Bears swarm Bulldogs early, claim area tournament title

“There’s always an extra energy that comes with postseason basketball,” Bears head coach Robi Coker said. “Both nights, I thought our guys were ready to go when the ball was tipped. I thought we were unselfish, very good defensively, played with great intensity. 

“It was a great start for us, obviously. It’s certainly easier to play in these games when you’re ahead.”

The Bears (26-6) host the loser of the Susan Moore/J.B. Pennington matchup in the 3A Northeast Sub-Regional round at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Geraldine (19-12) visits the Susan Moore/J.B. Pennington winner at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Plainview took command of Thursday’s area championship game by constructing a 26-8 first-quarter lead. White had a dunk, Levi Brown converted a 3-point play and Smith assisted Sawyer Fraley (eight points, six rebounds) with a layup during the opening stretch.

Jaxon Colvin scored a putback layup to start the second quarter and end Geraldine’s 5-0 scoring drought, making it 26-10. Connor Johnson scored a fast-break layup and Redick Smith swished a 3-pointer to pull the Bulldogs within 31-15 with 2:37 remaining in the half.

Plainview held a 41-19 halftime advantage after Jonah Williams (eight points) scored a fast-break layup off a steal, Dylan Haymon converted a 3-point play and Williams put in a buzzer-beating layup.

“(Plainview) jumped out to a big lead and we had to fight back,” Bulldogs head coach Jeremy Smith said. “It took a lot of energy to do that — I was really proud of the effort, though. We kept trying to get back in the game. It’s just hard when you turn it over and give them easy shots.”

The Bears’ advantage was 54-33 by the end of the third period.

Lucas Bryant finished with 11 points for the Bulldogs.