Pulaski Academy - Bruin Yearbook (Little Rock, AR)

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bv 5 4 's su' Q ag, Y- ewstxiliaf-.-hm.. ,R fkwl 33lsvg5fy x 3i s was fik V1 ,EW , A Fly like an eagle. Early in the season, senior guard Jason VieBrooks cruises in for a layup against J.A. Fair. VieBrooks started during the first half of the season but was hampered by injuries and was sidelined for the better part of the season. Pump 'n jump. Finding an opening against the swarming Palestine defense. Carson Hampson, junior guard, averaged over I5 points a game as well as provided the Bruins with quickness on defense. 2 LQ . sg PQ: Q-6 K +1-5 sf W' A' ' X' over CAC. CAC's 6'8 center. N A Men at work. Coach Gary Shoptaw discusses the game plan during a timeout in the tournament win .lump shot. Providing the Bruins with a big man who could shoot from around I2 feet on the baseline, senior forward John Lester scores on ajumper over Basketball! 75

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Flying high to number one On the season the Bruins outscored their opponents by an average of ll points per game. However, they failed to beat either CAC or Harding during the conference round robin. l was a little surprised that we couldn't at least split with CAC or Harding, explained Shoptaw. Nevertheless, when tournament time rolled around the Bruins were the hottest team in the league. They won their final two regular season games and proceeded to defeat Hazen, DeValls Bluff, Harding and CAC within five days to clinch the tournament trophy. Winning the District Tournament gave the Bruins a favorable position in the opening round of the regional playoffs. They beat Delta by three points and Sky high. ln the finals of the District Tournament against CAC, senior post-man Paul Crow jumps center for the Bruins. 74fSports advanced to the regional semi-finals against Palestine. When the Bruins opened up a 14 point lead in the first half, it seemed as though they would advance to the finals and on to the first round of the State Tournament. However, their lead was cut to one point at halftime. With just over 40 seconds remaining in the game, the Bruins had the ball down by one. The frantic Palestine defense prevented the Bruins from having a chance to take a reasonable game winning shot. The desperate attempt at the buzzer fell short and the thrilling season had drawn to a close. I feel the team accomplished as much as possible. Nevertheless, we felt we should have gone farther in the regionals, Shoptaw said. Inside move. Junior forward Steve Crane scores on a move down low against Humnoke. Crane came off the bench to help the Bruins defeat Humnoke by 10 points. ' ' Wes. A eng. .asf Eg uf' K Pj, . ig. ak X db ..... sv X .tw x 7. ri li' ivy,

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Flying high to number one With a home court win over Harding in January, the junior Bruins completed a perfect conference mark of 4-0 and captured the regular season championship, finishing the season with an overall record of 16-4, the best ever by a junior Bruin team. The squad consisted entirely of freshmen which gave them both depth and an edge in experience over their opponents. 'We had lots of good players, and I expected them to do well, explained Coach Gary Shoptaw. The Junior Bruins started the season a little unsure oftheir capabilities according to Shoptaw. As the season progressed they gained confidence and knew they had the ability to win. The players credited most of their success to the team's unity and togetherness. 'We always played together as a team and cooperated during practice and games, commented Dietrich Maune. All the players respected each other and the coach. With so many players out for basketball it was possible for P.A. to field an eighth grade as well as a seventh grade team. The eighth graders finished their season with a 6-2 record. The seventh grade team finished with an impressive 6-I record which included winning the CAC Invitational Tournament. Crip shot. Although freshman guard Jason Leavitt adds an easy two points in the opening game against Oak Grove, the junior Bruins lost the game, They bounced back, however, to win eight straight. .lunlor High Baietblll. Coach Gary Shoptaw, Rick Dowda. Scott Bray. Byron Brooks. Mike Selig. Chris McDonough, Jason Leavitt. Bruce Granger, Dietrich Maune. Mark Pace. Jack Oiten, Scott Dabbs, Lundy Colvcrt. Craig Smith, Chas Williamson, Jeff Noble tmanagerj. Trophy time. The seventh grade Bruins enjoy celebrating in the locker room after defeating CAC in the finals of the Mustang Invitational Tournament. i - .31 ., ., , 1 1 1 tg w . 'X-.usa X f . , i 35...- .MJF i ,, f .' F 'v 0 ' x A32 -Q n V . . IA Heads up. Against the opposing Oak Grove Hornets, Q 1, the junior Bruins jockey for rebound position. The W 1 .,-,.,,f Y S juniors avenged an earlier loss to the Hornets with a 4 ,IV4 E Q K 47-25 victory. K 'i jiri x 76!Sports ,I Y A j ,W ,, I