doubt the Wolverines have their sights set on repeating.
That's probably all BRLD has been thinking about since last year ended.
And now that the time is almost upon us for the High School Basketball Season to get started, the Wolverines can begin their quest towards a second straight State Championship.
BRLD has to focus on playing the game and each individual game, but you have to figure repeating is in the back of these players' minds.
It's something the Wolverines will probably think of quite often throughout the season, but the thing I hope that doesn't happen is the pressure of repeating becomes overwhelming.
The biggest thing is for these kids to just play the game and do what they did last year.
Don't let the moment be too big for you.
2019-2020 BRLD Wolverines Boys Basketball Schedule:
12/05/19 Omaha Nation
12/07/19 @ Homer
12/12/19 @ Walthill
12/13/19 Clarkson/Leigh
12/20/19 Howells-Dodge
12/28-12/30 (To Be Determined) Homer Holiday Tournament Homer
01/03/20 @ Ponca
01/10/20 Pierce Site: Sioux City, Iowa CNOS Classic Sioux City, Iowa CNOS Classic
01/11/20 West Point-Beemer
01/14/20 Tekamah-Herman
01/17/20 Oakland-Craig
01/21/20 Wakefield
01/24/20 Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/25/20 @ Stanton
01/28/20 Winnebago
02/01-02/08 (To Be Determined) East Husker BBB Tournament TBD
02/11/20 Wisner-Pilger
02/14/20 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
02/15/20 Hastings Site: Grand Island-Heartland Classic Grand Island-Heartland Classic
02/21/20 @ Pender
Team: Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur
Mascot: Wolverines
Colors: UCLA Blue, Black, and Gold
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Rod Peters (8th season)
2018-2019 record: 15-8 (lost to GACC in Sub-Districts)
Returning Starters: N/A
Overview:
The BRLD Girls look for improvement and a State Tournament berth this season.
Back for 8th year Head Coach Rod Peters are Seniors Kelsey Larsen (5'8, SR G) and KaiLynn Lovejoy (5'9, SR F), Juniors Caragan Tietz (5'9, G), Isabel Freemont 5'8, G), Aubrey Berg 5'4, G), Audra Nolting (5'8, F), and Emma Beutler (5'8, F). Other contributors include sophomores Alyssa Buchholz (5'9, F) and Jordan Snyder (6'2, F).
I feel the Wolverines will be fairly small outside of Snyder.
BRLD should be fast and athletic though so the Wolverines really have to get after things with their pressure and press.
I think getting up and down the floor and playing tough, in your face defense will be big for the team.
BRLD said goodbye to Paige Peters and Brandi Simonsen last year.
Peters adds the offseason went well. "Many of the girls showed up at 6:00 in the morning to lift weights, 5 days a week. Then we went to numerous team basketball camps, whether they were JV or Varsity, we had a really good turnout in those, I'm really pleased with what the girls did and who came. They all just make it a point to be there, and we did a lot of good things."
Peters says the Wolverines went to team camps at York, Clarkson/Leigh, Wahoo, and Shelby/Rising City.
It certainly sounds like BRLD did all the things necessary in the offseason to have a great and successful season this year.
Now it's applying all that offseason work and practice time to real game situations and finding ways to win.
Peters says team has been focusing on playing defense in practice.
I think I mentioned in blog a few times last year that the defense needed to get better.
I'm glad to see that defense is an emphasis for the Wolverines this year because defense is important.
Offense wins games, Defense wins Championships, and BRLD could find themselves down at the State Tournament this year if they excel on both ends of the floor.
The Wolverines have the offensive part of the game down, now they just have to get their defense on par with their offense.
Season Outlook:
The BRLD Girls look to be great this year.
The Wolverines have some challenging contests against the likes of Pierce, Clarkson/Leigh, Ponca, Pender, West Point-Beemer, Oakland-Craig, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, and Stanton.
BRLD opens up the season at home on Thursday against Omaha Nation.
The Wolverines are in Sub-District C2-4 with GACC, Wisner-Pilger, Ponca, and Homer.
Peters says that Sub-District is stacked. "Anybody in that District can come out, and I think it'll be tough. Maybe it's the team who's shooting the best that night."
Peters adds his team needs to play harder than they have in the past. "One of our expectations is to come to practice and to games everyday with effort. And I think sometimes in the past we've lacked that. We've lacked effort in practice or we've lacked effort in games. And it's really something we've stressed this year."
Peters says qualifying for State is one of the team's goals.
BRLD has to be really intense in practices and in games to have a successful season this year, in my opinion.
The Wolverines have to take their game to a whole new level.
BRLD has to have proper technique when guarding the ball, contesting shots, and rebounding.
The Wolverines have to learn how to play solid defense to go along with their great offense.
I think defense has to be a huge point of emphasis in practice and in games for BRLD, but then again it appears it already is.
The Wolverines have to really get after things on both ends of the floor this year, and raise their level of play.
BRLD is a good, solid team, but appear to be doing the things necessary to become a great and elite team.
So the Wolverines certainly appear to be doing all the right things to become a State Qualifier and things of that sort... now it's a matter of going out there and getting results from the work that BRLD is trying to get accomplished.
The Wolverines can definitely get there too despite the fact they are still a young team this year like last year.
2019-2020 BRLD Wolverines Girls Basketball Schedule:
12/05/19 Omaha Nation
12/07/19 @ Homer
12/10/19 @ Pierce
12/12/19 @ Walthill
12/13/19 Clarkson/Leigh
12/20/19 Howells-Dodge
12/21/19 Boys Town
12/28-12/30 (To Be Determined) Homer Holiday Tournament Homer
01/03/20 @ Ponca
01/04/20 @ Pender
01/11/20 West Point-Beemer
01/14/20 Tekamah-Herman
01/17/20 Oakland-Craig
01/21/20 Wakefield-Allen
01/24/20 Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/25/20 @ Stanton
01/28/20 Winnebago
01/31-02/08 (To Be Determined) East Husker GBB Tournament TBA
02/11/20 Wisner-Pilger
02/14/20 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
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