Closing out the month of October during the annual Bland Junior High Boys Basketball Tournament, both the Bland ‘A’ and ‘B’ Bear basketball teams were able to get three games on their home court in front of their fans.

Coached by Nick Halbrook and Jeff Schultz, Bland’s ‘B’ Bears took on Bourbon in the consolation championship game while Bland’s ‘A’ Bears faced off against Vienna’s Eagles in the tournament title game last Thursday night.

Sweeping their way through pool play, Bland’s ‘A’ Bears posted a 37-24 victory over Bourbon last Tuesday and a 50-37 win over Cuba last Tuesday.

In the championship game last Thursday against Vienna, Bland trailed 23-13 at halftime before cutting the lead to six after three quarters by a score of 29-23.

Both teams scored six points in the fourth quarter leaving Bland on the short end of a 35-29 final score.

Chase Sellers led the Bears with a team-high nine points while Jackson Prater scored six of his eight points in the second half.

Jaseton Rodgers hit a pair of third-quarter 3-pointers giving him six points to go along with three points from Alden Zabel.

Weston Sadler added a second-quarter bucket for two points while Dakota Stockton hit a fourth-quarter free throw for one point.

Zach Wansing led Vienna with a game-high 17 points.

Building up a 33-14 halftime lead last Tuesday against Cuba, Bland went on to defeat the Wildcats 50-37 behind 19 points from Prater.

Sellers also reached double figures with 12 points.

Zabel and Rodgers each added six points while Owen Dobson added all three of his points in the second half.

Sadler and Stockton each added two points helping all seven Bears wind up in the scoring column against Cuba.

During their tournament opener last Monday against Bourbon, Bland turned an 18-10 halftime lead into a 37-24 victory over the Warhawks.

Dobson paced the Bears with 14 points followed in double digits by Prater with seven of his 11 points in the first half.

Zabel netted all seven of his points in the third quarter to go along with two first-half points apiece out of Sadler and Stockton.

Sellers rounded out the Bear scoring against Bourbon on a fourth-quarter free throw for one point.

Out scored 30-8 in the second half, Bland ended up the wrong end of a 51-22 final score.

Kamdyn Struemph led the Bears scoring all of his team-high nine points in the second quarter.

Garit Trainor added seven points followed by three second-half points from Merek Nevills.

Buck Strunk added a second-quarter bucket for two points to go along with a fourth-quarter free throw for one point from Karsen Ridenhour.

Last Tuesday against Vienna, Bland’s ‘B’ Bears could not overcome a 19-3 first-quarter deficit before falling 54-21 against the eventual tournament champion Eagles.

Struemph led the Bears scoring five of his team-high eight points in the third quarter.

Barrett Zumwalt added seven points to go along with five points from Nevills.

Trainor rounded out the Bear scoring against Vienna with a second-quarter free throw for one point.

Opening the tournament against Steelville, Bland’s ‘B’ Bears fell 49-9 against the Cardinals behind five points from Struemph all on free throws in the second quarter.

Strunk also added three second-quarter points while Zumwalt hit a third-quarter free throw for one point capping Bland’s scoring.

Bland ended their season last night (Tuesday) in quadrupleheader action at home against New Bloomfield.