Photos by Chris Darus
January 25, 2022
Billies best Bandera in three games Friday
By Brady Keane
BHS Varsity Boys Basketball coach
The Bandera boys basketball team led for most of Friday night’s game against Fredericksburg before foul trouble and offensive struggles late in the second half and overtime allowed the Billies to sneak away with a 55-52 win in District 28-4A play. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead before things turned into a back-and- forth affair by the time the second quarter rolled around. Tyler Moore converted a three-point play just seconds before halftime to give Bandera a five-point lead entering the break, and the Bulldogs led 34-30 at the end of three quarters after a buzzer-beating three from Kayden Brown.
Fredericksburg took its first lead of the second half at 42-41 with 2:38 remaining but the Bulldogs made it 43-42 after a pair of free throws from Brown. The Billies again led 44-43 at the 2:01 mark before
Noah Barnett connected on a reverse layup to give the Bulldogs a 45-44 lead with 1:38 to go. Fredericksburg answered right back to make the score 46-45 at the 1:10 mark, and then took a 47-45 lead with 18 seconds to go before Barnett tied things up with a heroic mid-range jump shot with under seven seconds remaining.
Fredericksburg’s final attempt to win in regulation was negated by a steal from Liam DeMarchi, who missed a potential game-winning half-court heave by mere inches at the final buzzer.
The Bulldogs struck first in the overtime period, taking a 49-47 lead on a post-move score from DeMarchi. The Billies again answered back though, knocking down a pair of free throws before taking a 51-49 lead on an offensive rebound and put back with under a minute to go. Fredericksburg extended its advantage to 54-49 after a hand ful of mental errors from Bandera, but Barnett knocked down a step-back three pointer to give the team one final chance to extend the game in the final seconds after Fredericksburg split a pair of free throws on the line.
Bandera’s final three pointer shot was just off, and the Bulldogs fell in a 55-52 heartbreaker to fall to 19-8 on the season and 2-1 in district play. Barnett led the way with 14 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals while Moore added 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Brown had 10 points, 5 steals and 4 assists, Ryan Perez had 7 points and 4 rebounds, DeMarchi had 6 points and 6 rebounds, Luke Barnett had 2 points and 3 rebounds and Gavin Ortiz had 2 points.
The Bulldogs will return to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night against state-ranked #6 Boerne before traveling to play Wimberley Friday night in the final game of the first round of district play.
Coach’s Notes: “I was extremely proud of the way our guys competed for most of the game Friday night. There is no question they play with a lot of heart, energy and passion. But we made too many mental mistakes to win a district road game, and our guys know that. It was disappointing because we played great basketball for the majority of the night, but we
learned an important lesson and are excited about having the opportunity to bounce back moving forward.
JV
The Bandera JV boys basketball team used a strong third quarter effort to have a chance at pulling off a comeback but ultimately fell to Fredericksburg, 37-34 Friday night. The Bulldogs struggled to find their offensive footing as the Billies allowed just 14 first half points and took an eight point lead into the halftime break. But Bandera got into a bit of a rhythm, trimming it to just a two point game entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams locked up defensively in the final eight minutes though, and the Bulldogs were unable to complete their comeback effort. Alex Dirck scored 8 points, Jorge Cabasos and Salvador Enriquez scored 7 eac, Hank Pate and Isaac Segura had 6 each and Kyle Moore added 2 points in the loss. The Bulldogs dropped to 13-7 on the season and 1-2 in district play, and will re turn to action Tuesday at home against Boerne with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
Freshmen
The Bandera freshman team jumped out to an early lead on Fredericksburg before foul trouble and turnovers allowed the Billies to build momentum and ultimately secure the victory.
The Bulldogs had all of the energy and momentum in the game in the first quarter before Fredericksburg began to find some success in the second. Bandera held off the rally for most of the third, but Fredericksburg climbed ahead early in the fourth and forced the short-
handed Bulldogs to play from behind. Turnovers and missed free throws made it tough on Bandera, while the Billies excelled from the free throw line down the stretch.
Box score and stats from the game were not available.
