By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
STEPHENVILLE (January 24, 2017) — The ball sat on the rim for a long moment, a grueling moment that would end with Stephenville either alone in third or tied for fourth in the 8-4A boys district basketball race.
Then it fell off as the buzzer sounded, and the Yellow Jackets held on, 45-44.
Glen Rose just missed on the 15 foot buzzer beater after inbounding the ball with four seconds remaining. The Tigers got the open look they wanted, but the result was the same as two potential game winners earlier in the possession, both of which fell short, the last an air ball leaving a rebound that was snatched by Stephenville but quickly tied up by Glen Rose.
The possession arrow was in the Tigers’ favor, so Stephenville had to withstand one final shot before celebrating the one-point victory that gives the Jackets a half-game lead over Alvarado for sole possession of third in 8-4A. They are two games ahead of fifth-place Glen Rose, having completed a season sweep of the Tigers.
The Yellow Jackets host Venus on Friday, with tipoff about 7:45 p.m. following a varsity girls contest.
Blake Aragon hit two free throws to give Stephenville a 44-43 lead with 2:33 remaining, 14 seconds after Glen Rose hit the last field goal of the game, left corner 3-pointer to grab its final lead.
Clay Krause hit one of two from the foul stripe with 1:02 left, and it ended up being the final point of the game.
The last minute was a fitting end to an ugly contest that featured 26 turnovers by Stephenville alone.
Glen Rose missed and the ball went out to Stephenville before a travel in the backcourt in the face of heavy defensive pressure. The Tigers traveled themselves when a player sent stumbling to the court with 29.8 seconds left, but the Yellow Jackets committed an offensive foul on the ensuing inbound pass.
The ball was turned over both ways once more before the Tigers began their unsuccessful final assault on the Stephenville basket.
Aragon led everyone with 13 points. The junior forward skied for a one-handed floater in the lane that gave the Jackets a 25-23 halftime lead.
They built that to 31-23 by holding Glen Rose scoreless over the first five minutes and change of the third, but the Tigers hit a 3 to begin an 8-0 run to the end of the third, including another triple at the buzzer to tie it 34-34 entering the fourth. It was tied again at 38-38 with 4:26 left before Aragon scored and Mason Holstein hit two foul shots to put the Jackets ahead 42-38 with 3:31 remaining.
Glen Rose made two free throws with 3:21 to go, 34 seconds before the corner 3 gave the Tigers their last lead.
Krause scored nine with eight of those coming in the first quarter, when it looked like Stephenville may run off and leave the Tigers. The Jackets scored the first 8 points on an Aragon jumper, an ‘And-1’ by Krause and a 3-pointer by Cole Pettit. Krause hit another 3 to make it 13-3 before Glen Rose rallied, ultimately tying the game at 23-23 late in the second quarter.
Mason Holstein soared eight, Coby Vandenberg seven, Pettit three, Easton Jones three and Quade Griffin two.
Be the first to comment