The Musketeer Varsity Men’s team squared off against the Gibault Hawks last Friday night during their first Friday night game of the shortened season. The first quarter led fans to believe the game would be a tight contest. Both teams went bucket for bucket, with most of Red Bud’s scoring coming from inside the paint. Red Bud’s first 8 points all came in the post, with 4 first-quarter points for Mason Ferrell, and two apiece for Wyatt Cowell, and Parker Van Dorn. Junior Logan Cathel hit two jumpers to end the first quarter and tie the game at 12. Gibault’s three-point shooting was on fire to begin the second quarter as brothers Ian and Ryan Bollinger sank shots from beyond the arc on back-to-back drives for the Hawks. Gibault Sophomore, Daniel Darian, got in on the action with a corner three of his own. The Hawks went on a 14-0 drive to begin the second. Austin Grohmann ended Gibault’s hot streak with a quick catch and shoot field goal off the inbound. Red Bud scored only 5 points in the second quarter, as the tie game quickly flipped to a 30-17 Gibault lead going into the half. Red Bud forwards, Ferrell, and Van Dorn tried their best to keep Red Bud’s shot at a comeback alive to begin the third quarter with a quick 4 points, but Gibault’s offense remained scorching hot. 6’2” Gibault Junior Jude Green was unstoppable in the third quarter, attacking the paint relentlessly and ending the game with 16 points. Green’s euro step layup, along with his second-chance points at the buzzer stretched the Hawks lead to 51-28 entering the 4th quarter. Red Bud put up only a mere 5 points in the final quarter, as the game’s lead scorer Ryan Bollinger (19 points) did not let off the gas until the game was through. Gibault grabbed the win by a final of 63-32. Red Bud will face off against Valmeyer, Columbia, and Marissa in the upcoming week (3/1-3/6) as the hoops season begins to draw to a close.