2/14--JBS 38, Webster Groves 28
Joey Esposito once again dominated inside, scoring 18 points. The Bombers held Webster to just 6 points in the 4th quarter, leading to the final winning margin. This turned out to be the last game of the season, as Friday's game against Priory was snowed out. The Bombers finished the season strong, winning their last four. Final record: 5-1 in Conference, 9-8 overall.
2/13--JBS 44, Jennings 40
Amir Muhammad (11 points) and Joey Esposito (14 points) dominated in the low post, leading the Bombers to victory.
2/6--JBS 54, AFFTON 38
This was an up and down game, with the Bombers finishing on the upside. The Bombers tough man-to-man defense held Affton to just 14 points in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bombers were making good passes and finishing at the rim against the Cougar zone defense, resulting in a 13 point lead. In the third quarter, however, Affton switched to man-to-man and the Bombers did not adjust well. Turnovers led to easy baskets for the home team, and they closed the gap to just 5 points after three quarters. The Bombers extended their M2M defense full court in the 4th, and that turned the tide, resulting in the comfortable final margin. The Bombers post players were too much for the Cougars to handle throughout the game. The Bombers dominated the boards, and the four big men led the scoring: Amir Muhammad had 17, Luke Purcell 8, Joey Esposito 7, and Alden Chao 6. The Bombers will face a stronger team on Friday: Lift for Life.
2/2--JBS C 50, Lutheran North 37
The Bombers beat a competitive Lutheran North team by playing TOGETHER. Every player in the lineup scored. The team played strong M2M "help" defense, holding a team that scored 66 points in a recent game to 37. Forward Luke Purcell played his best game of the season, crashing the boards and scoring a team high 11 points. Point guards Oscar Scully and Chinaza Eke-Okoro consistently beat the Lutheran North press, setting up their team mates for easy baskets. With four games left, maybe the C Bombers are finally ready to roll!
01/30--JBS C1 26, McCluer 36
The C reserves took on the McCluer Freshmen team and fell a little short. The game was tied halfway through the 2nd quarter when McCluer surged to a 15-10 halftime lead. The visitors continued the surge in the 3rd quarter, opening up a double digit lead. Humphrey Jiang once again kept the home team in contention, scoring 8 of his 10 points in the quarter. The Bombers could never hold down McCluer in the defensive end, however, and ended the season with a hard fought loss.
01/29--JBS C 35, St. Louis University High 64
The Bombers turned the ball over twice in the first 20 seconds of the game, the Junior Billikenscapitalized with easy layups, and the rout was on. The (much) bigger school was a tough matchup for the Bombers, but the home team did not put up a good fight in the early going. The Bombers outscored SLUH in the 4th quarter, but it was too little, too late. This was an embarrassing loss. Enough said.
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01/26--JBS C 39, Westminster 43
This game was a battle from start to finish. The Bombers led 7-5 after one quarter, and 17-16 at halftime. The Wildcats hit four 3-pointers in the 3rd quarter, which propelled them to a 32-24 lead. The resilient Bombers stepped up their defense in the 4th quarter and closed to within three points with two minutes to go in the game. Despite several good looks at the basket, the shots did not fall and the Bomber rally fell short. If there is such a thing as a "good loss" this was it, as the Bombers played their best team basketball of the season. Nine out of ten players in the lineup scored, and the Bombers played good "help" defense throughout the game. Another challenge awaits the squad on Monday, when they will face St. Louis University High.
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01/25--JBS C1 26, STL Patriots 33
The Bombers trailed 15-12 at halftime, but it looked like anybody's game in the 2nd half. Multiple turnovers by the Bombers in the 3rd quarter allowed the Patriots to extend their lead. Humphrey Jiang kept the home team in the game with his three point shooting. He led all scorers with 13 points. Miles Lin played tough defense against the taller Patriots forwards, and point guard Kaden Bradley played his usual strong floor game. In the end, however, the Patriots took better care of the ball and hung on to claim the victory.
01/24--JBS Frosh 40, Clayton Frosh 41
This game was the tale of two halves. In the first half, the Bombers were disorganized on offense and lax on defense. As a result, Clayton surged to a 22 point lead, 28-6. The second half was a different story, as the Bombers played better basketball on both ends of the floor. Trailing by 18 as the 4th quarter started, the Bombers put on a furious rally, pressing man-to-man full court and finally hitting some outside shots. Qadir Thompson had another outstanding game, stealing the ball on defense and scoring 8 points in the final quarter. Amir Muhammad, scoreless in the first three quarters, hit two big 3's and also scored 8. The Bombers had a last second desperation shot fall just short at the buzzer. The C team will a need much much better start on Friday against Westminster to win that game.
