WASHBURN SCORES 16 IN SECOND HALF AS BEARCATS PULL AWAY FROM PARIS

Jace Washburn did not play against Paris when the schools met for a football game last September. The Eagles would probably have preferred he missed Wednesday’s basketball game too.

The Eagles may not have come to that conclusion until the second half. Washburn had 3 assists and 6 rebounds but only 2 points in the first half.

Washburn (shown) had 16 second half points and finished with 9 rebounds and a couple of steals as the Bearcats (6-8, 3-3 Conference 3A-4) throttled the Eagles 59-35 for their second Conference 3A-1 win in as many nights.

Up 25-16 when the second half began, the Bearcats had expanded it to 32-21 when Washburn took the game over for most of a four minute span in which he scored 11 points with the lead swelling to 47-29.

Dakota Mattson, who finished with 9 points, started the final quarter making one of two technical foul shots and a pair of baskets by Aiden Carter and Washburn, with Washburn's second bucket being a conventional 3-point play had the Bearcats up 55-33.

Washburn's brother ,Tayden, added a free throw and a 3 by Noah Harrel made it 59-33.

That gave Harrel a game high 21 points.

The Bearcats started the game, which had been postponed on January 10 due to weather, by jumping to a 13-2 lead in less than five minutes.

Paris would make a run to get within 13-11 only to have Mattson drain a 3 to push it back to 16-11 through one quarter.

An Eagle free throw cut it back to a 4-point edge but Harrel would score 8 of his team’s next 9 – a Macolen Tillery free throw the exception – to build a 25-12 lead, which would be trimmed to 25-16 by the intermission.

Paris 59 Lady Bearcats 53 2 OT

In a game that saw neither side lead by more than 9 points all night and took two extra periods, Paris was able to escape Bearcat Gymnasium with a 59-53 win after eight extra minutes.

The Lady Bearcats (7-10, 1-4) scored the first 5 of the game but Paris went on a 9-2 run to take the lead before a pair of Haylee Taylor free throws tied it for the second of nine times, at 9-9.

Paris led 13-9 after a quarter but the Lady Bearcats retook the lead on a basket by Baylee Parnell and would close the half on a 5-0 run to go up 22-21 on Tempi Terry’s third 3 of the quarter.

Paris opened the second half with a 7-0 run to lead 28-22 but Taylor hit a 3 and the Lady Bearcats scored 15 unanswered to pull out to a 37-28 advantage.

Taylor, who led the Lady Bearcats with 17 points, had a second 3 in the run, both Parnell and Terry had two baskets each – Terry finished with 14 points and Parnell 12 – and Anna Ferguson hit a 3 as well.

Though the lead would be as small as 41-40, the Lady Bearcats led the rest of regulation, with the exception of with 3.9 second to go when a pair of free throws tied it at 44-44 and Taylor’s bid to win it at the buzzer bounced off the back of the rim.

Paris opened the first overtime session with a 3 for its first lead since a Terry basket had made it 30-28 with 3:08 to go in the third quarter, but Taylor answered that and a pair of Angie Brown free throws swung the lead back to the home side.

It was tied again at 49 but single free throws by Taylor and Terry made it 51-49. Paris again drew even at 51-51 with 21 seconds left in the first overtime.

The second overtime began with a Lady Eagle 3, half of the 6 straight Paris scored to take control.

The Bearcats and Lady Bearcats will play a third conference game this week Friday night in Mansfield with the girls game tipping off at 6.