By Mitchell Ferreira

After a close first 15 minutes of play, Briercrest charged ahead and did not look back in a physical 91-72  win.

The visiting Olds Broncos (5-11) played a tight first quarter, leading the game for a portion of the frame. Briercrest led 23-20 heading into the second, but their lead was quickly erased after a sluggish start to the quarter. Despite a turnover-plagued start to the quarter, the Clippers finished strong with a 16-point run, ending the half 52-34. Building on the momentum gained in the previous half, Briercrest opened the half with a 15-5 run to all but seal the game. Briercerst played a quick-transition game, that effectively capitalized on Olds’ turnovers. Late in the game, fan-favourite Fred Fictorie entered the game, much to the crowd’s pleasure, and scored from the line. Veteran Caleb Klassen was a force all afternoon, forcing multiple turnovers.

Head coach Rod Adrian was pleased with his team’s performance.

“Moving to 11-1 on the season is a nice feeling, but we recognize in humility that we have a long way to go,” Adrian said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to journey towards our goals with the men, brothers, that we have on our team.  Read Romans 12 – our pregame Scripture to see what I’m talking about.”

“Player of the game, Gradyn Childerhose had a dominant performance, with Caleb Klassen and Matt Myers getting 7 assists each in the game,” Adrian continued.  Kendell Boese added 19 points, and Lucas Mannes contributed with 11 points.  The highlight of the night was that everyone made the score sheet with either points or assists.  It was a good team win that started on defense allowing the opponent to only score at a 32% pace and forced 33 turnovers.”

Players of the game were Colton Short for the Broncos (14 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and one block) and Gradyn Childerhose for the Clippers (game-high 32 points, eight rebounds and one block).

Game notes: Olds outshot Briercrest 86 to 71, converting 33%, compared to 45% for the Clippers. Rebounds were 57-41 for the visitors, with the telling stat being turnovers, which favoured the home team, who had 22 turnovers to 33 for their opponents. Briercrest out-stole 19-11 and won the blocking battle three to two. From the line Briercrest shot 71% (24/34), with Olds shooting 71%. Team leaders for Briercerst were Gradyn Childerhose (32 points, eight rebounds), Kendall Boese (six steals), and Matt Myers and Caleb Klassen both had seven assists.

Briercrest hits the road next week, taking on the SAIT Trojans on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The following week the boys return home to face the nationally-ranked Red Deer Rebels, in what should be an exciting affair.