The Thayer Bobcats basketball team traveled to Bolivar, Missouri, for the 89th Annual Bolivar Liberator Tournament on January 25, 2024. They faced the Bolivar Liberators in the first round of the tournament. The Bobcats won 63-32.
An Early Lead
The only lead Bolivar had during the entire game was at the beginning when they made a free throw shot; after that, the Bobcats kept the lead. Both Mark Spencer (#5 for Bobcats) and Aidan Burns (#12 for Bobcats) had steals in the first quarter. With 1:59 in the quarter, Burns got a three-pointer to put his team up 13-3. Following that, Mark Spencer made a reverse lay-up. With a couple seconds left in the quarter, Devin Harrington (#3 for Bobcats) dunked the ball on an offensive rebound. The score at the first quarter was 18-5, with Thayer leading.
More Points Scored
Early on in the second quarter, Harrington dunked twice, but missed one and the other was not counted because of a foul. Bolivar had two three-pointers in the second quarter to help them stay in the game. In the last four seconds of the quarter, Young of the Liberators made a three-pointer. On the inbound, it was stolen by a Liberator who made the shot. The score at halftime was 29-16, with Thayer still leading.
Third Quarter
With 4:45 in the quarter, Easton Pitts (#1 for Bobcats) made a three-pointer for his team. Young made a two-pointer, then stole the ball and made another two-pointer, making the score 35-20. Bolivar made several points before the Bobcats got control of the game. The score at the end of the third quarter was 45-25, with Thayer leading.
Thayer Win
In the final quarter, Mark Spencer had two three-pointers. He also had two steals, which he followed up with lay-ups. Nearing the end of the game, Burns got back-to-back three-pointers. To finish off the game, Young of the Liberators also got a three-pointer. The final score was 63-32, with Thayer winning. In the three years Thayer has been involved in this tournament, they have beat Bolivar every time. Mark Spencer scored the most points for the Bobcats at 17 points.
Semifinals
Thayer will face off against Helias Catholic in the semifinal round of the tournament today, January 26, 2024, at 8:30 pm.
