BEARCAT RALLY BUT FALL SHORT IN ROAD GAMES

The Bearcats trailed by 11 with 4:21 to play in the third quarter Monday in Mansfield but would score 12 unanswered to take their first lead of the game.

Mansfield got a 3 at the quarter buzzer to go back in front but Reed Brackney tied it with 7:40 to play and baskets by Dakota Fonseca (shown) and a 3 by Sadler Miller gave the Bearcats a 36-31 lead.

There would be five lead changes in the final quarter and a tie at 43 after a 3 by Tayden Washburn before Mansfield pulled out a 48-43 win.

Brackney led the Bearcats with 13 points and Nick Widener scored 10.

Mansfield had scored the first 10 points of the game but the Bearcats cut it to a 3-point deficit at 17-14 on a Hayden Daniel bucket with 1:14 to go in the first half.

It was back to a 7-point deficit at halftime, 21-14, on the way to the largest difference of the night at 28-17 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.

In Lavaca Tuesday, the fourth road trip in five nights, the Bearcats fell behind 12-2 but rallied to tie the game at 14 and was still within 19-17 after a long Nick Widener 3 with 1:11 left in the first half.

Widener had hit his second 3 of the second quarter to tie it at 14 and his third of the quarter made it 24-20 going to the half.

Washburn had started the rally on the way to a tie and also contributed a couple of free throws and Rylie Swint also put home a shot.

The Golden Arrows however scored the first 20 points of the second half and led 44-20 on the way to the 59-31 final.

The Bearcats will play the first game on homecoming night Friday, tipping off at 6 p.m. against Mansfield.