There are two ways Blackhawk can beat you. One is through Caleb Furst, and the other is with their elite shooting. They used both to snap Snider’s 6-game winning streak in the Braves’ 76-58 win over the Panthers on Tuesday.
The Braves were on fire in the first half. Callan Wood, Zane Burke, Gage Sefton, and Marcus Davidson combined for a total of 7 three-pointers in the first half, putting Snider in a hole early. The few times the Panthers were able to get stops on defense, they were unable to take advantage of their own opportunities on offense. Then in the second half, Furst took over with 12 of his 16 points coming after the break. He had 4 dunks and a block on Michael Eley that energized the crowd and helped Blackhawk maintain momentum to close out the game.
“Knowing that I can kick it out from the post at any time and people are going to knock down shots, it’s a great feeling,” Furst said of his teammates.
For Snider, Michael Eley finished with 30 points and carried much of the load, scoring more than half of the points on an offense loaded with talent. The rest of the roster had a tough time knocking down shots. Jon Barnes Jr, Jayshawn Underwood, Dillon Duff, Isaac Farnsworth combined for 22 points over the entire game. This was due in large part to Furst’s presence in the paint, which forced Snider to take jump shots instead.
This loss won’t impact Snider in the SAC standings, however, with the state tournament coming up, every team wants to end the season on a good note. Snider will have the opportunity to lock down the SAC and get a quality win on Friday against Bishop Luers.
For Blackhawk, they play Marion next, at home on Tuesday night. This win should definitely help them in the 2A and coaches polls, as well as in their own state tournament, in which they should be the favorites to win the 2A title.
“We’re just going to keep taking it one game at a time,” Furst says. “We always try to play the best competition we can so it helps us prepare for when we get to the state tournament.”
