BOURBON – After 15 straight losses to start the season, Bourbon High School’s boys’ basketball team got in the win column after demolishing Viburnum by 41 points on Jan. 16. Bourbon head coach Danny Payne has shown patience throughout the season with his young squad, which is filled with underclassmen and one junior, Owen Miller. Miller erupted for a season-high in points against Viburnum, which is detailed below along with Bourbon’s other games against Laquey and against Grandview (Hillsboro). 

The Warhawks played on Jan. 20 in Kingston, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. Bourbon will then play three straight home games against Liberty Christian Sr. on Jan. 23, Houston on Jan. 30 and Belle on Feb. 3 before their next road game on Feb. 6 in Steelville.   

Jan. 13 vs. Laquey

The Warhawks ran into a tough 7-3 Laquey Hornets team that was coming off a loss to Miller in the finals of the Miller Invitational. The Hornets looked eager to take out some frustrations on the Warhawks and asserted themselves immediately from tip-off. Laquey poured in 27 first quarter points, including 15 from senior Kole Storie. Storie’s output was more than twice the Warhawk’s total in the frame. The Hornets led wire to wire and took a 27-7 lead after the first and 46-14 at halftime. Bourbon played their best in the third quarter, scoring 14 points, led by four baskets from Owen Miller. But Laquey kept their foot on the gas and coasted to a 80-29 victory over the Warhawks.  

Miller finished with 13 points to lead the Warhawks. Tariq Moore drained a trio of baskets near the rim and knocked down three free throws to finish with nine points. Dawson King chipped in three and Joseph Woods and Bryar Stricklan scored two points apiece. Storie finished with 19 points to lead the Hornets. Bourbon’s junior varsity team fell 65-31 in the first game of the evening. 

Jan. 14 vs. Grandview

Bourbon had little time to think about the Laquey game and traveled to Hillsboro the following night to take on the Grandview Eagles. The Warhawks fell to the Eagles 69-34 on Jan. 6 in the Battle in Bourbon and this game would turn out worse for Bourbon. The Warhawks offense was formidable in the first frame, scoring 13 points on baskets from four different Warhawks. But Bourbon’s defense couldn’t keep up with the Eagles as the game went on. Grandview led 26-13 after one and turned it into a rout as the game went on. Grandview led 47-20 at halftime before outsourcing the Warhawks 30-5 in the third to turn a competitive game into a blowout. The Eagles went on to pour in 93 points to run away with a 93-38 victory over Bourbon. 

The Warhawks received points from six different players, led by the steady hand of Miller, who netted 12 points. King buried a trio of treys and finished with 11 points. Woods made all four of his free throw attempts and scored six. Andre Nixon chipped in four, Jonathan Poole added three and Moore scored two to round out the scoring for the Warhawks. 

Grandview received double-digit scoring efforts from five players, led by Cameron Brooks and Logan Mercer, who scored 18 and 16 points, respectively.  

Dec. 16 vs. Viburnum 

The Warhawks led from tip off to the final buzzer against the Viburnum Blue Jays. Bourbon got out to a 18-7 lead after the first and broke the game open in the second and third quarters. The Warhawks led 36-11 in halftime before pouring in a season-high 22 points in a quarter in the third frame to take a 58-17 lead into the fourth. At that point, Payne emptied his bench and his team coasted into a 60-19 victory for the Bourbon’s first win of the season. 

Owen Miller scored a season-high 23 points, which included a trio of three-pointers for the southpaw. Dawson King knocked down four triples and finished with 16 points to form a dynamic scoring duo with Miller. Joseph Woods added seven points on three baskets at the rim and a free throw. Andre Nixon chipped in six and Tariq Moore scored all five of his points on free throws. Bryar Stricklan added two and Jonathan Poole knocked down a free throw and finished with one point. Grant Corrigan and Waylen Gillam scored four points apiece for the Blue Jays. 

This was a much needed confidence booster for the young Warhawks with 10 games still left to play in the regular season before Districts begin. Now that the weight of a winless season is off the table, Payne’s bunch will look to add to their win total in hopes of making a late season run.