Badgers batter Belton
LHS defense shines, holds Tigers to 12 of 46 from the floor

Heath Cofield: Senior scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the third quarter.

Scott Harrelson hadn't made it through the opening game of the season without wondering if he'd cost his Badgers a chance to register a win.

With a 39-38 lead late in the fourth quarter at Belton on Tuesday, Harrelson was charged with a technical foul, allowing Belton to tie the game at 39 on Trey Lippincott's free throw.

With a smile on his face Wednesday morning, Harrelson explained how the mental toughness of his basketball team bailed him out with a 45-39 win.

"Our defense really saved me at the end," the Lampasas head coach said. "I really thought I'd blown it for my team, but the defense played like a metal trap to close it out."

The Badgers (1-0) did not allow a point in the final two minutes, and point guard Clay Tyner connected on five free throws in the final 1:03 to seal the win.

LHS (1-0) is scheduled to play host to Anderson today at 8 p.m.

The Badgers committed 30 turnovers and made just 17 of 27 free throws, but offensive efficiency and defensive consistency helped LHS counter it in the season-opener for both teams. The Badgers connected on a sparkling 11 of 14 shots from inside the arc and 2 of 9 from outside it. The defense held Belton to 12 of 46 from the floor, including 1 of 15 in the second half.

"The team defense was very, very good, and everyone played together," Harrelson said. "The thing that impressed me most was that the guys on the bench were told by officials three different times to sit down. To me, that means everyone is into the game."

Heath Cofield led the Badgers with 14 points. With the game tied at 23 at the intermission, Cofield took it over in the third period scoring 10 of his 14 in that frame and giving LHS a 33-29 lead.

"Heath Cofield was a man last night," Harrelson said.

Tyner committed eight turnovers in the first half but redeemed himself down the stretch with the key shots from the stripe. Tyner finished with 13 points.

Heath Hopson had 10 points, including a key bucket in the fourth quarter that resulted from a Jacob Maceyra steal.

Fresh from the football field, Vann Millican contributed a basket, Coleton Lucas had two steals and Jonathan VanLiew grabbed some key rebounds.

"It seemed like everyone contributed something to the win," Harrelson said. "That's one of the things I like about this team: With 30 turnovers and a bad night at the line, there was no reasonable way we should have won that game, but we found a way to win. I think this group is going to be fun to watch all year because of that."