BEARCATS SPLIT CLOSE GAMES

Nate Smith did not score for three quarters in Mena Tuesday night. His free throw with 3.4 seconds gave him four fourth quarter points and served as the clincher in a 52-48 win.

Against Lamar on Thursday the Bearcats had a 20-0 first quarter run but would not be able to hold on in a 54-52 loss.

Mena

Nate Smith, who handed out six assists and had seven rebounds, had a free throw with 4:19 to go to give the Bearcats a 45-42 lead but Mena hit a 3 to tie it.

Cody Sum, who was one of three Bearcats in double figures with 13 points, scored on a rebound to break the tie and a driving score by Smith made it 49-45 with 3:20 left.

A pair of missed free throws allowed Mena a chance to respond and the home Bearcats would take advantage with a basket and, a possession later, got one of two free throws to fall and it was 49-48 with 1:25 left.

Mena actually had the ball with a minute to go but turned it over and after Sum hit a pair of free throws to make it 51-48, he drew a charge on the other end to set the visiting Bearcats up for Smith’s clinching free throw.

The Bearcats took control of the game early with a 14-1 run over 3:37 of the first quarter but Mena, after a time out, went on a 10-0 run of their own.

The Bearcats big run included three 3s by Noah Harrel, who would co-lead the team in scoring with 16 points. A 3 by Aiden Carter capped the run and he too would score 16 on the night.

Carter (shown) finally ended a Bearcat drought of over six minutes with a basket at the 5:42 mark of the second quarter.

Wesley Fonseca started a 7-0 Bearcat run that included baskets by Harrel and Carter – all three on assists by Smith – gave the Bearcats a 25-16 lead with 3:38 left in the first half.

Mena chipped away again to get within 28-24 by halftime and got to within one with 6:36 left in the third quarter.

Sum, who scored only two first half points, would give the Bearcats a five point lead at 34-29 with 5:45 to go in the third quarter but Mena went on an 8-0 run to lead 37-34 with 3:25 to go in the quarter.

A conventional three point play by Sum tied it, a basket by Carter on another Smith assist, and a putback by Sum made it 41-37.

A 3 by Mena would cut it to one but Carter started the final quarter with a 3 to make it 44-40 before Smith’s first point of the night made a 3-point game with 4:19 to go.

Lamar

Noah Harrel had scored the lone Bearcat point over the first four plus minutes and Lamar had a 5-1 lead.

Harrel scored the next five points to give the Bearcats the lead and hit his second and third 3 of the quarter before Lamar scored again to build a 21-5 lead.

Cody Sum accounted for the remaining seven points of the first quarter and both he and Harrel would finish with 15 points.

Lamar twice got within 13 in the second quarter but the Bearcats kept the pressure on with Nate Smith, Macolen Tillery, and Aiden Carter all getting involved in the scoring on two occasions each.

Carter’s second basket made it 39-19 at the intermission.

It was also Carter who finally halted a 19-0 Lamar run to open the third quarter but a Harrel free throw would be the only other point in the quarter, but the Bearcats were still in front, 42-40.

Harrel started the fourth quarter scoring to make it a four point game but Lamar scored the next six to take its first lead since the first quarter with the go-ahead points coming on free throws after Smith’s fifth foul.

Baskets by Carter and Dakota Fonseca drew the Bearcats even at 46 and 48 before five straight Lamar points.

A pair of baskets by Sum cut it to 53-52 and the Bearcats had a couple of possessions but could not get a go-ahead shot to fall and Lamar added a single free throw – the Warriors were 11-of-22 at the line in the game – to set the final margin.

The Bearcats will next play at 8 p.m. Monday against Acorn in the 10th annual Bearcat Classic.