BILLINGS — Practicing free throws in an empty gym isn't glamorous, but it can be the difference between winning and losing. Jacob Bilodeau proved it for the Rocky Mountain College men's basketball team this past weekend.
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"The hours in the gym, guys getting in the gym with me and all of us shoot together, so those hours definitely paid off in the end," Bilodeau said.
"That happens and it makes everyone feel good and makes me feel like I made the right decision, because I trust that guy with my life," Rocky coach Danny Neville said of inserting Bilodeau into the game in the final minutes.
Bilodeau's two foul shots with 10.5 seconds to play pushed Rocky past The Master's (Calif.) 67-66 in a second-round game last Saturday at the Fortin Center and into the Round of 16 of the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City, Mo. But the Battlin' Bears feel like they're far from finished.
"We're pumped. Going to Kansas City our job is definitely not done. We've got a couple more games and our goal is to lift another trophy," Bilodeau said.
"We took a few days off and now this is an unbelievable trip. Kansas City, this is the real stuff now; 64, 32 — it's cool to go to regional sites, but this is the stuff," Neville said.
Throughout the season Neville and the guys have spoke extensively about how tight-knit their group is, and it shows on both ends of the floor.
"We go on road trips and I'm not having to arrange roommates and we don't have to do events to force stuff. They make it easy on us. I love being around this group and I don't want this year to end," Neville said.
Rocky, 30-3 and riding a 20-game winning streak, plays Frontier foe Bellevue (Neb.) in the Round of 16 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Mountain time. The Bears swept the Bruins in their two regular-season meetings.
