A 10 game losing streak hung over the heads of the Bishop Blanchet boys basketball team heading into their final home game on February 5th, but a familiar foe sparked the Braves to turn things around.

In what would be the final home game of the season, the Braves welcomed the Ballard Beavers to the Ernie Rose Gymnasium for a Metro League district game. The bout between the Braves and the Beavs was to be a rematch of a hard fought game in early December, a game in which Blanchet squeaked out a 41-38 victory.

But this time around, Blanchet didn’t have a key role player on the court. Senior guard TJ Kenny took note of this.

“We had big Jack (Shanahan) last time and his presence down low was a big factor into our win” said Kenny. “Without him, it’ll be difficult to match their size, but we can get the job done.”

The Braves did just that. With a smaller lineup, Blanchet set an up tempo and fast pace to the game from the opening tip. The Braves weren’t afraid to let it fly from behind the three point arc either, and as a result a staggering 65 points were put up on the fatigued Ballard defense. These 65 points were enough to lift Blanchet to a 15 point win and set a date with Eastside Catholic the following night.

Still riding high after a convincing win over rival Ballard, Blanchet crossed the 520 bridge and set out for the Issaquah Plateau where they would face Eastside Catholic. This game, which was yet another rematch for the Braves, saw BBHS fall 53-31 in the prior meeting between these 2 teams.

Senior John Broom knew what a loss meant for him and the rest of the seniors.

“We aren’t ready to be done,” said Broom. “We still have work to do.”

The odds were stacked against Blanchet from the opening tip, as the tired legs of the Braves from playing only 24 hours ago quickly appeared as a factor and Eastside Catholic took advantage. The Crusaders poured it on the fatigued Braves, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Braves fall 85-30.

That following Saturday, junior Lester Sauvage looked back on the teams season.

“We made some great memories and battled some great competition,” said Sauvage. “Our future is bright, big things to come!”

The Braves finished with an 8-14 overall record, but as Sauvage said, the future is bright. Braves basketball will be sure to entertain fans in the winter seasons to come.