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Sports

Hot-Shooting Maplewood Takes Down Bayless In SCAA Hoops Opener

Sophomore-laden Bronchos wear down in tough loss to state title contender MRH.

Even though his team went 23-7 and made a deep run in the state playoffs last year, boys basketball coach Pat Triplett has said since Day 1 this year that he only hopes his very young squad, with only one senior on the roster, can survive the tough part of the season and be ready to roll once the playoffs begin in February.

And early on, Triplett’s concerns seemed unwarranted, as the Bronchos won six of their first seven games this year, each in increasingly impressive fashion, and found themselves on the brink of being ranked among the best teams in the area.

But in the last couple weeks, Triplett’s worries have come to fruition, as Bayless has lost four straight games, including a crushing 70-44 loss to South Central Athletic Association rival Maplewood Richmond Heights Wednesday night at home.

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“Tonight was just one of those nights,” Triplett said, after his Bronchos lost their SCAA opener to longtime league bully MRH. “We were playing normal defense. I know they love to attack the basket, and we were trying to help out, but it just wasn’t our night. It was their night.”

Boy was it ever, as MRH, which has won four consecutive SCAA league titles, and hasn’t lost an SCAA game since a 68-63 defeat to Bayless on Feb. 6, 2007, made it 44 straight conference wins with its convincing victory over the Bronchos.

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“Things are just started to click for us right now,” MRH coach Corey Frazier said. “We had a real good tournament down in Poplar Bluff. We thought we’d go 2-1, and we did. We made it to the championship game down there. We weren’t expecting that. But we still went 2-1, and we’re real proud of what we did down there.”

The Blue Devils must have been so proud they wanted to show off back in town. They came out of the gates flying against Bayless and scored the first nine points of the game before the Bronchos even knew what hit them.

And that was just the beginning. MRH led 16-4 by the midway point of the first quarter and was up 23-9 when the horn sounded to end the first period.

“It’s real tough when you dig yourself a 16-4 hole right off the bat,” Triplett said. “I'm really proud of the fact that for three-fourths of the game, I had five sophomores out there.

“We could’ve folded up the tents when it was 16-4, but they didn’t. And they kept playing. I’m real proud of them for that.”

Bayless did make a run midway through the third quarter to cut a 20-point deficit back to 46-31.

But a 6-point possession for the Blue Devils, thanks to three free throws and a fadeaway 3-pointer by MRH’s Kahlid Hagens, gave the visitors a 52-31 edge at the end of three quarters and effectively ended any chance of a Bayless comeback.

“I told my kids all along that we’re going to take our lumps. And fundamentally we didn't do some things well tonight, but the future is bright and I'm looking forward to it.”

Hagens led all scorers with a career-high 32 points on Wednesday, while P.J. Triplett led the Bronchos with 15 points and teammate Edin Mehmedovic added 13 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort.

Bayless (6-5) will be looking to get back on the winning track on Friday, when it will host another SCAA opponent, Brentwood, in another league game at 7 p.m.

MRH (6-4) will also also be hosting an SCAA opponent on Friday, when it will take on Valley Park at MRH High. The contest is set for 6:30 p.m.

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