Tri-West came into their Tuesday night game at Brebeuf having won five of six and sporting a nice little 13-8 record in coach Tommy Stine’s second season at the helm in Lizton. The Bruins were in second place in their conference, and were probably feeling pretty good about themselves. Fourteen seconds into the game, that feeling was out the window. That’s when Austin Ford stole Bruins guard Daniel Thomas’ first pass after Tri-West had won the tip. Austin, already in motion along the right baseline, took two steps and fired a one-handed pass ahead to running mate Dylan Logan, who accelerated across midcourt and threw a perfect no-look bounce pass to a driving Chace Ford for a left side layup and Brebeuf’s first two points. It was the first “Oh no…” moment for Tri-West, who had a few of them en route to being blown out 85-46 by the surging Braves, who have now won eight in a row after losing 48-39 to Guerin on January 23rd. It’s Brebeuf’s longest win streak in 24 years, and it comes at the perfect time, as the team enters postseason play in search of their first sectional title since 2022. And while March is a fickle lover in Indiana, there’s no doubting the fact that Brebeuf Basketball had about as good a February as anybody not named USA Hockey. They’ve not only won games lately, they’ve been on cruise control, dominating their last three opponents: 76-49 over Heritage Christian, 90-57 over Ritter on senior night, and then Tuesday night’s 39-point masterpiece. What’s more, each of those games had a different leading scorer, as these Braves continue to selflessly share the role of lead singer. “I’m really proud of our willingness to trust each other, and the process of how we want to play.” said coach Allen Glunt after the game. “We’ve grown quite a bit in our ability to not allow the outcome of a possession or our own individual play dictate what the next play needs to be. Our intentions have been clearer and cleaner.” Intentions like: pressuring teams into creating turnovers, run run run, share the ball, finish at the rim. Return to that first play, the Chace Ford layup; it was all there on display- the theft, the speed, the passing, the finish. If you slow down the game film, you can see Thomas looking a little surprised at the moment of Austin’s theft: “Where did HE come from?” the Tri-West point guard seems to be thinking. Indeed, where has this Brebeuf team come from? From 5-5 after a first round loss to Pike in the Marion County Tournament on January 13th, to 15-6 and ranked #13 in 3A, one of the hottest teams in the state and riding an eight-game winning streak into Sectional 25 play next Tuesday night in Frankfort. The Braves’ first round opponent will be Tri-West, who will study the film and undoubtedly give a better account of themselves than they did Tuesday night. Win that game, and Brebeuf will play Lebanon Wednesday night. On the other side of the Sectional bracket, waiting like the troll under the bridge, is one of the other hottest teams in the state, 3A #5 Guerin, winners of 11 in a row, and the three-time defending Sectional champs. If you don’t think the Brebeuf seniors want a crack at Guerin, then you don’t know athletes. But first, Tri-West. March 3rd at Frankfort High School, in one of Indiana’s most historic gyms. Come cheer on the Braves as they seek to extend February excellence into March glory!