By: Brayden Peters
BLOOMFIELD, N.Y. - The Byron-Bergen Bees boys basketball team's historic season was put to an end, losing 61-45 to Lyons in the Class C Regional Qualifiers. The Bees were going in after beating Batavia Notre Dame 67-60 in Sub-Regionals. Before that, the Bees beat Alexander 52-46 to win their first sectional title in program history.
The first quarter was very back-and-forth. The Bees got out to a quick lead over the Lions, but the Lions bounced back to snatch it away from them. This was thanks to Lyons' physical defense and athleticism that allowed the offense to drive to the paint. The defense was all over Byron-Bergen, forcing a good few turnovers, blocking shots and not giving up offensive rebounds.
Lyon's offense was led by Devyn Williams, who recorded nine points in the quarter. He wasn't the only one hitting buckets for the Lions, though. Stephen LeBrechet tacked on seven points to help his team maintain their lead over the Bees.
Byron-Bergen did keep up with the Lions in the quarter. Braedyn Chambry was a threat in the paint, recording seven points as he tried to put the offense on his back. However, the Bees found themselves down 19-13 going into the second quarter. Head coach Roxanne Noeth hoped her defense would step up a little bit in the next quarter.
"We just needed to get stops on the defensive end," Noeth said. "It doesn't matter how many shots you make if you don't stop them."
The second quarter was similar to the first quarter. The Lions continued to hang onto the lead, but the Bees were right on their tails, ready to sting. Chambry received some help from Colin Martin, who picked up six points in the quarter.
However, the Lions' physical defense and athleticism kept the Bees at bay. Also, the Bees ran into foul trouble as well.
Lyons' offense continued to produce. Williams added four more points to his name while Jaheim Morris picked up four points in the quarter. This was enough to give the Lions a 30-26 lead over the Bees going into halftime.
The Lions began to pull away slowly from Byron-Bergen in the third quarter. The Bees continued to struggle to make baskets and Lyons' offense consistently capitalized on multiple scoring opportunities. LeBrecht, Morris and JJ Johnson all picked up four points in the quarter, helping the Lions enter the fourth quarter with a 44-35 lead.
Although it looked like Lyons was going to walk away with an easy win in the fourth quarter, Byron-Bergen gave them a run for their money. With less than seven minutes left in the quarter, Byron-Bergen's Brody Baubie started to get hot from beyond the arc, going 2-for-2 in his first two attempts. With those two baskets, the Bees only found themselves down 49-43. Baubie knew what the stakes were and what his team needed to do to pull off the comeback.
"We just knew we had to keep working hard," Baubie said. "We're working hard all the time. We just needed more shots to fall in."
However, Baubie got cold afterward. The Lions continued to find offensive production, allowing them to separate themselves from the Bees even more.
The Bees eventually had to foul the Lions, and the Lions did just enough from the free throw line to maintain a solid lead. Lyons went 7-for-15 from the line. Thanks to the Lyon's offense, they left Bloomfield High School with a 61-45 win. Although the Bees lost, Noeth was happy with the effort and fight her team had in the game.
"I'm not surprised," Noeth said. "I still liked our chances going into the fourth."
To end the day for the Bees, Chambry led the team in points with 13 and right behind him was Martin with 12 points. Baubie was the only other player for the Bees to record double-digit points, scoring 10 on the night.
As for the Lions, they also had three players record double-digit points. Williams was just shy of hitting the 20-point mark, as he scored 19 points. LeBrecht picked up 16 points and Morris scored 12 points.
With the Bees' season ending, they will be losing 5 seniors, 2 of them being Chambry and Baubie. Chambry was glad to fight alongside the teammates that he had for years.
"I wouldn't want to spend nine years with anybody else," Chambry said. "We love each other. We're going to fight with each other every minute of a game."
Baubie felt the same way about his team. To him, they were more than just his teammates.
"We're a family," Baubie said. "Everyone on this team is like a brother to me...I'm going to miss it."
With the win, Lyons will move on to Regionals. They will take on Randolph Central this Friday at Buffalo State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.