My Creative Portfolio

By Alex Kielar

Originally published in the Breckenridge American

The Breckenridge Buckaroos (13-8, 4-0) tightened their grip on the district race as they overwhelmed the Millsap Bulldogs (5-17, 1-3), 67-35, behind a wave of defensive pressure, transition scoring and a balanced offensive night that never really let the Bulldogs breath. 

The win Tuesday night, Jan. 13 moved the Bucks to 4-0 in district play. The opening quarter was a back-and-forth sprint, with Ryan Waller drilling a three and Douglas White attacking the rim before cleaning up the glass for second-chance points. Millsap countered with perimeter shooting, including a tying three in the final minute, and teams ended the first knotted at 11-all. 

Breckenridge seized control in the second quarter. Joseph Juneau’s feed to Joacim Fernandez for a clean inside finish gave the Bucks the lead for good. Hudson Woodward’s free throws extended it, and Waller drawing a charge swung momentum sharply. Moments later, Douglas White jumped a passing lane, pushed the break and delivered a behind-the-back assist to Waller – one of the night’s signature plays. 

The Bucks kept stacking stops to extend their lead further before halftime. Fernandez split a pair at the charity stripe, Waller hit Cooper Wimberley in stride for a fastbreak layup and Douglas White closed the half with a turnaround jumper and a steal-and-score in the final seconds to send the Bucks into half up 24-14. 

The third quarter broke the game wide open for Breckenridge. Douglas White set the tone early with more scoring, with the defense igniting the run. Christian Flores’ steal leading to a Waller three stretched the margin and Douglas White kept orchestrating, finding Waller for a layup at 3:06. 

Wimberley buried a three-pointer of his own to add to the surge, and Waller piled on with a fastbreak layup, another finish inside and a deep three with 44 seconds left. The Bucks erupted for a 19-point quarter and built a commanding 43-23 lead. 

The fourth quarter became a showcase of depth and execution. Jaime Cruz turned a steal into free throws, Juneau found Woodward for a layup and Waller added two more at the line to keep the pressure on. Juneau followed with a putback, then later drilled a trailing three off a no-look pass from Douglas White at 3:26. Cruz set up Douglas White for another finish as the starters handed things off to the bench. 

The closing minutes belonged to the reserves. Bry Armstrong’s layup at 1:02 drew a roar, Andrew White’s jumper added to the cushion and Armstrong capped the night with a block that sprung Andrew White for a final midrange jumper with three seconds left. 

After the complete win, the Bucks were headed to Peaster for their next game Friday, Jan. 16 before taking on the Comanche Indians on the road Tuesday, Jan. 20.