BARTLETT BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM PLANS TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER LOSS TO EAST

By AIYANNA LAUOFO
B-Town Rundown Staff Reporter

BARTLETT HIGH SCHOOL ⎼ The bleachers were full and the fans were loud as the Bartlett boys went head-to-head against rivals, the East High Thunderbirds last Friday, January 31. The starting five included seniors Leroy Manogiamanu, Michael Tosi, junior Bishop Tosi, sophomore Reason Timberlake and freshman Dlloyd Joseph. The boys were trailing throughout the game, but the energy was still up and the game was not over early. 

After halftime, the boys came out keeping it close with the Thunderbirds. Freshman Benito Carter clocked in to the game and racked up some points for our boys. Senior Keandre Glaze and Junior Elijah Lewis-Tufi checked in and maintained the status of both offense and defense. Although the time was running out, the boys refused to give up. They put up a good fight, but fell short in the end 52-36. 

In a post-game interview when asked how he stays motivated regardless of whether his team wins or loses, team captain Bishop Tosi said, “We always keep our heads up. With each win or loss, we can learn something that can eventually help us reach our long term goal in March.” 

With East being Bartlett’s biggest rivals, Tosi also stated that he deals with the pressure of the crowd by blocking out all the negative energy and focuses on his team and the Bartlett supporters in order to push harder to win. 

Stay tuned to the team’s next home game, Friday, Feb. 6 against Wasilla at the Bear’s Den.