by Ryan Mosher
The Berlin boys basketball team seemed to start a little flat on Monday night against Heatly. The Mountaineers were outplayed in the first quarter, allowing the Hornets to capitalize on second and third shot opportunities by not boxing out and by getting out rebounded. Despite all that, Berlin still was able to stay close, trailing 16-14 after one quarter.
All of the Mountaineers’ problems seemed to come to an end with the first quarter though.
On Berlin’s first possession in the second quarter, Dylan Hover hit a jump shot to tie the game. On their second possession, the team looked like a group of seasoned veterans with their ball movement and patience. The ball whipped around the court, going to all five players, quickly wearing the Heatly defense out and allowing them to make a big mistake, leaving Hover wide open for a jump shot. Hover’s basket, along with some clutch rebounding, sent the Mountaineers on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter and helped them outscore Heatly 18-5 to give them a 32-21 halftime lead.
Scott Bamba started things off immediately for Berlin in the third quarter, scoring just seconds in. Hover then continued the barrage with back to back three-pointers. Berlin went on a 16-0 run in the first four and a half minutes of the second half, building a 48-21 lead. That run would break the game open for Berlin, sealing their first CHVL win of the year.
Hover led the Mountaineers with 20 points and 7 assists in the game. Scott Bamba added 11 points and 5 rebounds for Berlin. The team is now 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the CHVL.