If you're a fan of long-range shooting and iron man basketball, Springfield was the place to be Tuesday night.
Branson utilized a first-half flurry of 3-pointers, zero substitutions and timely free throws down the stretch to defeat Parkview 43-39.
Paced by sharpshooters Nick Dapprich and Christian Powell, Branson hit a total of seven threes in the first half. In fact, Montana Myer's late first-quarter score represented the only Pirate basket to fall inside the arc.
Dapprich and Powell each knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to pace the Pirates with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Seth Wood joined the pair in double figures with 10.
Branson head coach Kirk Hanson praised his team's unselfish play and ball movement.
"I think we are improving, and that's good," Hanson said. "It was a good, overall team effort. Our scoring was balanced, the guys hit the shots when they needed to, and I'm real pleased with the victory."
Thanks to improved conditioning, a low foul count and a half-court, possession-by-possession tempo, Hanson was able to leave his starting five in for the entire game.
"I only played five guys tonight," Hanson said. "I'd like to play more, but I guess all that conditioning we do in the fall pays off. The guys were playing good in this kind of game, they're experienced and I didn't really see a need to put anyone else in."
Despite the barrage of early 3-pointers, Branson trailed at the half.
While the Pirates did most of their damage from the outside, Parkview found success in the paint. JT Brown and Camron Satterfield combined for 13 points in the first half for the Vikings. After tying the game up with a 4-0 run, Parkview took a two-point halftime lead on Brady Hill's turnaround at the buzzer.
In the second, Branson displayed a potent inside game of its own. Quick ball movement and open driving lanes created interior scoring opportunities for both Dapprich and Wood.
"At the beginning of the game, I made three threes in row early on, so that was really hot at the moment," Dapprich said. "Then I missed two of the next ones, and I realized I needed to get down low. I started posting up and was able to finish."
Branson twice stretched its lead in the fourth quarter to six points; however, Parkview responded each time with huge 3-pointers from Satterfield and Brown to cut the margin to a single possession.
In the end, timely Branson free throws helped to quell the late Viking rally.
Powell, in particular, displayed clutch shooting from the line, knocking down 4 of 5 free throws to close out the game. The Pirates' ball movement and quick passing late in the game forced Parkview to foul repeatedly in order to regain possession.
"That's our chemistry thing," Powell said. "We've been playing together a really long time, so that's where you see our chemistry come up. When we move the ball like that, we get really good shots."
Hanson was quick to point out his team's cohesive, unselfish play as a key factor in the big road win.
"What I really like is we're coming together as a unit," Hanson said. "We really don't have a stand-out guy, but when all five guys play together as a unit, it's really gratifying to me. Win or lose, it's good to see that all five guys are connecting."
Brown's game-high 15 points led the Vikings.
Both teams face difficult challenges on Friday. Branson (10-8) hosts Carl Junction on Friday, while Parkview (6-10) welcomes city-rival Kickapoo.
Branson – 43, Parkview – 39
Branson 11 12 9 11 — 43 Parkview 14 11 4 10 — 39
Branson Scoring: Nick Dapprich – 13, Christian Powell – 12, Seth Wood – 10, Montana Myer – 5, Colby Sutton – 3
Parkview Scoring: JT Brown – 15, Camron Satterfield – 10, Brady Hill – 5, Jordan Bollenbach – 4, Njenga Chatman – 3, Garrett Cunningham – 2 JV Score: Parkview – 45, Branson – 37
