Middle School Basketball Heats Up a Cold River Rouge

The River Rouge Panthers hosted the Hamtramck Cosmos for the last regular season game of middle school boys basketball. For Coach Bralin Toney it was an opportunity for his players to showcase their development. The young Panthers were 9-0 leading into the evening. Finishing the season with a perfect record would be the perfect morale builder for the team.

The game started aggressively from tip off. Panthers and Cosmos were in a battle that canceled each other out. After twenty minutes of assertive defense, salient offense the score was deadlocked at 13-13. Coaches took their teams to the locker room to build a strategy to pull ahead. Rouge found rhythm as the second half commenced. The Panther offense played with hawkish focus, as the defense sharply applied pressure. Rouge pulled off a 39 point half and allowed six points. Finishing the game at 52-19.

Each coach was proud of their players and each other. Everyone is still learning, developing, and having fun. Regardless of the ending of the game. But Bralin Toney and the middle school boys basketball team can't have too much fun. It's time for the playoffs! Coach Toney had this to say after the game.

"I have a group that really listens! They understand me as a young man, they understand my story, and how I learned the game of basketball. So when there's time to hit the court I don't have any issues." Bralin Toney boasted about his team. "That's how the second quarter spurge happened. The players have developed from game to game. We allowed them to get out there and display their progress."