The St. Pius (Festus) Lancers ran into a “buzz saw” which turned out to be very motivated and determined group of Bunker Eagles on Friday night in the Bunker Gymnasium. The Eagles led 31-9 at the end of the first quarter rolling to a 96-51 victory on Homecoming, 2026. The mood was festive at Bunker High School as parents, alumni and fans celebrated its annual homecoming event. Coach Rod Gorman presented Brennen Meloy a special 1,500-point commemorative basketball prior to the start of the contest. Meloy went over the 1,500-point mark at Festus on Jan. 30.
The Eagles had not played in a week; their last game was at Class 5 Festus earning a 55-50 win. This was the first home game for Coach Rod Gorman’s team since Dec. 18, a 73-47 win over fellow Black River League rival, East Carter.
The Eagles came out starting their seniors along with Meloy, who was “on fire” the entire game. The leading scorer for the Eagles went 8/8 from the three-point stripe, 5/6 (83%), from the free throw line and added a two pointer as well to score 31 points. The other Eagles scoring came from: Seniors, Brayden Radford – 26, Owen Sanders – 16 (scored his 1,000 point), Jayden Skaggs – 10, Junior-Chetan Calzado also with 10. Making important contributions were sophomore, Payden Lanham and Junior, Jackson Bryant combining for three points. Senior, Evan Bick earned a spot in the starting line-up on homecoming making stellar defensive plays.
Jaydon Skaggs stated his views on the great season the Eagles are having (record moving to 21-0.)
“We knew we were going to have a good team. Coach Gorman believes in conditioning and doing everything at a high level. We had the basketball in our hands going through all the off-season drills.”
Brennen Meloy, the 1,500-point scorer (more accurately 1,500 plus), in the history of Bunker R-III Schools, reflected, “We have an understanding of the importance of what this season means to our school and community. When we walk on campus through the middle and elementary schools, we see the excitement the students have. They understand what is happening; it is contagious.”
Owen Sanders went over the 1,000-point mark on a spectacular alley-oop, in-bounds play after Coach Gorman’s time out. A perfect pass made by Meloy allowed Sanders to soar above everyone for a memorable 1,000-point basket. The dunk left the crowd in a frenzy at the end of the first quarter. The entire contest was a complete domination over the Lancers.
“We shot the ball at a high level tonight. This is what I expect, I see our effort in practice, it was a great night for us,” a pleased Rod Gorman said after the victory.
It will be Senior Night in Bunker on Monday as the Mountain View–Liberty Eagles pay a visit to Reynolds County for both a boys and girls games beginning at 6 p.m.
