The Berkley Bears Junior Varsity boys’ basketball team traveled to Southfield A&T High School, home of the Warriors on Thursday, Jan. 30, for an OAA league matchup. The Warriors jumped ahead early and coasted to a 47-23 victory. The Warriors had won their first matchup against the Bears earlier in the season 47-30.
The Warriors, who move to an 8-7 record with the win, presented a tough matchup for the Bears, who’s record is now 4-11 with five games remaining on the schedule. “Southfield was on the attack, while I felt our Bears were on their heels,” said JV head coach, Paul Vance.
However, the intensity of the game wasn’t the only thing heating up the atmosphere. The Southfield A&T gym was unusually hot due to a building issue. Several Bears players who normally wear compression pants or undershirts changed before the game to adjust to the heat in the gym.
“The temperature in the gym was not ideal, but our team would never make excuses,” said sophomore Josh Bhagwan, who serves as the team’s captain. “We did our best to hydrate and compete. Southfield just took care of business.”
The Warriors jumped out to a 12-4 lead after the first period and maintained the lead with 25-11 at the half.
“Our goals for the second half were to be aggressive and play with passion,” said Vance.

Unfortunately, the Warriors continued to build their lead in the second half. The Warriors were led by Kendall Wood, who scored 13 points.
The Bears were led by freshman Ries Tuttle, who scored eight points, and sophomore Dylan Field, who scored four points. Sophomore Parker Roast chipped in four points off the bench, and sophomore Maciek Lyko added three. The Bears were without junior Jake Pitler (injured foot/ankle) and sophomore Greyson Scalzi (illness).
“Southfield A&T is a tough matchup,” said Tuttle. “They did a good job attacking the basket and rebounding, and we just couldn’t dig out of the hole we dug after the first quarter. We will watch the film, learn from the game, and come out ready to play next week.”
The rest of the program also played the Warriors. Freshman boys came away with a big win over Southfield A&T, 51-45, and were led by Isaiah Dagle, who scored 20 points. Varsity boys also fell to the Warriors, 43-39, led by Sam Sermo, who scored 11, and Quan Young, who scored ten. Similar to JV, varsity was playing short-handed with several players out with injuries including significant, top scorer, senior Jacob Friedman. As the season is nearing the end, all boys basketball Bears hope to finish strong and hopefully Varsity can make a push in the playoffs.