The Bullard Panthers defeated Gladewater and Chapel Hill in varsity basketball action last week. (Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth McKamy) With the score knotted up in the waning seconds of the overtime period, Coby Greene grabbed a pass, stopped and tossed up a 3- point basket.

Bullard visited Chapel Hill in District 17-3 basketball competition Friday, Feb. 5, in an effort to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt. In the first half, it appeared that the Panthers would have little trouble recording their sixth win in seven district games.

Bullard raced out to a 24- 16 lead in the first frame. By the halftime buzzer, the Panthers extended their lead to 42-28.

Bullard Head Coach Robert Sampson described the game as two completely different halves.

“We just broke down in the second half,” he said. “I don’t think we rebounded well. We did not play good defense in the second half.”

The Bulldogs took advantage of the Bullard letdown by cutting into the lead. Chapel Hill outscored the Panthers 22-16 in the third stanza and entered the final period down on the scoreboard, 58-50. The Bulldogs played aggressive defense in the fourth quarter, holding the Panthers to 11 points. Led by Willie Clark, Chapel Hill was able to knot the score at 69- 69 at the end of regulation.

During the shortened overtime period, the two teams each scored five points leading up to Greene’s lastsecond field goal from long range.

Every eye in the Chapel Hill gymnasium was on the ball as it left Green’s hand and sailed toward the goal. Moments later, the shot popped the net for the winning margin, 77-74.

Sampson also lamented the poor free-throw shooting by the Panthers. Bullard connected on eight of 20 attempts at the line for 40 percent. Chapel Hill scored on nine of 16 for 58 percent.

While Greene’s 3-point bucket provided the winning margin, Lance Anding buried nine 3-point shots to keep the Panthers in the game. Anding finished as the game’s leading scorer with 32 points.

Clark paced the Bulldogs with 24 points in the contest.

Also for Bullard, Greene scored 14 points, Josiah Rosebury garnered 11 points, Daniel Howard added 10, Brandon Beavers pumped in five points, Marquez Franklin scored three and Jace Deese added two points.

Jordan Williams contributed 17 points for Chapel Hill, Jimmy Wade scored 13, Serrick Lee recorded 11, and Andrew Turner added nine points.

With the victory, the Panthers improved to 6-1 in loop competition and to 22-9 for the season. Chapel Hill fell to 3-4 in district action.

Bullard claimed a 50-36 victory in junior varsity action. The Panthers moved to 24-4 for the year and are undefeated in JV action. Chapel Hill recorded a 36-31 victory in the freshman contest.

Four Panthers scored in double figures to help lead Bullard to an 83-66 victory at Gladewater in District 17-3A basketball action Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Defense dominated firstquarter action as the two squads wrestled to a 13-13 tie. However, Daniel Howard’s 11 second-quarter points paced eight Bullard players who scored in the frame to help the Panthers pump in 31 points in the stanza and take a 44-28 advantage into the halftime break.

In the third quarter, Zavean Miller and DeQuentus Smith paced the Gladewater offense and cut the Bullard lead by two points going into the final period, 60-46.

Gladewater’s Ed Lee apparently found his long-range groove in the fourth stanza as he connected on four 3-point buckets. Nevertheless, the Gladewater surge was balanced by outstanding offensive play by Bullard’s Howard and Marquez Franklin, and by clutch freethrow shooting down the stretch by all of the Panthers.

The charity stripe proved to be a huge difference in the contest’s outcome. Bullard connected on 22 of 33 free throw attempts for 66 percent, while the Bears hit five of 13 charity tosses for 38 percent. The difference at the freethrow line was actually the difference in the final score.

Howard led all scorers with 23 points. Lee paced the Bears with 17 points.

Also for Bullard, Josiah Rosebury added 14 points, Lance Anding and Franklin each contributed 13 points, Jace Deese scored six, Ryan Wood pumped in five points, Koby Greene added four points, R.J. Horton popped in three points and Scott Starwalt hit a bucket for two points.

Also in the game, Howard led the team in rebounds with nine, Anding and Franklin each grabbed five, Greene collected four, Rosebury finished with three boards, Starwalt grabbed two and Deesa and Horton each recorded one rebound.

With three steals, Howard paced the defense. Greene, Wood and Rosebury each had one steal.

For the Bears, Miller finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks; Smith recorded 11 points, five boards, four steals and two assists; and Josh Williams contributed nine points and one assist, and he had one rebound. Lee also recorded three rebounds.

With the victory, Bullard improved to 20-9 for the season and moved to 5-1 in district competition. Following a tilt with Spring Hill Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Panthers were slated to host Gilmer Friday, Feb. 12, for senior night. Bullard will be at Tatum Tuesday, Feb. 16.