Van Buren overcomes long layoff to defeat Crawford County rival Alma

The Van Buren Pointers were glad to be playing basketball games after a 12-day layoff due to COVID-19 pandemic issues. “It’s nice to play again,” Van Buren coach Brad Autry said. “The kids probably felt strange, I felt strange. It felt like the first of the season again. It was awesome getting back out there.” The Pointers were also happy about the start to their first game since the first week of January and their first game against Crawford County rival Alma in three years. Jose Estrada swished a trio of 3-pointers in the first three minutes to pace the Pointers to a 56-41 win over the Airedales at Clair Bates Arena on Wednesday night. "I'm really proud of our guys for getting over some jitters early and getting ready to play," Autry said. Estrada’s 3-pointers led Van Buren to an early 9-4 lead with 5:44 left in the opening quarter against Alma’s zone defense. "Jose is more than capable of doing that," Autry said. "He’s done that all season in practice. We all expect him to make it when he shoots the ball." Behind a pair of 3-pointers from Drew Battles and a pair of inside buckets by Nathan Whalen, Alma took a 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Estrada, though, scored on a jumper to start a 10-0 run by the Pointers to open the second quarter. He closed the spurt with his fourth 3-pointer for a 25-16 lead with 3:17 left in the half. A 5-foot-11 senior guard, Estrada finished with 22 points, matching a season high, which he had in Van Buren's previous game, on Jan. 8 against Greenbrier when he hit five 3's. Back-to-back performances like that has given Estrada a boost in confidence. “It’s a great feeling,” Estrada said. “In basketball, you shoot the first one and you’re like, okay, it’s going to be a good night. You hit the second one and third one, then it’s a really good night. "I've been a role player, but I've stepped up and taken some leadership on the team. I'm finding my shot. It's feeling really good right now." Avery Salisbury added 15 points on Wednesday for the Pointers and a team-high eight rebounds, while Jaiden Henry had six points and seven as Battles led Alma with 15 points. Boys Van Buren 56, Alma 41 Alma 16 2 13 10 - 41 Van Buren 15 12 10 19 - 56 Alma (8-5, 2-3): Battles 15, McAlister 8, Whalen 8, Coursey 8, Taylor 2. Van Buren (8-3, 2-1): Estrada 22, Salisbury 15, Miller 9, Henry 6, Day 2, Myers 2.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

VAN BUREN OVERCOMES LONG LAYOFF TO DEFEAT CRAWFORD COUNTY RIVAL ALMA

LELAND BARCLAY

Times Record | 1/21/2021

PHOTO CREDIT: Pointer Media