5 Quotes by Raymond Robertson

Two things happened that put Lab out ahead. First, Darrell Paul picked up three quick fouls in the first half and had to sit out the entire third period. With him out of the lineup, the tall Lab front line dominated the boards. They had twenty-two offensive rebounds and scored a lot of their points on second shots.

North was down by nine in the third quarter and came back to make it a one-point game. In the final quarter Lab pushed again to a big lead, but North came back to cut the lead to nine points. Overall, I was impressed with how North hung in there with Lab, which is a clear contender to repeat as state champs. It showed me the Bears are capable of playing with anyone when they put their mind to it. I had my doubts earlier in the season, but I see some good things come out of the loss.

Coach (Joel) Hawkins and his players went up and hugged Brandon after the game and complimented him on his competitive showing. I don't recall ever seeing Coach Hawkins react that way, but it was obvious he really likes the heart and effort of Brandon.

Coach Hill said the game was closer than the final win margin because the Bears were down by only five, but made several turnovers in the final seconds of play. He could not remember the final score, but said the Rams won by twelve.

Their height really makes a difference, but I thought they were impressed with the challenge made by North.