PITT 8 BOYS: Bulldogs hold off Cowboys for consolation championship
Jan. 22—The Bulldogs grit their teeth and battened down the hatches.
Battling with Kiowa in the final day of play at the Pitt 8 Conference Tournament on Saturday, Savanna turned up the dial both offensively and defensively —holding on for the 51-46 win to be named consolation champions.
Both teams made quick work from tipoff, battling back and forth. But it'd be the Bulldogs that found themselves ahead 11-10 at the end of the quarter, thanks to a three-point shot from Anthony Reagan.
In the second quarter, the Cowboys hit back with a triple from Noah Foris, followed by another from Jaxon Wills to jump into a two-possession lead.
The Bulldogs later trimmed into the lead with free throws from Braxton Leflore and an arcing three from Ayden Fry, but Kiowa responded with back-to-back long-range shots from Foris and Wills once again to take a 32-23 lead at the half.
At the start of the second half, Fry sank a three-point shot to get the Bulldog offense starter. That was followed by another three from Reagan, but the Cowboys responded with a triple of their own to end the scoring run.
The two teams kept up the gritty battle, but as Tracyn Edlridge roped in a tipped pass, he'd blast down to the court to put the ball up and in — leading to a 38-34 Kiowa lead heading into the final period.
Twine Palmer ignited the Cowboys at the start of the fourth, hitting back-to-back buckets to create some space between his team and their opponents. But the Bulldogs persisted, roaring back to tie the game at 44-44 with just under four minutes to play.
Judd McAlester broke the tie with a shot from the block. However, the Bulldogs used a free throw from Ty Hoffman and a 15-foot jumper from Edlridge to take a slim lead with under two minutes to play.
Defensive efforts kept both teams from scoring as the minutes turned into the final seconds. Kiowa would be forced to foul, stopping the clock and sending Eldridge to the line
He subsequently sank both of his free throws, putting the Bulldogs ahead by three. Kiowa moved quickly to get the ball on the other end of the floor, but its three-point attempt to tie would be tipped by Edlridge into the hands of Hoffman — who was immediately fouled with just seconds remaining.
Hoffman hit both of his foul shots, and the Bulldogs held off the Cowboys for the win.
Fry led the way for Savanna with 15 points, followed by Eldridge with 13 points, and Hoffman and Reagan with seven pints each.
Foris and Palmer led Kiowa with 12 points each, followed by McAlester with 10 points.
The Bulldogs will next host fellow Pitt 8 member Indianola on Tuesday, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
The Cowboys will next hit the road as they face off against Caddo on Tuesday, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
