By Ted Waddell
GRAHAMSVILLE — January 1, 2010 — Bah Humbug! Just in time for the holiday season, the Bears of Tri-Valley played the part of Uncle Scrooge as they defeated the visiting Sullivan West Bulldogs, 69-61, on Wednesday, Dec. 23 in a non-league basketball game.
In the first quarter, the Bears outpaced the Bulldogs by a 17-8 margin.
But in the second period, SW outscored the home team 13-10 to cut its halftime deficit to six points.
In the third period, T-V (2-4) edged the Bulldogs 22-19. Although SW (0-5) held a 21-20 margin in the final quarter, the team could not overcome the quick start by the Bears during the opening eight minutes of play.
Early in the fourth period, the Bulldogs closed to within four points at 49-45 only to watch the Bears go on a 6-0 run to lead by 10 points with 2:54 remaining.
Thanks to a 3-point shot and senior forward R.J. Rosa making a pair of free throws, SW again closed to within four points (65-61) in the final minute of the game.
At the 26.4-second mark, T-V’s Bobby Beale stepped up to the foul line for two shots. On both of those free throws, the basketball rolled around the rim a few times before falling through the net to put the Bears up 67-61.
Khristian Newkirk led T-V with 22 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Mike Alvarez and Beale each scored 16 points.
R.J. Rosa paced SW with 20 points, while E.J. Franskevicz added 14 points.
T-V made 13 of 17 free throws (76 percent) and SW was 15 of 24 (63 percent) at the foul line.
“I thought the guys did a fairly good job,” T-V Coach Brian Tingley said. “They ran their offense effectively and did a good job controlling R.J. [Rosa], who ended up with 20 [points].”
In the first half, T-V limited Rosa to six points, but in the third and fourth quarters, he scored 14 points.
“He’s a good player,” Tingley said of Rosa.
Tingley noted that Newkirk had a good game on the defensive end of the floor, especially when it came to keeping Rosa from shooting beyond the 19-foot, 9-inch arc.
Tingley also praised Ross Bonnell, a senior who was suiting up for his first game as a starter.
“It was a challenging game for him defensively,” Tingley commented. “He has an advantage on one end of the court, but a disadvantage on the other end of the court. But he played decently on both ends.”
SW Coach Cliff Kelly declined to comment on the game.