Santa brought the BBHS Boys hoops team an early present over the break as the Braves strung together four straight wins.

Blanchet started off break with a 61-45 win over Seattle Academy, followed by a trip over Lake Washington to compete in the Bellevue College Holiday Tournament, where they went 3-0 and defeated Hazen, Inglemoor, and Kings in games that were all decided by 10 points or less.

BBHS finished the new year on a 4 game win streak, but as the calendar turned and 2018 was reigned in, Blanchet was looking at a tough stretch of games in the first half of January.

The Braves traveled south to take on a talented Rainier Beach squad in a tough road matchup. The 8-2 Vikings, headlined by national recruit Kevin Porter Jr, competed with the best high school basketball teams in the country at the Iolani Classic Tournament in Honolulu last December. Rainier Beach convincingly beat the Braves 78-39.

Blanchet then fell to Chief Sealth in their first home game of 2018. The Braves battled back after getting down early, eventually taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Sealth had the luck of the ref’s whistle go their way, and a few late calls saw Blanchet fall 52-50.

The Braves stayed home for their next game in a matchup with Ingraham. Another close battle in Ernie Rose saw the Braves be edged out yet again, this time falling to Ingraham 65-59.

After a hot streak to end the year, Blanchet has fallen into an 0-3 start to 2018. Senior TJ Kenny, among others, have taken note to the rough stretch and is ready to turn things around in the latter half of January.

“We have suffered injuries to some key players, so it’s a matter of the guys behind them stepping up and filling that role,” said Kenny. “We play as a team and I have all the confidence in the world every player can step up and play well for us.”

Junior guard Lester Sauvage took a fundamental approach to the needed change in the Braves performance on the court.

“We have to do the little things right,” Sauvage said. “Playing good, solid defense is key and we have to rebound and limit turnovers.”

Sauvage also gave the talent in Metro League a nod, noting that while Blanchet may not be the high flying show that some teams are, they play as a unit.

“We aren’t the most skilled team in the league,” said Sauvage, “But as long as we do the little things right we can compete with many teams.”

The Braves will look to get back on track Friday as they travel to Nathan Hale to take on the Raiders. Tipoff is set for 8 pm at Hale.