Long, athletic Brusly runs Erath, 80-32, to open playoffs

Brusly traded some baskets with Erath early, but by second quarter had kicked into another gear and begun running away with the teams' playoff opener.   The long, quick Panthers flew around the court, pounced on passing lanes and lining up open dunks, layups and 3-pointers on the other end en route to an emphatic 80-32 victory.   Eleven different players scored in all, including four in double-figures and another with seven; five different players combined to hit 3-pointers in a 10-for-22 performance from beyond the arc; and at least nine and seven different players finished with assists and steals, respectively.   The game moved at a breakneck enough pace at times in the second half that some of the individual steal and assist numbers may actually be more along the lines of "at least" as many as listed because of sequences of multiple backcourt takeaways and baskets in quick succession.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/kCmrN-ld69U </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='2382724' first='Tyran' last='Young'] (2024) | Brusly   To say Brusly's scoring felt like it came in waves might be an understatement given the magnitude of the onslaughts in the second and third quarters. But the junior shooting guard's back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter were at the center of the Panthers' first scoring push. The confident shooter didn't let a pair of early misses hesitate him at all from taking and making his next two to help spark his team and a 10-point, two-rebound evening in the scorebook.   [player_tooltip player_id='2408581' first='Edrick' last='Snearl'] (2025) | 6-4 F | Brusly   The long, lean sophomore scored four points in the first quarter, then exploded for 14 in the second — more than half his team's 26 in the period and more than double Erath's six. A quick 2-for-3 stretch from beyond the arc was at the center of the run, but Snearl was aggressive to the rim much of the night with long strides and athletic finishes around or up-and-under defenders and their outstretched arms. He also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, finished with a pair of steals and a pair of assists and helped deflect at least part of one shot in the lane by the Bobcats.   Micah Bryant (2026) | Brusly   The freshman provided five points, including a 3-pointer, in the first quarter, then seemed to take the baton from Snearl with a big third quarter in which he did the bulk of his 18-point damage for the night, including another pair of makes from beyond the arc. Bryant also grabbed three rebounds and dished out an assist.   [player_tooltip player_id='1543686' first='Ryland' last='Johnson'] (2026) | Brusly   Another freshman guard played big off the bench and finished strong to join the double-figures group with 10 on a pair of second-half 3-pointers, a fast-break layup and another driving basket to go along with three rebounds, three assists and two steals.   Steven Wesley (2025) | Brusly   Yet another underclassman to excel for Brusly — a note that should be a bit concerning for the Panthers' peers in District 6-4A and the Division-II Non-Select playoffs — was Wesley. The sophomore forward was the thickest athlete in the starting lineup and primary rotation that was all-around physical and aggressive from top to bottom anyway, but he was also quick and athletic enough to cover the length and width of the court and get his hands in one passing lane after another. Wesley finished with seven points, including a 3-pointer in the second quarter, and four steals, a rebound and an assist.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ZfDZMNIYvE </div></figure>     Lynkon Romero (2024) | 6-3 F | Erath   The Bobcats' quarterback on the football field was the biggest and most physical presence on the basketball roster battling to overcome the notable height and length disadvantages that facing Brusly presented. His five points, including an early 3-pointer, paced Erath's scoring until late, and he grabbed a pair of rebounds and blocked a shot. He also threw a couple nice passes, including a long inbound to a teammate streaking down the other sideline of the court that would make his football position of little surprise to fans seeing him for the first time.   Christian Pillette (2024) | 5-11 G | Erath   The junior guard was a constant communicator and coach on the court for the Bobcats from the outset, pointing out instructions and dynamics to his teammates and chirping to not be intimidated by the matchup and atmosphere. He did not shy away from the contact or size in the lane and finished with four points, six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.   Ben Fourmaux (2023) | 6-0 G | Erath   The senior finished his career as the Bobcats' leading scorer on the night with three fourth-quarter 3-pointers and four in the second half for 16 points in all. He also dished out three assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds.

Brusly traded some baskets with Erath early, but by second quarter had kicked into another gear and begun running away with the teams' playoff opener.