Bernie wins battle of state-ranked teams

BERNIE -- Jake Owens erupted for 32 points as the Bernie Mules defeated Richland High School, 71-55, in a battle between state-ranked teams Tuesday night at home.

Owens knocked down eight 3-pointers, one two-pointer and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line to help the Mules down the Rebels in a SCAA game that was rescheduled because of a weather postponement earlier in the season.

"This was a good conference win for us," Bernie coach Brad Botsch commented. " Richland has a talented, athletic group that is difficult to guard. I thought we showed a lot of guts and poise in the 4th quarter and that enabled us to extend the lead on them late."

Bernie, ranked No. 8 in the most recent Class 2 state polls, held a 48-40 lead going into the final eight minutes of play before the Mules connected on 12-of-20 free throws in the period to nail down the win.

Owens was 8-of-12 from behind the 3-point line, while teammate Jake Smith recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and Jordan McGowan added 12 points.

"This was our 20th win of the season, and winning 20 games with the schedule that we play as a small school is no easy task," Botsch added. "We've really made some upgrades to our schedule over the past couple of years, and the kids have still found a way to win at least 20. I'm proud of our guys and we look forward to finishing strong."

Richland, which came in ranked No. 7 in Class 1, was paced offensively by Ryan Kleffer with 18 points, while Drew Thornton and Mikey Latham each scored 16.