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Photos by Nicole Flowers
November 18, 2024
Bandera boys basketball off to 2-0 start
Bandera Prophet Staff
The Bandera varsity boys basketball team picked up a pair of home wins to start the season last week, taking down San Antonio Fox Tech and San Antonio Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA) to start 2-0 for the first time since the 2021-2022 season.
The Bulldogs defeated Fox Tech 53-39 on Tuesday in the season opener. After trailing by one at the half, Bandera tightened up defensively and leaned on physical play in the rebounding battle to outscore the Buffaloes 30-15 through the final two quarters.
Senior Elijah Salas led all scorers with 20 points, while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Senior Beau Bergfeld chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals; senior Gattlin Winkler had six points, three rebounds and two steals; sophomore Cooper Franklin had five points and eight rebounds; junior Anden Tentis-De Grote had four points and eight rebounds; and junior James Bower had four points, five rebounds and two assists.
“We got off to a slow start but came out with energy in the second half and made the plays we needed defensively,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “We’re going to hang our hat on defense and rebounding this season, and holding Fox Tech to just six points in the fourth quarter was a good start.”
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into a Saturday afternoon matchup against YMLA, and pulled away for a 67-53 win. Bandera got off to a hot start, outscoring the Lions 43-22 in the first half. YMLA made a late second-half push, but the Bulldogs got the stops they needed down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.
Salas once again played a pivotal role, finishing with 17 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Bergfeld was a force on the interior, contributing 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Meanwhile, Franklin added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks; Bower had nine points, six assists and three rebounds; junior Jeffry Thomas had eight points and three rebounds; Tentis-De Grote had six points and six rebounds; and senior Hayden Winters finished with three points and two steals.
The Bulldogs finished with an impressive 20 assists on 21 made shots. Bandera also finished 8-of-19 from the 3-point line.
“I was really proud of the way our guys came out ready to play,” Keane said. “Saturday games can be tough, especially less than 12 hours after either playing in or supporting the football team in a road playoff game. We shared the ball really well, and that led to a lot of quality looks for us offensively. We have to be better at playing with a lead, though, and that will be a focus moving forward.”
While the season is just getting started, the Bulldogs are battling a number of injuries as they continue to prep for the start of the tournament portion of the schedule. Bandera will travel to take on New Braunfels Long Creek on Tuesday, before heading to Hondo for a rivalry matchup on Saturday.
“This group is a lot of fun to coach so far because they play hard and care about each other,” Keane said. “They are willing to pass up a good shot for a great shot, and do the little things defensively to make things tough on opponents. Our goal right now is to try to get some guys back healthy and continue getting better one day at a time.”
The Bulldogs defeated Fox Tech 53-39 on Tuesday in the season opener. After trailing by one at the half, Bandera tightened up defensively and leaned on physical play in the rebounding battle to outscore the Buffaloes 30-15 through the final two quarters.
Senior Elijah Salas led all scorers with 20 points, while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Senior Beau Bergfeld chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals; senior Gattlin Winkler had six points, three rebounds and two steals; sophomore Cooper Franklin had five points and eight rebounds; junior Anden Tentis-De Grote had four points and eight rebounds; and junior James Bower had four points, five rebounds and two assists.
“We got off to a slow start but came out with energy in the second half and made the plays we needed defensively,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “We’re going to hang our hat on defense and rebounding this season, and holding Fox Tech to just six points in the fourth quarter was a good start.”
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into a Saturday afternoon matchup against YMLA, and pulled away for a 67-53 win. Bandera got off to a hot start, outscoring the Lions 43-22 in the first half. YMLA made a late second-half push, but the Bulldogs got the stops they needed down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.
Salas once again played a pivotal role, finishing with 17 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Bergfeld was a force on the interior, contributing 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Meanwhile, Franklin added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks; Bower had nine points, six assists and three rebounds; junior Jeffry Thomas had eight points and three rebounds; Tentis-De Grote had six points and six rebounds; and senior Hayden Winters finished with three points and two steals.
The Bulldogs finished with an impressive 20 assists on 21 made shots. Bandera also finished 8-of-19 from the 3-point line.
“I was really proud of the way our guys came out ready to play,” Keane said. “Saturday games can be tough, especially less than 12 hours after either playing in or supporting the football team in a road playoff game. We shared the ball really well, and that led to a lot of quality looks for us offensively. We have to be better at playing with a lead, though, and that will be a focus moving forward.”
While the season is just getting started, the Bulldogs are battling a number of injuries as they continue to prep for the start of the tournament portion of the schedule. Bandera will travel to take on New Braunfels Long Creek on Tuesday, before heading to Hondo for a rivalry matchup on Saturday.
“This group is a lot of fun to coach so far because they play hard and care about each other,” Keane said. “They are willing to pass up a good shot for a great shot, and do the little things defensively to make things tough on opponents. Our goal right now is to try to get some guys back healthy and continue getting better one day at a time.”