Brophy 59
Chaparral 54
By P. Erik Meyer ’14
THE ROUNDUP
Tim Kempton ’13 had a double-double with 22 points and Max Kufel ’15scored 15 points at the Broncos defeated
their rival, the Chaparral Firebirds 59-54 at home Jan. 11.
“It’s a huge one for us, especially since we’ve been in a bit of a slide lately so it’s good to beat St. Mary’s and Chap back to back heading into the second half of the year,” said Conor Triplett ’14.
Triplett finished with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Chaparral struck first, but the Broncos responded thanks to a Triplett three-pointer and didn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.
“We always talk about keeping our poise, that’s the first thing that coach wrote on the board,” Triplett said. “Make your free throws, take care of the ball and stop their little guards from penetrating, that was killing us all game.”
Chaparral kept the game close throughout and the Broncos never lead by double digits.
Kempton grabbed another double-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks; he shot six of nine from the field and made nine of his 10 free throws.
The Broncos held Chaparral to six of 18 shooting in the first half but fouls kept the Bronco lead from expending further.
The teams went into the locker room with Brophy leading 29-22.
Kufel had 15 points and three rebounds with five of 10 shooting, most of it coming in the first half.
As the second half began, Chaparral came out strong and narrowed the Broncos lead.
Brophy came back near the end of the third quarter and expended their lead to eight, 44-36.
River White ’13 came off the bench and finished with two points and two rebounds.
Head Coach Mr. Tony Fuller said he felt that the team was tired heading into the final quarter.
“I’m proud of our guys, I think they might have gotten a little tired there at the end,” Mr. Fuller said. “Great game, tough opponent, we hung in there and got the victory.”
The fourth quarter was filled with suspense and Chaparral cut the Bronco lead down thanks to a barrage of three pointers.
“The plan was to not do what we did, hold the ball and get a great shot,” Mr. Fuller said. “As long as we have the ball, they can’t score.”
In the waning minutes of the game, the Broncos were able to control possession and Chaparral was forced to resort to intentional fouls.
Starting point guard Austin Hammond ’13 helped the Broncos control the pace of the game and was four of five from the free throw line.
“That’s one of the better teams we’ll face all year,” Triplett said. “I think that that’s a big confidence boost that will take us through the rest of the year. The way we played defensively and on the boards tonight was a great indicator of how we need to play as we move forward.”
