Red-hot Bernie carries 17-game win streak into Class 2 sectional round

Sometimes a loss can be every bit as important as a victory.

For the Bernie Mules, they lost only one game this season, but senior John Nimmo and his teammates didn’t let a 51-49 loss to Portageville in the championship game of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament stunt their growth as a team.

The Mules followed that loss with a 17-game win streak that included winning the SCAA Tournament and regular-season championships, as well as the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Tournament on Friday night.

“The Christmas tournament … we had that tough loss to Portageville. After that, we’ve been on a roll,” Nimmo said. “(We) come in everyday at practice. … The whole energy around our school (was) we can do this.”

Bernie coach Jason Long wouldn’t call the loss to Portageville a key moment in the season.

“Never really thought about it too much. We were just in the day-to-day grind. We were going, going, going,” Long said. “Of course, we had goals. I try not to get caught up in that too much. I try to stay in the moment day-by-day.”

Bernie, who beat Advance 65-36 in the district final and carry a 26-1 record into the playoffs, will attempt to keep the streak going in a sectional playoff against Valle Catholic at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Jackson High School.

“I knew we were going to be good. I believed in our coaches. I knew we had a chance just because of the way our culture is, but I didn’t think we’d be 26-1,” Nimmo said.

The Warriors beat New Haven 52-49 to win the District 4 championship Saturday night at Crystal City for their third district championship in four years. 

The Warriors beat Advance 66-56 last season to win the District 3 title and Crystal City 73-63 in the sectional round before eventual state champion Campbell beat them 68-61 in the quarterfinals.

Valle lost only two players from last year’s team that finished 20-9: leading scorer Carter Hoog and Cory Stoll. 

Both teams feature junior-heavy rosters.

The Warriors return seniors Aiden Heberlie, Michael Okenfuss and Nathan Schwent and juniors Chase Fallert, Clayton Drury, Samuel Drury and Harry Oliver.

Noah Foster, John Nimmo and Kamden Powell are Bernie’s only seniors. Juniors Hunter Corzine, Tristan Johnson and Michia Schooley and sophomore Laterrence Robinson have been major contributors. 

With so many juniors, Long didn’t know what to expect from his team, as far as win-loss record was concerned.

“We started from Day One, the goal was to try to work as hard as we can everyday, see how hard we could push ourselves,” Long said. “I’m fortunate to coach a good, hard-working group of kids who like basketball.”

Four Bernie players average double-figure scoring: Johnson leads the Mules with his average of 18 points. Nimmo averages 14.8, Foster 14.4, Schooley 13.1.

While the Warriors didn’t post long winning streaks like Bernie, they won six straight in late January and early February, including a 64-61 overtime road win over Class 3 District 3 champion Kingston.

The Warriors carry a 16-10 record into the postseason and have been battle-tested along the way. They play a tough schedule, featuring games against 14 schools who compete in Classes 3-6. Many of those teams are members of the Mineral Area Activities Association of which Valle is a member, and nine of the league’s 12 teams have larger enrollments than Valle. 

Valle, who won the MAAA small-school division championship, finished 3-6 against teams with winning records. 

While the Mules didn’t face any schools from Classes 5 or 6, they are 11-1 against larger schools, facing nine teams from Classes 3-4.

Bernie finished 13-1 against teams with winning records.