HARREL, WASHBURN, MATTSON COMBINE FOR 62 POINTS FIRST TIME ON COURT

If you did not know that Noah Harrel, Jace Washburn, and Dakota Mattson were only 72 hours removed from a playoff football game Monday night you might not guessed as much.

The trio combined to score 62 points in a 72-67 loss to Lamar on the first night of play in the 11th annual Bearcat Classic.

In the first quarter it was Mattson shooting lights out. He hit from 3-point range to start the scoring and it so twice more in an 11 point quarter, with his third 3 giving the Bearcats a 14-12 lead. Mattson finished with 17 points.

A Washburn basket gave the Bearcats made it 16-15 for a fifth lead change of the quarter but a buzzer beating 3 for the Warriors made it 18-16.

The second quarter belonged to Harrel (shown).

Hitting four times beyond the arc Harrel scored 17 points in the quarter with his fourth giving the Bearcats a 37-36 advantage two minutes before halftime. Harrel finished with a game-high 24 points.

Another 3 from Mattson gave the Bearcats another lead at 40-39 but the Warriors retook the lead at 42-40 on a conventional three-point play.

In the third quarter it was Washburn’s turn. He first tied the game at 42-42 and would account for all 13 points the Bearcats would score in the quarter. Washburn finished with 21 points.

Lamar was able to open a seven point lead with 3:12 to play in the quarter but a pair of baskets, one with an and-one from Washburn closed it to 53-51 before Lamar ran off the next eight points to lead by double digits.

Washburn scored just before the quarter ended and started the fourth quarter scoring to cut it to 61-55.

Lamar pushed it to a lead as big as 11 at 66-55 with 4:25 to play but again it was Harrel , Mattson, and Washburn scoring the next 10 points on the home end and it was a one possession game at 68-65 with 2:12 left.

A basket from Macolen Tillery further trimmed the deficit to 69-67 with 1:30 to play but Lamar got an improbable shot clock beating 3 with 11 seconds to play that would close it out.

Lamar 66 Lady Bearcats 36

Lamar led by 15 by the end of the first quarter and that was as close as it would be the rest of the way.

The Lady Bearcats did get a strong showing from Raelynn Franklin as the sophomore scored her first points of the season, co-leading the team with 7, to go with 4 rebounds.

Tempi Terry also scored 7 and Angie Brown had 4 assists.

The early games Monday say Acorn beat Ozark 54-53 in girls play but Ozark win the boys game 72-27.

Both the Bearcats and Lady Bearcats will next face Ozark in the Classic with those games scheduled for approximately 7 and 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.