Courtesy Photo
February 22, 2024
Boys basketball season ends with loss to #20 ranked La Vernia
By Sports Staff
The Bandera Prophet
After clinching a spot in the playoffs for the third straight year, the Bandera boys basketball team fell short of a second straight first round win as state-ranked #20 La Vernia (31-1) took down the Bulldogs 68-48 Monday night at the NISD District Gym at Harlan High School.
The Bears were jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind three deep 3-point shots that gave the team momentum in the early going. Bandera settled in after the halftime break but was unable to cut into the large early lead La Vernia had built behind a strong offensive outburst.
“La Vernia was able to get going right off the opening possession with some long-range shots that put us in a bad spot,” Bandera Coach Brady Keane said. “We made some defensive adjustments, but they had a great night offensively and it just took us a little bit too long to settle in and get going.”
Junior point guard Elijah Salas finished with a team high 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss while senior Corben Gonzales posted 10 points and three rebounds. Senior Cale Barnett had four points and two steals, senior Isaac Segura had four points and four rebounds, sophomore Jeffry Thomas had three points and three assists, junior Layne Bourgeois had three points and four rebounds, and junior Beau Bergfeld had two points and four rebounds.
“I was really proud of the way the kids competed and left it all on the floor in their last game together, regardless of the way things turned out,” Keane said. “We came up short of our goal, but this group has a lot to be proud of. They represented their community with pride every time they took the floor and competed with everything they had.”
The Bulldogs finished the year 18-16, posting their third straight winning season and advancing to the playoffs for the third straight year after defeating Canyon Lake in a true road game last Friday night to clinch the No. 4 seed.
Bandera defeated Wimberley for the first time since 2014 this season and recorded the most points in a single game since 2006 while defeating Hondo 94-36. The Bulldogs three straight winning seasons are the first since 2013-2015, and the three straight playoff appearances are the first since 2014-2016.
“We had so many exciting moments this year,” Keane said. “This group has done a great job of raising the standard and continuing to grow our program. That has come through an immense amount of commitment from both our players and their families. These guys want to be in the gym all the time and are constantly dedicated to working on their game in the off-season. That is the expectation at this point, and they’ve bought into it completely.”
Bandera will lose seniors Isaac Segura, Cale Barnett, Corben Gonzales and Bryson Holden to graduation this spring. Segura, Barnett and Gonzales were four-year members of the basketball program while Holden joined the Bulldogs as a junior after moving from California.
“I can’t say enough about this group of seniors,” Keane said. “Corben, Cale and Isaac have been here since I got back, and they’ve done everything in their power to raise the bar and set a standard of success. Bryson joined as a junior and immediately bought in to the program and established an important role. They were a really fun group to coach and just be around on a daily basis – we are really going to miss them.”
The Bulldogs will look to build around the return of Elijah Salas, Beau Bergfeld, Jeffry Thomas and Layne Bourgeois as they head into the off-season, leaving plenty of optimism for next season. Bandera will compete in District 26-4A alongside Davenport, Wimberley, Canyon Lake, Navarro and Fredericksburg for the next two years.
“We have a lot to be excited about next year,” Keane said. “That group of four works really hard and is going to grow a lot this off-season. We have a few younger guys who are excited about the opportunity to earn a varsity role as well. We will miss our seniors, but there’s definitely a lot to look forward to!”
The Bears were jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind three deep 3-point shots that gave the team momentum in the early going. Bandera settled in after the halftime break but was unable to cut into the large early lead La Vernia had built behind a strong offensive outburst.
“La Vernia was able to get going right off the opening possession with some long-range shots that put us in a bad spot,” Bandera Coach Brady Keane said. “We made some defensive adjustments, but they had a great night offensively and it just took us a little bit too long to settle in and get going.”
Junior point guard Elijah Salas finished with a team high 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss while senior Corben Gonzales posted 10 points and three rebounds. Senior Cale Barnett had four points and two steals, senior Isaac Segura had four points and four rebounds, sophomore Jeffry Thomas had three points and three assists, junior Layne Bourgeois had three points and four rebounds, and junior Beau Bergfeld had two points and four rebounds.
“I was really proud of the way the kids competed and left it all on the floor in their last game together, regardless of the way things turned out,” Keane said. “We came up short of our goal, but this group has a lot to be proud of. They represented their community with pride every time they took the floor and competed with everything they had.”
The Bulldogs finished the year 18-16, posting their third straight winning season and advancing to the playoffs for the third straight year after defeating Canyon Lake in a true road game last Friday night to clinch the No. 4 seed.
Bandera defeated Wimberley for the first time since 2014 this season and recorded the most points in a single game since 2006 while defeating Hondo 94-36. The Bulldogs three straight winning seasons are the first since 2013-2015, and the three straight playoff appearances are the first since 2014-2016.
“We had so many exciting moments this year,” Keane said. “This group has done a great job of raising the standard and continuing to grow our program. That has come through an immense amount of commitment from both our players and their families. These guys want to be in the gym all the time and are constantly dedicated to working on their game in the off-season. That is the expectation at this point, and they’ve bought into it completely.”
Bandera will lose seniors Isaac Segura, Cale Barnett, Corben Gonzales and Bryson Holden to graduation this spring. Segura, Barnett and Gonzales were four-year members of the basketball program while Holden joined the Bulldogs as a junior after moving from California.
“I can’t say enough about this group of seniors,” Keane said. “Corben, Cale and Isaac have been here since I got back, and they’ve done everything in their power to raise the bar and set a standard of success. Bryson joined as a junior and immediately bought in to the program and established an important role. They were a really fun group to coach and just be around on a daily basis – we are really going to miss them.”
The Bulldogs will look to build around the return of Elijah Salas, Beau Bergfeld, Jeffry Thomas and Layne Bourgeois as they head into the off-season, leaving plenty of optimism for next season. Bandera will compete in District 26-4A alongside Davenport, Wimberley, Canyon Lake, Navarro and Fredericksburg for the next two years.
“We have a lot to be excited about next year,” Keane said. “That group of four works really hard and is going to grow a lot this off-season. We have a few younger guys who are excited about the opportunity to earn a varsity role as well. We will miss our seniors, but there’s definitely a lot to look forward to!”