With time winding down, senior Carlos Cintron hoists up a desperation shot against Jarrell. The attempt did not fall, and the Cougars held on for a 46-44 victory Monday night. The Badgers put on a show Monday night.

Unfortunately for the Lampasas faithful, it was a disappearing act.

After leading 42-40 late against Jarrell, the Cougars went on a 6-2 run, which included the game’s final four points, to win 46-44.

In the last 4:30 of the contest, Lampasas connected on just one field goal. To make matters worse, high-scorer Brandon Scott (11 pts., 4-8 FG) did not even attempt a shot, and the team’s centerpiece, Eduardo Davila, hit one of three shot attempts after failing to record a field goal in the second or third quarters.

“I told them going in that [Class] 2A schools live to beat 4A schools. They live for it,” Badgers’ head coach Scott Harrelson said. “The bottom line is that we didn’t live for the victory; we just played the basketball.

Ethan Byers releases a jump shot during Lampasas’ game against Jarrell Monday night. Byers posted nine points in the game and followed it up with an eight-point outing against Burnet. “That’s what I have to instill in them is to live for the victory. Live for the game, live for each possession; and we’re just not.”

Early in the contest, Lampasas’ defense was nowhere to be found, as Jarrell immediately built an 11- point wall at 14-3 between themselves and the home team. The Badgers were two of 10 from the floor in the opening period.

Despite the deficit, Lampasas managed to pull a rabbit out of its hat, going on a 14-3 run and tying the game at 17-17 before halftime.

A few minutes into the third period, Scott’s putback off a missed 3-pointer gave Lampasas its first lead of the evening at 24-23.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE One night after struggling to find his offensive rhythm against Jarrell, Badgers’ senior forward Eduardo Davila scored 11 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, in a loss to Burnet. The teams went into the final period tied 32-32 and traded leads several times before the Badgers went up by two, 42-40, on a Davila free throw.

Down by a point with under 30 seconds on the clock, Badgers’ senior guard Carlos Cintron missed a wild runner from an awkward angle, and Jarrell added to its lead after being fouled and hitting one of two free throws.

With one final opportunity to score, Scott lost control of the ball, and time expired as players tussled for control.

“It’s just a matter of making the right decisions, and we [didn’t] do that,” Harrelson said.

But it was not just the missed baskets in the waning moments.

The Badgers missed 12 free throws, gave up 21 turnovers and allowed Jarrell to collect a number of offensive rebounds.

“Turnovers and boxing out are two really easy things to concentrate on,” Harrelson said. “We just needed to make some routine plays, and we didn’t.”

The following night, the Badgers returned to the court against Burnet, and Davila vanished from the starting lineup. He was replaced by new addition Aaron Reyna.

In essence, the move was to relieve some pressure from Davila as he learns how to carry a team.

“[I wanted] to say to him, ‘You don’t have to be the guy. You can be if you want to, but you don’t have to,’ ” Harrelson said.

Lampasas played close enough to keep the game within reach, but the Badgers committed several critical turnovers late in the contest and lost their fourth consecutive game, falling at home 46-38.

Even without their primary weapon on the floor to start, the Badgers were able to build an early 10-4 lead as Colton Perkins connected on back-to-back 3- pointers, his only points of the evening.

Defensively, Lampasas limited the Bulldogs to just two-of-14 shooting in the opening period.

The Badgers hit 11 of their 30 shots over the first three quarters and entered the final eight minutes down by four points at 31-27.

Then, for the first time since the season-opener, Davila came alive offensively.

The senior scored seven of his 11 points in the final period, hitting all three of his field-goal attempts.

“That is what I expect of him,” Harrelson. “He got them quick, he got them in a row, and that’s what I need from him all game.”

But it was not enough, and Lampasas never got closer than four points at 41-37.

Ethan Byers followed Davila in the scoring column, posting eight points on four-of-six shooting.

Although the Badgers fell to 0-4 on the season, Harrelson was pleased with the effort.

“People are paying money to watch these boys play, and I want them to get their money’s worth,” the coach said. “I thought tonight they did. [Against Jarrell, it] was a close game, but it was pretty ugly basketball.

“I want to be entertaining. It’s a show, and I want to be entertaining.”