PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Jonathan VanLiew plays defense during the Badgers' 17- point loss to Burnet last Tuesday. Lampasas could not overcome the loss of three seniors in the fourth quarter, all sidelined with foul trouble. With foul trouble plaguing several key players on the Badgers' squad, Burnet pulled away to a 60- 43 victory on the road last Tuesday.

Seniors Jordy Carnes, Warren Scott and Jorge Mendoza all spent the fourth quarter serving as spectators from the bench while the Bulldogs rode the coattails of Tyson Denton, a 6-7 post, to victory.

Denton scored 23 points in the game, with many coming against undersized defenders after Scott's foul trouble kept him benched for all but one minute in the second half.

"[Losing Warren Scott] really hurt us," head coach Scott Harrelson said. "We had a tough time guarding [Denton], especially in the second half."

Lampasas 5-10 guards Jonathan VanLiew and Vann Millican often found themselves matched up against the strong, insider scorer.

Despite a lack of playing time in the final quarters, Scott scored a team-high 21 points, followed by 15 from Carnes.

Jorge Mendoza goes up for a layup during the Badgers' game against Burnet. In addition to forcing several players to the bench, Lampasas' foul trouble sent the Bulldogs to the free-throw line 51 times where they connected on 32 attempts.

The Badgers (1-3) shot only 27 free throws in the contest.

"[The referees] called a bunch of fouls, most on us," Harrelson said.

The numerous attempts allowed Burnet to take over the game in the third quarter -- even when it missed.

With Scott, Mendoza and Carnes burdened by fouls and 6-4 Heath Hopson nursing a sprained ankle, the Badgers were outsized on the floor, which allowed the Bulldogs to snatch offensive rebounds with ease. Burnet finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds.

Lampasas has lost three games since the injury to Hopson. The Badgers, however, received some good news over the Thanksgiving holiday regarding their star player.

After expecting to miss three weeks of action, Hopson is making a rapid recovery and participated in practice on Saturday. It is possible he could return to the lineup tonight when the Badgers travel to Austin for a game against St. Stephens.

"That would be awesome," Harrelson said.