The freshmen fell to 8-9 on the season and 0-3 in district play and will return to action at 5 p.m. Tuesday night against Boerne.
Last Tuesday night, the Bandera varsity boys basketball team overcame a wild first quarter and gradually pulled away from Canyon Lake in a 69-45 win. The Bulldogs trailed 17-16 at the end of the first but outscored the Hawks 38-13 over the next two quarters.
Bandera used a combination of intensity on defense, fast break scoring and a strong shooting performance to pick up the team’s third consecutive win. Ten of the 11 varsity Bulldogs contributed on the scoreboard while all 11 were able to impact the game with theirplay on the defensive end.
Tyler Moore had a team-high 20 points and chipped in 8 rebounds and 4 steals while Noah Barnet t had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Ryan Perez had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Kayden Brown had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Eli Salas had 5 points, Gavin Ortiz had 3 points, Liam DeMarchi had 2 points and 7 rebounds, Kyle Morgan had 2 points and 3 rebounds, Luke Barnett had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Braden Cox had 1 point and 2 rebounds and Joseph Kennedy had a rebound and an assist.
Bandera improved to 19-7 on the season and 2-0 in District 28– 4A play with the victory and will shift its focus to an important road game on Friday, when the Bulldogs will travel to take on Fredericksburg. Bandera has lost 14 consecutive games against the Billies dating back to 2014,
and the Bulldogs will be playing for a chance to remain atop the district
standings after knocking off Davenport and Canyon Lake to open district play.
Coach’s Notes: “I was extremely proud of the energy, effort and togetherness our team played with Tuesday night. Ten of our 11 players scored and everyone contributed in one way or another to the win. We shot the ball well, and played well defensively after a crazy first quarter. We’re fired up to be 2-0 in district but definitely are not satisfied. Friday is a huge game for us on the road in Fredericksburg and we’re looking forward to the opportun ity to pull off an upset.”
District 28-4A
Varsity standings: Boerne 2-0; Wimberley 2-0; Bandera 2-0; Fredericksburg 0- 2; Davenport 0-2; Canyon Lake 0-2
JV
The Bandera JV basketball team got off to a slow start but responded with a strong effort in the second and third quarter to take down Canyon Lake in an exciting 69 -67 finish Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs trailed 21-14 at the end of the first but outscored the Hawks 36-24 in the next two quarters to build a slim lead entering the fourth. Bandera got just enough stops on the defensive end to hold off a hot shooting performance from Canyon Lake, and a pair of clutch free throws from sophomore Cale Barnett helped to seal the victory. Sophomore Alex Dirck finished with a team-high 18 points in the win while Barnett added 15 points and several assists, running the Bulldogs’ offense efficiently. Hank Pate scored 13 points, Isaac Segura had 10 points, Salvador Enriquez had 8 points, Jorge Cabasos added 3 and Rance Roden had 2 in the win for Bandera. The Bulldogs moved to 13-6 on the season and 1-1 in district play with the victory.
Freshmen
The Bandera freshman boys basketball team took the court Tuesday night missing a handful of key contributors but gave Canyon Lake everything it could handle in a heartbreaking 31-30 loss.
Bandera jumped out to an early lead behind the hot shooting of Jace Knowles, who knocked down a pair of 3-point shots in the first quarter. Canyon Lake responded in the second half with a strong shooting effort of its own, outscoring the Bulldogs 9-4 in the fourth quarter to steal the come-from-behind win.
Knowles and Gattlin Winkler finished with a team-high 10 points each while Gavin Spruell had 4 points. Dylan Peace, Ibra ham MacNeil and Hayden Winters each scored 2 for the Bulldogs.
Fredericksburg took its first lead of the second half at 42-41 with 2:38 remaining but the Bulldogs made it 43-42 after a pair of free throws from Brown. The Billies again led 44-43 at the 2:01 mark before
Noah Barnett connected on a reverse layup to give the Bulldogs a 45-44 lead with 1:38 to go. Fredericksburg answered right back to make the score 46-45 at the 1:10 mark, and then took a 47-45 lead with 18 seconds to go before Barnett tied things up with a heroic mid-range jump shot with under seven seconds remaining.
