The final game of Kylee Bruning's Arlington girls basketball career was Tuesday at North Bend Central.
The Eagles (9-14 overall) lost a Class C1 Subdistrict 5 semifinals game to the top-seeded Tigers (19-3), 38-22.
“She's been a trooper,” AHS coach Luke Brenn said of his lone senior.
Bruning grew up in the program, learning from players older than her. Brenn said the guard showed what she'd picked up Tuesday, providing leadership to a young team that won nine games.
“I'm proud of the girls,” the coach said. “They played hard.”
Ultimately, though, the Eagles' season-long struggle to score hurt them against the Tigers. They didn't score a field goal until the second period and had a rough night from the charity stripe.
“We just didn't convert from the free throw line,” Brenn said.
Junior Kailynn Gubbels led Arlington in defeat with nine points. Sophomore Keelianne Green scored five and Bruning notched four in her swan song.
“Our team grew, I know that,” Brenn said, noting what he'd heard from others outside of the program.
The Eagles showed that growth a day earlier, earning their semifinals position by moving to 2-0 against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder this season. After a 13-point regular season victory, coach Brenn's team won by the same margin Monday, 39-26.
The Eagles led by four at halftime and six after three periods, but all but put the game away with a 7-0 start to the fourth. Gubbels capped the scoring streak with free throws, pushing AHS' lead to 33-20.
The Raiders scored a pair of 3s down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to stop the Eagles from moving on to test the top-seeded Tigers.
Gubbels led Arlington with 17 points, while Bruning scored 10 to extend her career by a game.
