BEARCATS PUNCH REGIONAL TICKET

The Booneville Bearcats are back in the Class 3A Region 1 tournament this year, punching their ticket with a 57-52 win over Hackett in the District 3A-4 tournament in Paris Tuesday night.

The third seeded Bearcats and seventh seeded Hornets, who had eliminated Danville on Monday, had split the regular season series with both teams winning in their home gyms.

The Bearcats (14-8) started the scoring with a 3 by C.J. Johnson and led the entire way, though it was seldom a lead large enough to relax.

The lead fluctuated between one and eight points through the first quarter, hitting eight for a second time on Noah Harrel’s second 3 of the quarter just before the first quarter buzzer, making it 17-9.

Closing out the second quarter scoring it was Raiden Ferguson hitting a 3 to reinstitute an eight point lead at 32-24.

Before that the Hornets (11-14) had cut it to 19-16 only to have Johnson convert the old fashioned three-point play and Ferguson hit a 3 and it was 24-16.

Johnson was score 10 first half points and finish the night with 12, one of four Bearcats in double figures.

Twice the Hornets got it to five but Harrel answered with his third 3 – he also finished with 12 points – and Jace Washburn had his first basket of the night to make it 29-22 1:45 before the intermission.

Washburn started the second half scoring and went on to score 11 points – another of four Bearcats to reach double figures.

Scoring six apiece Washburn and Fisher were the offense for the Bearcats in the third quarter, who twice led by 10, then the largest of the night, but eventually settled for a 44-38 through three quarters.

It was Fisher who would lead the Bearcats with 15 points on the night.

With a 7-0 run to start the final quarter – baskets by Ferguson and Washburn sandwiching a 3 by Harrel – the Bearcats opened their largest lead of the night at 51-38.

But Hackett scored the next four points and it was a single digit game again.

With 2:50 to go it was back to eight at 53-45 and the Hornets had an opportunity to draw closer after a missed one-and-one but couldn’t do so and Fisher scored after a long inbound pass to make it 55-45 with 1:13 left.

Hackett was within 55-48 with 52 seconds to go but the Bearcats made enough free throws to keep the Hornets at bay in the final minute.

The win moves the Bearcats into the tournament semifinals against second seeded Paris with a tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. Thursday night.

The Lady Bearcats, seeded second and who have not taken the floor this week, will also face Paris, the three seed, at 7 p.m. Thursday night.