Shootout Champs
By Chad Wilson Editor

Chad Wilson Photo The 2007-08 Varsity Bears claimed the 2007 Great East Texas Shootout championship with a win over Van.

The annual Great East Texas Shootout was another success for Brownsboro High School as the three day tournament concluded on Saturday night.

Sixteen teams competed in the Boys bracket and in the end it was the host team who claimed the tournament crown.

In a low scoring, hard fought game the Brownsboro Bears claimed their first Great East Texas Shootout title since 1997 defeating Van, the 2004 tournament winner, 43- 42 in the final seventeen seconds of play.

The game pitted Bears' coach Jeff Hutchins against his former school and coaching mentor, Jerry Cassell. Hutchins was an assistant coach on the 2004 GETSO and State Title winning Vandal team.

Hutchins had yet to defeat his former school as a head coach in two games last season.

Also adding to the pregame buildup, former Bears' coach Robby Parrish is now an assistant at Van.

Brownsboro took a lead from the start of the game as Keaton Parsell banked one off the glass for two. The Bears took a 6- 0 lead before Van struck for two.

Chad Wilson Photo Brownsboro's Seth Martin flies above a Vandal defender during the first half of play, scoring two.

The Bears maintained a lead the entire first period before Van tied the game with less than seven minutes to play in the second period.

Tristian Warren erased a brief Vandal lead in the second period as part of the Bears outscoring Van 13-8 in the period.

Leading 27-19 at the half the Bears maintained a lead the entire third period while the Vandals slowly chipped away.

In the final period of play the crowd grew louder and the game drew closer as the Vandals tied the game at 40 with 1:33 left to play.

Following a Vandal timeout Ryan Smith gave the Bears a brief lead 41-40 with :50 remaining before Jermie Calhoun gave the Vandals their first lead of the half 42-41.

Tristian Warren scored from directly under the basket with two seconds left in the game to give the Bears a 43-42 lead.

Van's final effort from midcourt fell short and the Bears' bench rushed onto the court to celebrate the win.

Chad Wilson Photo Brownsboro center, Keaton Parsell, led the team in scoring with 12 points as the Bears defeated Van 43-42.

With the win the Bears improved to 7-4 on the season and captured their third Great East Texas Shootout title.

Brownsboro's first two GETSO titles came in 1996 and 1997 with wins over Henderson. Both seasons it was an eight team tournament. Prior to the 1995 season the tournament was called the Brownsboro Invitational.

The Bears last trip to the GETSO final was in 2000 as they fell to Mexia.

Keaton Parsell led the Bears in scoring in the championship game with 12 points. Seth Martin scored seven first half points including the Bears' only three pointer of the game. Tristian Warren led the Bears in rebounds with seven.

Brownsboro defeated All Saints, Gladewater and Canton to advance to the final. Van defeated Kemp, Caddo Mills and Brook Hill.

Opening the tournament with All Saints the Bears came from behind with a strong second half to defeat the Trojans 49-47.

Chad Wilson Photo After the final buzzer Bears players stormed the court to celebrate their first Shootout title in ten years.

Three Bears scored in double figures in the win. Ryan Smith led the team in scoring with 12 points while Seth Martin and Tristian Warren each scored ten points.

Brownsboro played in front of its largest home crowd of the season.

The second half of play against All Saints gave the Bears the momentum they needed after falling to Malakoff on Tuesday prior to the tournament.

The Bears rode the wave of the momentum into the second game of the tournament where they faced off against Gladewater. Earlier in the season the Bears edged Gladewater 62-60 in Gladewater.

Round two of the GETSO was all Brownsboro as the Bears played good defense and scored seemingly at will.

Brownsboro outscored Gladewater 18-8 in the first quarter as Andrew Adair led the way with 12 points.

When the final buzzer went off Adair scored a team tournament high 28 points with two 3-pointers leading Brownsboro to the 74-57 win.

In the semifinals the Bears faced District 14-3A rival Canton.

Brownsboro made quick work of the Eagles as they started the game on a 9-0 run before the Eagles landed one of two free throw attempts.

At the half the Bears led by seven 31-24 after outscoring the Eagles 20-6 in the first period.

By the end of the third period the Bears closed the door on the Eagles as they held a commanding 20 point lead.

In the end the Bears defeated the Eagles by twenty, 62-42.

Four players scored 11 or more points for the Bears in the win. Martin and Smith led the team with 14 points each while Parsell and Adair each had 11.

Parsell, Adair and Martin each nailed a three point shot for Brownsboro in the win.

Tristian Warren and Smith tied for the team led in rebounds with six.

Canton defeated Brook Hill 50-34 to claim third place in the tournament. Huntington claimed the Consolation title with a 54-53 win over T.K. Gorman.

Brownsboro will play in the Martins Mill tournament beginning today and continuing through Saturday.

Great East Texas Shootout

Brownsboro Bears	8	18	15	8 - 49
All Saints Trojans	14	14	10	9 - 47

R.Smith 12, T.Warren 10, S.Martin 10, K.Parsell 8, A.Adair 11, Z.Bailey 2.

Brownsboro Bears	18	27	12	17 - 74
Gladewater Bears	8	24	13	12 - 57

A.Adair 28, R.Smith 15, K.Parsell 11, T.Warren 10, S.Martin 4, Z.Bailey 4, T.Rogers 2.

Brownsboro Bears	20	11	18	13 - 62
Canton Eagles	6	18	5	13 - 42

S.Martin 14, R.Smith 14, K.Parsell 11, A.Adair 11, T.Warren 7, T.Rogers 2, J.Dora 2, Z.Bailey 1.

Brownsboro Bears	14	13	8	8 - 43
Van Vandals	11	8	12	11 - 42

Parsell 12, Smith 8, Martin 7, Warren 6, A.Adair 5, T.Rogers 2, Z.Bailey 1.