The Levelland Lobos fall to 3-2 in district play after struggling offensively in Snyder, 49-43, Friday against the Tigers.
Managing two points by free-throws in the first quarter, the Lobos fell behind quickly to the Tigers as they mustered 15 points before the end of the first quarter.
Finding shot opportunities throughout the first, luck was not on the Lobos side as the ball hit every piece of the goal but would not fall into the net.
Trailing 15-2, the Lobos continued to compete on the defensive side of the ball, limiting Snyder to a nine-point second quarter.
Finding some semblance of offensive momentum, Levelland put together a 15-point second quarter to narrow the gap, 24-17.
Levelland Lobo Head Coach Parker Hicks was pleased with his teams effort and willingness to apply pressure to the Tigers on the defensive side of the ball which allowed for the Lobos to make a return in the second half.
Holding the Tigers to eight points in the third, the Lobos had another double-digit quarter scoring 11 points to make the game a little more interesting at 32-28.
Trailing heading into the fourth, Levelland evened the score with three minutes and change to play.
The Tigers were able to hang on as the Snyder hit 10-12 from the free-throw line for the 49-to-43 win.
“We got into too big of a hole starting out and it’s hard to come back from a 15-2 deficit,” said Coach Hicks. “The blame falls on me for not having our guys ready, but I am still proud of how they responded.”
Coach Hicks also added that there were times during the beginning of the season where the team would have called it quits after the first half, but this game was not the case.
“I think our guys showed everyone how resilient they can be in the face of adversity,” said Coach Hicks. “This also shows us how competitive district is going to be for the remainder of the season and we have to come prepared to play our best and fight.”
The Lobos were led by Eryk Jones and Taeshaun Jones with 10 points each while Jerry Haile would finish with eight points. Jayden Castillo added five while Konner Alexander and Carson Boggs scored three points each. Neamiah Campos and Zameron LeCroy both got two in the loss.
For Coach Hicks and his squad, they know their Friday night performance wasn’t their best.
“Looking back at the game, we’re asking ourselves how much better we could be on one of our good nights,” explained Coach Hicks. “It was a bit of an off night for us, but you still have to try to find ways to win those games even when you’re having those types of games.”