Rick Patrick
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Branford High School Buccaneers junior varsity and varsity basketball teams set sail for Madison, Fla., to take on the Cowboys of Madison County High School. As it turned out, it was rough seas for the Bucs at the Madison County High School gymnasium as both the junior varsity and varsity teams were defeated by the Cowboys. In the first match of the evening, the junior varsity teams took the court. The Bucs fell behind early, trailing the Cowboys 21-10, at the end of the first quarter. The Cowboys continued to build their lead during the second period and held a 35-16 advantage going into halftime. After falling further behind during the third period, the Bucs were able to chip away at the Cowboys' lead during the final period but still came up short, 59-31. When the varsity teams took over, the Bucs were competitive at the beginning of the contest but fell behind, 24-12, by the close of the first quarter. The Bucs did manage to keep up with the Cowboys through most of the second quarter. However, the Cowboys still held a 42-29 lead going into intermission. The Cowboys widened the gap further during the third quarter, which ended with a 62-38 score. The Bucs outscored the Cowboys in the final period of play, but it was not enough to overcome, and the Bucs fell to the Cowboys with a 71-48 final score. The Bucs will be back on their home court for a contest with the Bronson High School Eagles on Friday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in the Branford High School gymnasium.
