After travelling all the way down south to Rainier Beach to go head-to-head against the Vikings, boys JVC basketball achieved yet another triumphant victory, winning the game 68 to 51.

Coming off of winter break, Blanchet took on the Beach boys on January 4th. Going into the game the Braves had a perfect, undefeated record and looked to further solidify themselves as a major powerhouse in the Metro League.

Blanchet hadn’t faced much opposition before this game. In fact, the talented Braves had rolled over most teams in its path. However due to the reputation of Rainier Beach’s basketball program, the trip down south wasn’t one to be taken lightly, especially after time off.

“Playing a game after returning from Christmas Break can be difficult,” said head coach Mr. Padernos. “But I thought the guys brought high energy against Rainier Beach, which can be a hostile place to play.”

Rainier Beach plays with a very up-tempo style, one the Braves weren’t quite accustomed to going against according to freshman player Marc Joynt.

“The intensity and quickness was much higher than we had played before,” said Joynt. “We just stayed calm and played our game, matching them play for play”.

With the style that Beach played, high energy was a must-have for Blanchet. The Braves came out from the off-set matching Rainier Beach with a smothering, full-court, zone-press, that contributed to most of their baskets and set the tone.

“They couldn’t pass through it,” said freshman player Rolfe Zeisner. “We kept stealing it and running up the floor to score”.

Despite the successful pressure Blanchet put on Beach, Rainier Beach still only trailed by 5 points at half, proving to be a tough team. But even with the game in tight contention, the Braves didn’t let Beach gain too much confidence, as they quickly put the foot on the gas as the second half began.

“After half, the team just turned it up, and ramped up our energy even more,” said freshman Jack Prohaska. “We pulled away from them, going on a 10-0 run”.

The Braves were able to hold the lead for the rest of the game and ended up winning 68-51. Continuing their dominance made the boys very excited, along with coach Padernos who looks positively toward the future.

“Going forward, we’re going to take one game at a time,” said Padernos. “We’ve got a nice win streak, but our focus is working hard in practice, focusing on the little things, and making each other better.”