This past Monday, the Anton Bulldogs basketball team hosted the Floydada Whirlwinds, losing 69-63, after nearly pulling off the upset win.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 9-6 overall, but there’s no shame in almost taking down a class 2A school as a smaller end 1A school.
They had Floydada on their heels before losing two key players as Isaiah Alafa suffered a concussion and missed the fourth quarter, and Zian Martinez fouled out.
Alafa had 20 points up to that point in the game, and Martinez is one of the Bulldogs’ best defenders, so those losses played a major role in a tough outcome.
“While it’s easy to be frustrated with losing games like that, ultimately the goal of pre-district games is to prepare you for the ones that matter later in the season,” Bulldogs Head Coach Ezekiel Clay said. “This game definitely had that atmosphere, so it was good experience for us moving forward to the last half of the season.”
Coach Clay also acknowledged his team struggled coming right from Christmas break, but they still fought hard, which the score sheet reflected.
Every active player on Anton scored points in the game, highlighted by Shooter Campos with 21 points, behind a perfect 10/10 effort from the free throw line.
Other scorers included Xavi Avalos with seven points, Tiny Juarez with five points, Caleb Carlock and Joey Jiminez both with three points, and Kaden Starns and Zian Martinez both with two points.
Following the loss, the Bulldogs have the weekend off before returning to action on Tuesday at home versus Paducah at 6:30 p.m., looking to bounce back with a win.