BADGERS TESTED
LHS boys go 1-2 in face of toughest competition this season

Left: Heath Cofield scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Antonian Prep. Right: Clay Tyner had seven rebounds and three assists in the 57-45 loss to the Apaches.

The Lampasas boys' basketball team opened the Fort Worth Brewer Tournament with a comefrom behind win against Lindale on Thursday, but erratic play led to a 1-2 finish at the tournament.

The Badgers outscored Lindale 28-17 in the second half to register a 49-47 win, but they lost 65-43 to Grand Prairie on Friday and 57-45 to Antonian Prep on Saturday to fall to 9-3 on the season.

"The tournament was a really good test as we start district on Friday with a game at Lake Travis," LHS head coach Scott Harrelson said. "We played all strong teams this weekend and saw where our weaknesses are and what we have to do to prepare for district. The opponents we faced this weekend compared closely to what we can expect from the top echelon of our district."

In the win against Lindale, the Badgers fell behind 16-5 in the first quarter and trailed 30-21 at the half, but the LHS defense stiffened in the second half and provided an opportunity for the comeback.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE

Jordy Carnes led the Badgers with 14 points. Heath Hopson had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Clay Tyner scored eight points, and Jacob Maceyra had four rebounds and three assists. Heath Cofield grabbed six rebounds, and Coleton Lucas had snagged four. Jonathan VanLiew recorded one rebound, but it helped seal the game with a few seconds remaining.

"Jordy Carnes and Coleton Lucas really kept us in the game as we struggled through the first half," Harrelson said. "Then the defense stepped up, got some stops, and we broke the press and got back into the game."

In the loss to Class 5A Grand Prairie, the Badgers jumped out to a 15-7 first-quarter lead and held a 22-16 advantage at the half, but Grand Prairie went on a 27-5 thirdquarter run to squash the upset bid.

Hopson scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Tyner had 12 points and five rebounds. Cofield had four rebounds, and Vann Millican had two assists.

The Grand Prairie coaches and players were about 30 minutes late for the game, forcing the Badgers to warm up twice.

"I really feel like we lost an advantage, having the kids wait so long before we played," the coach said. "We lost the mental edge we've had the last few games."

The Badgers mounted their lead by protecting the basketball and getting good looks at the basket. In the third and fourth quarters, turnovers hurt LHS.

"There was a segment where we had 16 straight turnovers and a missed shot to give us 17 straight trips without a basket," Harrelson said. "When you play an athletic 5A school, it's nearly impossible to overcome that. I used up all my timeouts and still couldn't stop the bleeding."

The Badgers closed the tournament in the fifth-place game against Antonian Prep, the thirdranked TAPPS Class 5A school in the state. They fell behind 19-4 and scrambled to get back in the game for the next three periods.

Hopson had 17 points and seven rebounds. Cofield scored 14 points and added eight rebounds. Tyner had seven rebounds and three assists. Marcus Swatzell had three assists, and Millican and Barry Postell added two assists apiece.

"I told the boys going into this game we needed to be very aggressive to start the game to again prove our worth to the opponent, the officials and the crowd because of our poor performance the night before," Harrelson said. "However, we opened the game by allowing the opponent to steal the tip out of our hands and dunk the ball to start the game. Once again, we were backed into a corner and needed to fight our way out."

The Badgers play host to Waco Midway at 8 p.m. today. On Friday, the Badgers are scheduled to open District 25-4A play at Lake Travis.