01/18--JBS "C1" 44, Logos 34
The Bombers rode a strong 2nd quarter to victory against Logos. Leading 8-6 after the 1st quarter, the Bombers exploded for 17 points in the second to take a 25-12 lead. Davis Rashman led the charge with 7 points in that decisive 2nd quarter. The teams mostly traded baskets in the second half, as the Bombers maintained their lead. The team's balanced attack--all 9 players in the lineup scored--was another key to this win. The C reserves can now look forward to rematches with the Blue Knights 14U "B" team and the STL Patriots next week.
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01/18--JBS"C" 52, Lutheran South 32
Defense wins ballgames, and that was certainly true in this one. The Bombers led 8-7 after a lackluster first quarter. The team played more aggressively in the second quarter, pressing man to man full court. The Lancers struggled to handle the pressure, and the Bombers pulled out to a 21-12 lead at the half. More aggression, more Lancer turnovers, more transition baskets for JBS in the 3rd quarter resulted in a 42-23 lead. The Bombers eased off the pressure in the last quarter but maintained their comfortable lead. Qadir Thompson lead the team in scoring with 9 points, thanks in part to his superior free throw shooting, He was 4-4 in this game, and has now hit 13 consecutive free throws without a miss over the past several games.
01/16--JBS "C1" 32, Chaminade "D" 59
Chaminade has two alumni currently starring in the NBA, Bradley Beal and Justin Tatum. That tells you something about their basketball program. So while this was Chaminade's "D" team, equivalent to the JBS C1 team, JBS does not currently have any players (all stars or otherwise) playing in the NBA. Still, the Bombers had a strong 4th quarter, and refused to give in despite a hot shooting Red Devils team. Thursday's game against Logos should be more competitive.
01/12--JBS C 38, MICDS 35
The Bombers led for most of the game, but could never quite put the Rams away until the very end. After a close first quarter (9-7 MICDS), the Bomber defense kicked in and held MICDS to 4 points in the 2nd quarter. Forwards Luke Purcell and Amir Muhammad each scored 4 points in that quarter, helping the home team to a 19-13 lead at the half. The teams battled evenly throughout the 3rd quarter and most of the 4th. Point guard Oscar Scully led an effective "delay game" in the final minutes, but the Bombers failed to convert free throws when MICDS was forced to foul. So the Rams closed the gap but could not overtake JBS in the end. Whew!
01/11--JBS C1 20, Blue Knights 14U "A", 42
As expected, the Blue Knights "A" team proved to be a much tougher opponent than the "B" team. The Bombers fell behind early and were never able to catch up. The offensive highlights for the team were two 3-pointers by Humphrey Jiang, who led the team with 8 points. The C Reserves face another challenge on Tuesday, when they take on the Chaminade Freshmen B team.
01/09--JBS C1 35, Blue Knights 14U "B", 17
The game started slowly, with both teams struggling to put the ball in the basket. The score was 2-2 after the first quarter, but the Bombers revved up their game in the 2nd Quarter. Point guard Kaden Bradley scored 6 points in the quarter to lead the charge, as the Bombers took a 14-7 lead at the half. While the defense clamped down on the Blue Knights in the 3rd quarter, Kenley Satcher (10 points), Humphrey Jiang (5 points), Cooper Strahorn (4 points), and Luke Summer (3 points) joined the offensive surge. This was was a good win for the C reserves, who face a stronger team in the Blue Knights 14U "A" squad on Thursday.
01/09--JBS C 44, Ladue 50
Taking on another big school team, the Bombers played the opponents tough but fell short in the end. The Rams led by just 3 at the half, but they outscored the Bombers 17-8 in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead. The Bombers climbed back in the 4th due to an effective full court press and trailed but 4 points with just under 2 minutes to go. The Rams will able to hold on, however, despite the spirited effort by the home team. Amir Muhammad led the scoring once again with 16. Ihenna Eke-Okoro rebounded from a scoreless effort last Friday to score 9 in this one. Big game Friday against arch rival MICDS!
01/05/24--JBS C 44, Hazelwood West 51
The first game of the New Year was a seesaw battle from start to finish. The Bombers led 20-19 at halftime, while the Wildcats led 34-33 after three quarters. With just over 3 minutes to play, the Bombers led 44-43. Unfortunately, the home team did not score again, while the visitors hit two 3 pointers and a layup in the final minutes to gain the victory. Joey Esposito made 6/7 free throws and 4 buckets to lead the Bombers with 14 points. This was another battle the Bombers could have won with better defense.
12/8--Blue Knights(16U A Team) 52, JBS C 45
Once again, one bad quarter doomed the C team. After taking a 13-9 lead in the first quarter, the Bombers were outscored 22-6 in the second quarter. And once again, a strong second half, in which they outscored the opposition 26-21, was not enough to overcome the first half deficit. Wing player Evan Gallegos had his best game, playing solid defense and scoring 10 points. Nine out of ten players scored, the kind of balanced scoring that often produces victory. The Bomber defense gave up too many points, however, to beat a good team like the Blue Knights.
