Outside The County-Maconaquah

Sectional results from Maconaquah

Boys Varsity Basketball falls to Oak Hill 67 – 66

The Braves were defeated by Oak Hill in the Mississinewa Sectional. The Braves finish 15-7, and 6-3 in the TRC.

Coach Burrus Quotes: “This loss really hurts. We thought we had Oak Hill. Shugart for them hit a very difficult shot for them to get the lead. The shot he hit was the result of us not wanting to foul in that situation. Our kids battled against the sticky defense of Oak Hill. To put the game in perspective… OH had 41 stops and we had 40. It was a true battle. Both teams wanted to win, bad.

I thought our team battled through adversity the whole game. It was a sectional game where someone had to lose. We competed and did everything we could to win the game. When you are playing in a survive and advance game everyone is giving their best. Our team laid it out there.

I felt Josiah Ball really worked for 33 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He battled cramps throughout the second half. He played through it. He made some huge shots including the shot to have the two point lead with a few seconds left. AJ Kelly scored 20 and really battled to keep Tonegal under control. Ethan Zeiser had 9 rebounds and 7 points. MJ Ellis had 7 rebounds. Fuddy Kile had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

I also wanted to talk about how impressive our fan base was at this game. Thank you for coming out and really getting behind our team!!! We had a huge crowd at this game. This game was played on a Wednesday, too. The team really appreciated the crowd. I just wish we could have kept playing.

After the game these kids and coaches were pretty much shattered. It was a tough locker room. I have found no matter how far you get it is always tough when the season has been like this. Our kids have played for one purpose all year. They care about each other. Lots of hugs and tears. The shock of that loss is tough to take. It is tough to end on a shot like that but it hurts no matter what round it is.

I also want to thank all of you who have reached out to me. I have heard from Brave fans in other countries, people at the game, and just people who wanted to reach out. A true test of a supporter of a team is when we have a bad experience you can still find a place in your heart to be supportive. To reach out, is letting someone know they are with you, regardless of the loss.

When I look at next year it will all start with Josiah Ball, AJ Kelly, and Fuddy Kile. They have done so much already. Josiah has been a player unlike any I have ever coached. What he accomplished this year was just crazy. He had players draped on him all season. We ran to get him some space. Most of the time, it worked. His numbers this year are some of the best in Indiana. We will be excited to see what Josiah can do as a senior. AJ Kelly became one of the best guards. He did everything for us. He defended very well and he handled the ball a lot. He also found time to score 380 points this season. 17.2 ppg. He will be able to build off this season. Something to watch for next year is AJ will be coming towards a 1000 points. Let’s hope he can make it. Fuddy Kile played through a lot of pain this year. He was great in all the hustle areas. He rebounded, assisted, got steals, and really defended. He also found time to score 9ppg in a variety of ways. He recovered lots of loose balls. These 3 guys will lead us to where we are going next year. We will do a lot in June to start preparing.

I wanted to thank our senior group for a great two years. In their 4 years Maconaquah won 59 games on a very difficult schedule. They were a group of seniors that all helped in different ways. I will always remember the senior group for all of the fun we had. I appreciate all the hard work. We had good practices and preparation, every day. That starts with Seniors!!! I appreciate all of your great personalities. Thanks for giving me a chance and believing in what we were doing for each week, or game. These guys were part of the County Tourney Champs Team. The Braves won the TRC and had 18 wins with Coach Maiben. They were part of 3 straight winning seasons. They also were undefeated at home this year. Nobody will ever beat that. Congratulations to Braxton Birner, MJ Ellis, Kaden Miller, Oakley Reeser, and Ethan Zeiser. Thanks Zilch!!! You guys made the most of your time.

Thanks to everyone who read this year. Remember, this is just my second year. We made lots of progress getting more things into these guys in year two. We had guys really step up to replace all Bauer Maple brought last year. He did so much but our team found a way to still win a lot without him. We will be excited for next year. We will have some new faces on varsity. We are excited to see who can help our 3 returning seniors. Some of our jv players will be moving up.I really appreciate Mike Kennedy and Wyatt Hughes. Both are great people, and great coaches. Also, we enjoyed all of our managers this season. Thanks for the season. Thanks for your support. Thanks for sticking with us through the wins and the losses. I appreciate your loyalty to us. See you soon.

Go Braves!!!”

Ball 33pts 8reb 8ast 1bl 1st

Kelly 20pts 2st

Zeiser 7pts 9reb 2ast 1bl 2st

Ellis 4pts 7reb 1bl 1st

Kile 2pts 6reb 4ast 3st

Miller 2reb