Branson boys basketball demolishes way to Section 7 ABCA bracket title

Lance Smith

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Branson boys basketball demolishes way to Section 7 ABCA bracket title image

Matt Brannon/The Indianapolis Star / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

Reigning CIF-North Coast Section champion Branson had no desire in waiting to kick off its Division 3 title defense in style.

The Bulls made quick work of all comers in June at Section 7, handily winning the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association (ABCA) bracket with a 65-42 finals win over West Point (AZ).

Branson's closest game came one round prior against Chandler (AZ), which it beat 58-48. Before that it opened with an 81-54 rout of Foothill (CA) and defeated Centennial (AZ) 68-50. The rest of the bracket had many more strong programs in it: Fairmont Prep (CA), Damien (CA), Windsor (CO), St. Bernard (CA), Sierra Vista (NV), Springville (UT), Rancho Verde (CA), Volcano Vista (NM), La Habra (CA), Skyridge (UT), and Tuscon (AZ).

Was this an indication that Branson has even bigger and better things in store for 2025-26 than last season? Almost certainly. The Bulls return nearly their entire core, including one of the best perimeter trios in the CIF-NCS and beyond in senior Chase Robertson and juniors NJ Gray and Heath French.

The biggest threat to Branson's chances at repeating in Division 3 is an Open Division selection, and it wouldn't be a shock to see the Bulls winning games at the Open Division level as they did in the 2023-24 season. In the two years prior to that, they repeated atop NCS D3. Regardless of what division they're in, they'll be a force this winter.

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Lance Smith

Lance has covered high school basketball, football and softball since 2019. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.