Rhinos boys' and girls' basketball finish season with wins over Marysville

Twelve Bridges High's Raging Rhinos boys' and girls' basketball teams ended their inaugural season with wins against Marysville last Thursday. The boys finished 7-1 in Pioneer Valley League competition while the girls were 6-3. The boys' team won their contest 56-38 as they jumped out to a 27-12 lead at halftime and never looked back. Sophomore James Sweet led the way with 23 points. Twelve Bridges won their last six games of the season. "I think we got a lot better and I know there were times we may have asked too much but the last six weeks, I really enjoyed practice and we were comprehending stuff," coach Robert Ash said. "We shared the ball and there were times we took shots we didn't love but it was never malicious. Great group to start a program with." The Rhinos averaged 54.6 points per game on offense while limiting opposing teams to only 38.3 points per contest. For a majority of the season, Twelve Bridges had at least one player out but last Thursday night, the Rhinos were fully healthy and had four point guards and players who could play in multiple positions. The 2022-2023 season will be the first time the Rhinos will play as a varsity team. "I think our group is pretty good and they understand we are hard on them but we downplayed wins just trying to get better and they were very receptive," Ash said. "Our hardest test will be all juniors playing varsity, which is what I'm most excited for. Having a productive summer will determine how good we will be." Lady Rhinos come back to defeat Indians in overtime The Twelve Bridges girls' basketball team came back from a 25-15 deficit midway through the third quarter to force overtime and ended up winning their final game 45-36. The Rhinos were led by great defensive play, forcing more than 30 turnovers, including more than 25 steals. "It feels awesome to see the hard work come through and to come back from behind, forcing overtime is huge and uplifting," coach Chris Garrison said. Sophomore Jaisleen Kang led the way with a double-double totaling 21 points and 10 steals in the contest. "The big crowd that came to support us really had a big impact on me," Kang said. "Their energy mirrored my energy, therefore, it made me give my all on both defense and offense." Siena Cotta added 10 points for the Lady Rhinos while Faith Ratliff totaled 12 rebounds. Twelve Bridges finished the season with a 16-7 overall record. "This was a very memorable and successful season and we worked very hard to get the program up and running," Garrison said. The Rhinos won four of their last five games and played great on the defensive end all season limiting opponents to only 33.1 points per game. Kang and Cotta both led offensively, averaging just under 13 points per contest. "I'm really excited to participate at the varsity level next season," Garrison said. "It will be a unique coaching experience and I want to see how far we get."