BEARCATS BOUNCE BACK IN LAMAR

The Booneville Bearcats bounced back from Monday’s loss in Mansfield by pounding Lamar 60-38 Thursday night.

They did so with a pair of players hitting the 20-point mark. Colter Fisher led the way by posting 21 and Raiden Ferguson (shown) added 20.

The Bearcats (2-1) had pulled out to a 37-29 lead on a conventional three-point play by Fisher but Lamar avoided a shot clock violation when a 3 fell through to cut the deficit back to five at 37-32.

The Bearcats then went on a 23-6 run the rest of the way.

Fisher dropped in a couple of free throws that made it 52-34 and after Lamar scored for just the second time since the 3 to beat the shot clock C.J. Johnson, silent to that point, scored a pair of baskets to make the lead 20.

Wesley Fonseca would hit a pair of free throws before a pair by the Warriors wrapped it up.

Lamar had scored the first four points of the game and there were ties at 5, 7, and 9 before a 3 by Fisher and a putback basket by Noah Harrel gave the Bearcats a lead of five.

Harrel had a big first half with three 3s and 11 points.

The second of those came after Lamar used back-to-back 3s to take a 23-21 lead to give the Bearcats the lead back and they would lead the rest of the night.

Harrel's third 3 made it 30-24, matching the largest lead of the half but Lamar cut its deficit in half to 30-27 by the intermission.

The duo of Fisher and Ferguson started the second half scoring and the Bearcats led by seven at 34-27 prompting a Warrior time out.

Lamar 63 Lady Bearcats 33

Lamar had two key runs that doomed the Lady Bearcats (1-3). The first came in the second quarter.

The Lady Bearcats had trailed 8-3 before getting a 3 from Carah Miller, a free throw from Layla Byrum, and a basket by Karmen Kent, putting back her own miss, to take a 9-8 lead.

However, Lamar scored the next 10 points before Byrum put one in to beat the shot clock.

Still the Lady Warriors would pull out to an 11-point lead before Byrum scored after a rebound and Lexi Franklin scored after a Linley Garrett steal and it was 25-18.

Byrum had a career night with 14 points and Franklin was also in double figures with 11.

A pair of 3s closed the half and had Lamar in front 31-18.

Four Garrett free throws started the second half scoring and got the deficit back to a single digit and the Lady Bearcats eventually cut it to seven at 33-26 on a Byrum free throw with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

Then Lamar heated up again and the lead was 17 by the end of the quarter, 48-31.