BEARCATS HOPE TO REBOUND THIS WEEK

The Booneville Bearcat basketball team will be looking to rebound from a pair of losses when they hit the hardwood this week for three games.

The Bearcats dropped a one-point decision to Paris, 48-47, in a makeup game on Thursday before falling to 5-4 in Conference 3A-4 play with a 52-40 loss in Charleston Friday.

At Charleston Friday Raiden Ferguson hit four first half 3s and when Evan Escobedo got one of two free throws to fall 1:41 to play before halftime, the Bearcats had a 21-19 lead.

However, the Bearcats managed just seven points over the remainder of the half and third quarter. By then the Tigers had pulled out to a 38-28 lead.

The Bearcats got a 3 from Escobedo to cut it to 38-31 with 6:25 to play but would not score until a conventional three point play by Colter Fisher five minutes later. By then the Tigers had built a 13-point lead.

Escobedo and Ferguson both scored 12 in the game with Ferguson adding eight rebounds and Escobedo grabbing five.

On Thursday the Bearcats were down five with 2:17 to play but got a basket from Ferguson, then a pair of steals that led to baskets by London Lee and Mason Goers to take a 47-46 lead with 26 second to play.

The Eagles then got a score with 12 seconds to go to go back in front and two contested shots in the closing seconds were unsuccessful.

There were five lead changes in the first half with the later giving Paris a lead they would keep until the Goers basket.

It also started a 7-0 run to give Paris the largest lead either side would have in the game but the Bearcats used three Ferguson 3s in the second quarter, the final one a bank shot at the buzzer, to get within 27-24.

Paris stretched the lead back to six in the final minute of the third quarter but Escobedo scored on either side of the break to get it back to three.

C.J. Johnson (shown) scored six points the rest of the way to go with two assists to keep the Bearcats close and had the steal to set up Lee’s basket that made it a one point game.

Johnson finished with 13 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, and three steals. Ferguson led the way with 14 points and Goers scored nine.

The Bearcats are at Waldron tonight to make up a January 11 postponement and are scheduled to travel to Danville tomorrow night and face Hackett for homecoming on Friday.