By: Kathryn Hathorne

Twenty-five different teams from North Mississippi competed in a Brain Brawl for the Regional Brain Brawl Championships. Team Captain J. Robertson and team members Brandon Franklin, Ariel Keon, John Mark Busby, Jotavius Jones, and Corey Collins from Bruce High School competed in this competition nd won 4^th place.

The 4-person team played 5 preliminary rounds that consisted of two 10-minute halves. The team made player substitutions at the halves. In first round competition, Bruce beat Baldwyn with a score of 102 to 49. The second round Bruce played Pontotoc and won with a score of 67 to 52. Bruce’s winning streak continued with a score of 75 to 66 over Horn Lake. The only loss in preliminary competition for Bruce was in the 4^th round against Corinth with a score of 65 to 54. But Bruce regained their composure to win round 5 with a score of 76 to 47 over Itawamba Agricultural High School.

In the semi-final rounds, however, Bruce lost first to Southern Baptist Education Center then to Itawamba’s second team.

"The Brain Brawl was a blast! Not only was I able to apply what we’d studied in practice, but I also ended up needing facts I’d learned in school," said John Mark Busby. "I learned new things and met new people."