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12/7--JBS C1 33, Logos 30
The Bombers won this seesaw battle that sent the team into winter break (well, exams first!) with a much needed win. The score was tied at half 12-12, as neither team could ever pull out to a significant lead. The trend continued in the second half, with the Bombers edging ahead by 3 points heading into the final quarter. The teams traded the lead in the 4th, but Humphrey Jiang hit a big 3-pointer late in the quarter to put the Bombers ahead. The C reserves held on from there to claim victory. Balanced scoring was critical with Jiang scoring 7, Nate Harms 6, Kenley Satcher 7, and Malachi Underwood 6 to lead the way.
12/5--St. Mary's 48, JBS C 40
Simply put, the Bombers were not ready to play at the outset of this game. An aggressive St. Mary's team pressed and beat the Bombers down the floor repeatedly. As a result, the Dragons ran out to a 28-9 lead in the 1st quarter. The Bombers regrouped and outscored St.Mary's in the next three quarters, but that 1st quarter deficit was too much to overcome. Will the Bombers be ready to play against the Blue Knights on Friday?
12/5--Liberty Christian 47, JBS C1 27
Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots for the Bombers. Every player in the lineup scored, with Nate Harms leading the way with 8 points. This team will have to play better defense, however, to win games.
12/2--JBS "C" 46, Westminster 37
The Bombers came out firing in the tournament final game and led, 15-11, after the first quarter. They extended the lead to 25-17 at the half, thanks to some tough man-to-man defense and scoring in transition by Amir Muhammad and Evan Gallegos. The team hit an offensive lull in the 3rd quarter, however, and briefly lost the lead in the 4th, 34-33. At that point the Bombers stepped up the defense again, created turnovers that led to transition baskets, and took command of the game. The Wildcats were forced to foul point guard Oscar Scully at the end, who calmly sank 5 out of 6 free throws to ice the game. What a great win for the Bombers!
11/30--JBS "C" 48, Ritenour 42
The Bombers won this rematch with defense. After giving up 56 points in their game with the Huskies last week, holding them to 42 was the key to victory. Point guards Oscar Scully and Evan Gallegos played tough "D" on Ritenour's point guard (#0). He scored 18 points in the first contest, but only 4 this time. Meanwhile, the Bomber Bigs, Amir Muhammad and Joey Esposito, once again led the scoring with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Down by one point at halftime, the Bombers put on a big surge in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Huskies 15-6. After that, the game was never closer than the final 6 point margin. Saturday the Bombers play for the Metro League Tournament Championship against the winner of tonight's game between Westminster and MICDS.
11/28--JBS "C" 44, Priory 18
The Bombers dominated the action from the outset, outscoring the Ravens 13-3 in the first quarter. The Bombers scored in double digits in every quarter and shut down the Ravens attack with active man-to-man defense. 9 of 10 players in the lineup scored. Evan Gallegos shared scoring honors with Joey Esposito with 8 points. Oscar Scully, Chinaza Eke-Okoro, Ihenna Eke-Okoro, and Luke Purcell all chipped in 5 points. This was a solid team effort. Next up is a rematch with Ritenour, a more challenging opponent.
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11/28--JBS C1 20, STL Patriots 35
The C Reserves faced a taller, better organized Patriot squad but made some progress despite the loss. The boys did a great job getting into opportunistic positions while orchestrating a solid comeback in the second quarter. The reserves missed too many easy buckets (layups), and many of the outside shots did not fall. This squad has a lot to work on!
11/20--Ritenour 56, JBS "C" 53
This was an error-filled game on both sides, with turnovers galore amid some fast-paced up and down action. Post players Joey Esposito and Amir Muhammad led the Bomber scoring with 13 and 16 points, respectively. They were more than matched by three Ritenour players in double figures. Down by 12 points entering the final quarter, the Bombers put on a valiant rally, tying the score 53-53 with under a minute to play. They could not stop the Huskies on their next possessions, however, and a free throw along with a late basket accounted for the final score. More discipline on both offense and defense will help the Bombers to better success in future games.
11/15--WHITE 47, BLUE 47 (INTRASQUAD)
The score was tied, 9-9, after the first quarter, but the Whites blitzed the Blues 19-8 in the second quarter and held on the rest of the way. Post players Amir Muhammad and Joey Esposito did most of the damage, combining for 37 points. The Blues were led by point guard Oscar Scully (13 points) and wingman Qadir Thompson (10). The defense on both sides needed to be better. Amir, Oscar, and Ihenna Eke-Okoro (Blue Squad) penetrated into the paint far too often. The C team will have to do a better job of protecting the gaps to be successful against Ritenour on Monday.
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