The Pilot Point Bearcats beat the Valley View Eagles 3534 Jan. 3, earning the Bearcats their first district win of the season.
The hotly contested matchup went down to the wire, but the Bearcats were able to make multiple clutch plays to hold on and win.
“We didn’t quite have the energy that we wanted, but the kids kept playing and fighting,” head boys basketball coach Jeff Price said. “At times it looked like a holiday game at noon, [but] these are games that you just have to figure out how to win when you’re going through a long district schedule.”
The Bearcats took an early lead, outscoring the Eagles 10-5 in the game’s opening period.
Pilot Point pushed its lead to 8 points in the second quarter and finished the half at 1911.
The Eagles found their rhythm to open the second half, going on a 9-0 run and taking the lead 20-19 with five minutes left in the third quarter.
The two squads continued to trade buckets for the remainder of the quarter, with Valley View maintaining the slight edge at 27-25 as the game entered the fourth quarter.
Pilot Point went on a 6-0 run, retaking the lead at 31-27 halfway through the final quarter, but Valley View battled back and tied the score at 34 with under 30 seconds left in the game.
The game came down to Pilot Point senior forward Isaac Baker shooting a pair of free throws after being fouled on the Bearcats’ final shot attempt near the end of regulation.
Baker made one of two attempts from the free throw line, which was enough to give Pilot Point the win.
“It’s a game of runs,” Price said. “… We padded our lead a little bit there, and they closed it back. They made the next run, and we had to make free throws. That’s basketball, but it was good for the kids. As they get more seasoned, they learn not to let the lows be too low and how to make the next play.”
Junior forward Jordan Young led Pilot Point with 16 points, followed by his classmate and fellow forward Kade Stuckly, who made two crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
“It feels good to get the win,” Young said. “We had a slow start to the season, but we’re starting to get back on a roll.”
Stuckly credited his clutch shooting to the confidence he’s developed working on his jump shot every chance he gets.
“I work on my shot every day in practice, and I just keep shooting,” he said.
Price said he hopes the win motivates the Bearcats as they move further into the district portion of their schedule.
“It was good to get that first one,” he said. “We lost a couple of tough ones to start the year, [but] we have two big games next week, so hopefully we can ride that momentum.”
