PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Heath Hopson releases one of his five 3-point attempts during Tuesday's 52-50 season-opening victory against Belton. The senior finished the night with a game-high 38 points to go along with 16 rebounds, five blocks and a pair of steals. When envisioning the season ahead, head coach Scott Harrelson did not predict a win in the home opener against Belton.

The coach figured his team would need time to gel and knock off the rust before it could compete with the athletic, long and quick, 5A squad.

That all changed the second the opening tip took flight.

From that point on, Harrelson began to expect the unexpected, and by the end of the game, his squad rallied out of an early eight-point hole without one of its best players to win 52-50.

"There was not a time that I felt we were going to lose the game," Harrelson said. "It's a tribute to these boys. They're winners, and they have a winning attitude now."

Having Heath Hopson on the floor did not hurt either.

The senior guard finished with 38 points, including the Badgers' final eight of the game, grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked five shots and tallied two steals, helping to offset the absence of starter Warren Scott who picked up a technical foul in the opening moments of the contest and found himself on the bench for the remainder of the game.

Forward Warren Scott tries to get a shot off in the early moments of Tuesday's game versus Belton. Scott picked up a technical in the opening moments of the game and sat on the bench for the remainder of the contest, but still mangaed to help lead his team to victory. The loss of playing time did not diminish Scott's contribution to the team, however, as he fulfilled the roles of cheerleader, water boy and even teacher to his teammates.

"With [Scott] on the bench, it showed this is a team thing," Harrelson said. "We were able to teach life lessons about anger and controlling ourselves. He was a leader on the bench, and I was really proud of the way Warren handled himself.

"That was a perfect example of how he has become a man."

Heath Hopson displayed his entire repertoire against Belton, connecting on a pair of treys, hitting his midrange jumpers and driving to the basket. In all, Hopson was 9-of-17 from the field and 18-of-20 from the free throw line. Lampasas (1-0) could have used Scott's big body early, as the Tigers rushed out to a 10-2 lead while the Badgers struggled to find their offensive rhythm.

"We do it all the time," Harrelson said of the early deficit. "It's my good coaching, I guess."

Once the initial jitters wore off, Lampasas began attacking consistently and aggressively, pulling within four points by halftime after connecting on 15-of-19 first-half free-throw attempts.

Following the break, the Badgers came out with renewed focus and intensity. Jordy Carnes' hustle at the outset of the half helped set the tone for Lampasas' comeback.

The Tigers' (0-1) lead grew to 10 points, 31-21, following a 3- pointer, but Carnes immediately answered with a trey of his own, sparking the Badgers' 19-11 run to close the quarter.

"I told them at halftime, `We must win the third quarter if we are going to win the game,'" Harrelson said. "And we did."

Junior Eduardo Davila (3-for-4 field goals and six points) connected on a jumper and dropped in a layup to start the final period, but down the stretch, Hopson's killer instinct took over as he scored back-to-back baskets, tying the contest at 48-48 with less than two minutes remaining.

"I knew my teammates could score," Hopson said. "But I just wanted it so bad that I took it myself."

Following a timeout, Hopson grabbed a defensive rebound, drove the length of the court and elevated for a layup, giving the Badgers their first lead of the night at 50-48 with just over a minute remaining in the game.

"That definitely wasn't planned," Hopson said. "My players were up and they could have got an easy layup, but I'm not the best passer when I'm running, so I had to take it the whole way."

A pair of Belton free throws tied the game, but Hopson returned the favor, posting the game's final points at the line.

Hopson went to the free throw one more time, but missed, giving Belton a long shot at victory with 3.6 seconds remaining. The desperation heave fell just short of the rim, grazing the net as time expired.

"I can't believe I missed that free throw," Hopson said of the game's final moments. "As soon as he unleashed [the last shot], I knew it was close. I didn't want to look, but I knew I had to.

"It was almost a heartbreaker."