The Bryan Bears entered their tilt with the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Bryan walked away with a 62-49 win over Papillion-LaVista on Saturday. Given Bryan's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 31st, while Papillion-LaVista is ranked 92nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bryan's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but A'mare Bynum led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Bynum has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Brandon Jarmon, who scored 21 points along with two steals.
When it comes to explaining why Papillion-LaVista lost, one person who can't be blamed is Eric Ingwerson. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. Brock Rahl was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Papillion-LaVista smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bryan only pulled down six offensive rebounds.
Bryan is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Papillion-LaVista, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.
Bryan will head out on the road to challenge Kearney at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Papillion-LaVista, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Omaha North at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Omaha North has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 406 points over their last six matchups.
