It started early in the evening when Goehausen down the Money Shots. "We'd not heard about the upset," Coach Sargent would say after their game against Taylor. "But it wouldn't have affected us, anyhow."
True, Bremerton West, down by 25-17 at halftime, was not in unfamiliar territory. "We've been down at half in all our games, and we're 3-1," Alex Carr reminded the team at halftime.
Nick Reddell added, "We need to pack in our zone better. They're getting an insane amount of their points in the paint. We need to put bodies on them, box out, rebound." Coach Sargent echoed those statements.
"By no means was I worried. We were bound to shoot better in the second half, right? I mean, it was pitiful from the outside. Our ability to hit free throws, oddly enough, was what was keeping us somewhat in the game."
The second half began much like the first, but the Westies kept playing hard. "That is, in my opinion, what has come to define this team, that we don't ever give up," Sargent said of the players' effort. With ten minutes to play, West was down 12. It was then that Brad Hill took over.
"I feel like I kinda got my shot back tonight," Hill said after the game. In a 6-minute stretch, BHill scored 9 points, all on three-pointers, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Still, Bremerton could get to within only five.
After the game, Sargent gave a simple summation. "The threes simply did not go down. I didn't hit one. Roth hit just one. Now, last week you saw that our guard play can carry the team. Tonight, it let the team down." He came close to giving his own personal "Gator Guarantee," what we're now dubbing the "Westie Will." "I will shoot in the gym, drirveway, church parking lot, wherever this week, until my hands bleed. You will not see a player work harder in preparation, work harder on plays, work harder to motivate his teammates, than you will see me do for the next three weeks. We will play for a title."
With that, his Bremerton teammates were left to ponder what lies ahead. "Staples and Dean had an off-night. I was more like Jerrells to Sargent's Dugat," a frustrated Chris Roth said afterwards. "I stunk."
Bremerton West hosts upstart Goehausen next Tuesday at 8:30PM at The Matt. Tickets are still available.
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