WIDENER 3 PUSHES BEARCATS OVER LAVACA

With 35.8 seconds to go Tuesday night a free throw as part of an and-one opportunity gave Lavaca a 45-44 lead.

It was the third time Lavaca had scored a third point in those situations and it was the 59th free throw of the night– Lavaca was 17-for-31 and the Bearcats 17-for-28.

Sophomore Nick Widener took a pass from Jace Washburn and drained a 3 with 0:15 to go that eventually gave the Bearcats (5-8, 2-3 Conference 3A-4) a 47-45 win.

Lavaca took a time out with 7.0 seconds to go but a Golden Arrow shot to try to win it was deflected by Dakota Mattson (shown).

Mattson, who had hit a free throw with 50.4 seconds to play to make it 44-42, scored 11 on the night. He had also given the Bearcats a 41-40 lead with 4:04 for one of the 10 second half lead changes.

It was Noah Harrel, who led the Bearcats with 13 points, who made it 43-42 with 3:12 to play but there would be no scoring until the Mattson free throw with 50.4 seconds remaining – the teams combined to miss seven straight free throws before Mattson got one to fall.

The Arrows started the game by building an 11-point first quarter lead that would actually grow by one before the Bearcats chipped away behind a 3 from Wesley Fonseca, another from Harrel, and a pair of Mattson free throws to get within 4.

A pair of Aiden Carter free throws sandwiched two by Macolen Tillery to allow the Bearcats to draw even at 24 and after two at the line by Lavaca, two Widener free throws tied it at 26 going into halftime.

That set the stage for a contentious second half that saw neither side lead by more than 4.

Lavaca 49 Lady Bearcats 41

More than doubling their first half output in the third quarter the Lady Bearcats erased a 9-point halftime deficit, eventually taking a short-lived 33-32 lead on a Baylee Parnell basket with 0:30 to play in the third quarter.

Haylee Taylor hit a pair of 3s in the quarter and finished the game with 12 points. Anna Ferguson also had a pair of baskets in the quarter and would lead all players with 14 points.

Lavaca was able to answer the Parnell basket before the quarter ended to take a 34-33 lead and would eventually pull out to an 11-point lead before settling for the 8-point win.

The second half surge was the second for the Lady Bearcats (7-9, 1-3). After Lavaca built a 12-5 lead in the first quarter Ferguson and Taylor combined for the next seven points to tie it and a Parnell basket gave the Lady Bearcats a 14-12 lead after one quarter.

However, the only points for the Lady Bearcats in the second quarter would be a pair of Ferguson free throws.

The Lady Bearcats and Bearcats will be in action again tonight against Paris to make up games postponed due to the weather last Friday.