CONFERENCE RACES HIT MIDPOINT WITH TUESDAY'S GAMES

The Bearcats and Lady Bearcats reached the midpoint of the Conference 3A-4 race Tuesday night with losses to Lamar.

For the Bearcats the league consists of nine teams and they stand in the middle of the pack at 3-5 in conference play after a 71-50 loss.

Early on the Bearcats were deadly from beyond the arc, scoring their first 18 points on 3s and hitting a seventh before the opening quarter ended with Lamar leading 25-23.

Dakota Mattson had been responsible for four of the 3s and would finish with 14 points.

The pace would slow considerably in the second quarter but an Aiden Carter basket tied the game 7:03 before halftime and the Bearcats went on to open as much as a four point lead at 33-29 on another Carter basket due to goal tending.

A Jace Washburn basket with 36 second to play before halftime gave the Bearcats a 35-32 lead.

Although Washburn would score 7 second half points and lead the Bearcats with 18, Lamar used a 12-0 run to start the second half to take control.

Threes by Washburn and Wesley Fonseca twice cut a Warrior lead to 6 in the third quarter but it was 13 by the end of the quarter and Lamar continued to pull away.

In the girls game that started the evening the Lady Bearcats, who are 1-6 in league play at the halfway point, it was 15-1 just 3:13 into the game and the Lady Warriors remained in total control throughout.

Tempi Terry scored 5 first quarter points to help keep it a 14-point deficit through a quarter but it would be 43-14 at the half.

Terry finished with 11 points.

Conference play resumes with games both Friday in Cedarville, where the boys will play first, and on Saturday with Mansfield visiting Bearcat Gymnasium.

The conference tournament is set for the week of February 17 and will be played at Bearcat Gymnasium.