A rough season for the Bourbon High School boys’ basketball team ended on Feb. 23 when the seventh-seeded Warhawks fell to two-seeded Belle in the Class 3 District 8 Tournament quarterfinals at Laquey High School, which is detailed below. 

The Warhawks finished the season with a 1-26 record, with their lone win coming on Jan. 16 over Viburnum. Bourbon won two games in the 2024-25 season, but looks hopeful to get back to its winning ways from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons in which the Warhawks won 17 and 16 games, respectively.

Bourbon didn’t have a senior on this year’s team, and will return its entire young squad, who earned valuable playing time at the varsity level, despite the numerous losses. 

Sophomore Dawson King took a major leap from scoring two points per game in his freshman year to lead Bourbon in points, assists and steals in his second season. King averaged 10 points, three rebounds and nearly two assists and two steals per game while showcasing his ability to shoot from deep three-point range. King’s season reached its peak when he registered at least 26 points in back-to-back games on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9 against St. Paul Lutheran and Crystal City.

Fellow sophomore Tariq Moore led Bourbon in rebounds with five per game, while providing toughness in the paint on the defensive end as well. 

Junior Owen Miller finished second on the Warhawks in scoring, rebounding and steals– averaging 9.5 points, four rebounds and one steal per game. 

Freshman Andre Nixon experienced growing pains in his debut season as Bourbon’s lead ball handler, but improved throughout the season while showcasing a scoring touch that should continue to ascend during his Warhawk career. Nixon finished third on the team in points, second in assists and third in steals. 

Feb. 24 vs Belle

Bourbon had a scary matchup in the first round of the Class 3 District 8 Tournament against a Belle Tigers’ team that dismantled the Warhawks 112-22 on Feb. 3 in Bourbon. The final score of the district matchup wasn’t as lopsided, but it wasn’t too far off. Belle scored the first eight points of the game before Bourbon junior Owen Miller knocked down a three-pointer to get the Warhawks on the board. Belle responded to Miller’s basket by scoring 25 straight points and the Tigers took a 33-3 lead after the first quarter. 

Bourbon had its best scoring quarter in the second frame, netting 10 points, but Belle’s ball movement and pressure defense overpowered the Warhawks as the Tigers took a 50-13 lead into halftime. Belle kept its foot on the gas and led 73-21 after three quarters before a continuous clock commenced in the final period. Despite the running clock, Belle poured in 22 points in the fourth quarter and ended Bourbon’s season with a 95-26 win over the Warhawks. 

Bourbon didn’t have a scorer reach double figures, but had three players score six points. Dawson King scored his six on two shots from deep, Bryar Stricklan scored a pair of baskets in the paint and knocked down two free throws and Andre Nixon netted a couple free throws and two layups. Miller finished with four points and Tariq Moore also scored four on a pair of tough finishes at the rim. Belle Senior Garrett Gehlert drained four shots from beyond the three-point arc and finished with a game-high 20 points. Fellow Tiger senior Hank Stratman added 13 points, including his 1,000 career point, which he obtained in the first quarter.