Brusly's season ends with quarterfinal loss to Iowa

Iowa's hot start in its home gym was a little too much for Brusly to overcome.

The No. 2 Yellow Jackets opened a double-digit lead early and held on for a 75-57 win over No. 7 Brusly in a nonselect Division II quarterfinal.

Edrick Snearl led Brusly with 20 points. Tyran Young added 15.

"They (Iowa) couldn't have shot it any better," said Brusly coach Kirby Loupe. "We talked about just kind of fighting through that initial wave of energy they had, that they weren't going to continue to shoot it that way throughout the game and they didn't. We were able to claw and scratch and get back in the game twice. I'm really proud of our kids for continuing the fight throughout the game."

Iowa opened the game with a 13-2 outburst. Dashawn Ceaser scored 11 points during the run and 14 total in the quarter as the Yellow Jackets built a 27-14 lead.

Brusly trimmed Iowa's lead to eight points but a couple of bad possessions helped the Yellow Jackets get the lead to 45-30 at halftime.

The Panthers scored the first seven points of the third quarter to get within eight once again, but Iowa responded with a 13-0 run to regain control.

"One thing I was really pleased with in that game was the moment wasn't too big for our kids," Loupe said. "We didn't lose the game because the bright lights got to us. We got beat because their team played as well as they can play. We didn't play bad, their team just played exceptional and it was too much to overcome."

Brusly's season ends with 23 wins. With only two seniors on the team this season, the Panthers hope to build on this year's success.

"A lot of ups and downs, which a lot of times goes with a young team, but this team was successful," Loupe said. "Getting to the quarterfinals, that's a real accomplishment. They need to be proud of themselves. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat this year. Now, we need to find a way to get those wins versus teams that are going to be in those final games."