All the odds were against the Diamond Bar boys basketball team as it faced the Bonita Bearcats on the road. However, behind the play of seniors Brandon Rice, Tyler Ginyard, and junior Lamar Johnson, the Brahmas came out of the hostile Bonita arena with a 90-82 victory, snapping Bonita’s undefeated home record. The Brahmas now have a 10-8 record and are second in the Palomeres League with a 2-1 league record.

“We did pretty good. Defensively, we stepped it up to another level. The score won’t probably indicate that I thought we did a much better job. Lamar played a much better game defensively. The Peterson twins (Tyler and Kyle) are always consistent. They give whatever they got every game,” coach Henry Frierson said.

The Brahmas came out of the gate on the right note as they scored 27 points in the first quarter while giving up only 16 points to the Bearcats. Six-foot-five Rice took advantage of his size and easily powered his way to the paint on each possession as he finished the game with 25 points. At one point in the game, the senior scored nine consecutive points for DB off pick-and-roll plays. Bonita slowly came back, managing to score consecutive three pointers in the final minutes of the first half, cutting DB’s lead to five. The Brahmas led 43-38 at halftime.

With Rice in foul trouble in the second half, DB’s guards took the spotlight of the game. The backcourt of Ginyard and Johnson was too much for the Bearcats. Ginyard was aggressive, drove to the paint, and went to the foul line numerous times. Johnson, on the other hand, scored many of his points off open three pointers. The duo finished the game with 38 points. DB was leading 73-56 after three quarters.

The momentum of the game quickly changed as the Bearcats started the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run, igniting Bonita’s crowd. The Brahmas were cold offensively as they could not score a basket for the first half of the quarter. With three minutes left in the game and Rice on the bench for fouling out, the Bearcats were itching their way back to the lead. After a timeout from Coach Frierson, the Brahmas executed a play to break Bonita’s full court press perfectly which led to senior Tyler Peterson silencing the Bearcats’ crowd and ending chances of Bonita coming back by swishing an open three pointer.

After a horrendous loss to the Claremont Wolfpack last Wednesday, the Brahmas are in great position to make a run for the Palomeres League title.

“The race for the league title is going to be tight all the way around. So every game matters,” Frierson said.