Fredericksburg’s final attempt to win in regulation was negated by a steal from Liam DeMarchi, who missed a potential game-winning half-court heave by mere inches at the final buzzer.
The Bulldogs struck first in the overtime period, taking a 49-47 lead on a post-move score from DeMarchi. The Billies again answered back though, knocking down a pair of free throws before taking a 51-49 lead on an offensive rebound and put back with under a minute to go. Fredericksburg extended its advantage to 54-49 after a hand ful of mental errors from Bandera, but Barnett knocked down a step-back three pointer to give the team one final chance to extend the game in the final seconds after Fredericksburg split a pair of free throws on the line.
Bandera’s final three pointer shot was just off, and the Bulldogs fell in a 55-52 heartbreaker to fall to 19-8 on the season and 2-1 in district play. Barnett led the way with 14 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals while Moore added 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Brown had 10 points, 5 steals and 4 assists, Ryan Perez had 7 points and 4 rebounds, DeMarchi had 6 points and 6 rebounds, Luke Barnett had 2 points and 3 rebounds and Gavin Ortiz had 2 points.
The Bulldogs will return to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night against state-ranked #6 Boerne before traveling to play Wimberley Friday night in the final game of the first round of district play.
Coach’s Notes: “I was extremely proud of the way our guys competed for most of the game Friday night. There is no question they play with a lot of heart, energy and passion. But we made too many mental mistakes to win a district road game, and our guys know that. It was disappointing because we played great basketball for the majority of the night, but we
learned an important lesson and are excited about having the opportunity to bounce back moving forward.
JV
The Bandera JV boys basketball team used a strong third quarter effort to have a chance at pulling off a comeback but ultimately fell to Fredericksburg, 37-34 Friday night. The Bulldogs struggled to find their offensive footing as the Billies allowed just 14 first half points and took an eight point lead into the halftime break. But Bandera got into a bit of a rhythm, trimming it to just a two point game entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams locked up defensively in the final eight minutes though, and the Bulldogs were unable to complete their comeback effort. Alex Dirck scored 8 points, Jorge Cabasos and Salvador Enriquez scored 7 eac, Hank Pate and Isaac Segura had 6 each and Kyle Moore added 2 points in the loss. The Bulldogs dropped to 13-7 on the season and 1-2 in district play, and will re turn to action Tuesday at home against Boerne with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
Freshmen
The Bandera freshman team jumped out to an early lead on Fredericksburg before foul trouble and turnovers allowed the Billies to build momentum and ultimately secure the victory.
The Bulldogs had all of the energy and momentum in the game in the first quarter before Fredericksburg began to find some success in the second. Bandera held off the rally for most of the third, but Fredericksburg climbed ahead early in the fourth and forced the short-
handed Bulldogs to play from behind. Turnovers and missed free throws made it tough on Bandera, while the Billies excelled from the free throw line down the stretch.
Box score and stats from the game were not available.
The freshmen fell to 8-9 on the season and 0-3 in district play and will return to action at 5 p.m. Tuesday night against Boerne.
Last Tuesday night, the Bandera varsity boys basketball team overcame a wild first quarter and gradually pulled away from Canyon Lake in a 69-45 win. The Bulldogs trailed 17-16 at the end of the first but outscored the Hawks 38-13 over the next two quarters.
Bandera used a combination of intensity on defense, fast break scoring and a strong shooting performance to pick up the team’s third consecutive win. Ten of the 11 varsity Bulldogs contributed on the scoreboard while all 11 were able to impact the game with theirplay on the defensive end.
Tyler Moore had a team-high 20 points and chipped in 8 rebounds and 4 steals while Noah Barnet t had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Ryan Perez had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Kayden Brown had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Eli Salas had 5 points, Gavin Ortiz had 3 points, Liam DeMarchi had 2 points and 7 rebounds, Kyle Morgan had 2 points and 3 rebounds, Luke Barnett had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Braden Cox had 1 point and 2 rebounds and Joseph Kennedy had a rebound and an assist.
Bandera improved to 19-7 on the season and 2-0 in District 28– 4A play with the victory and will shift its focus to an important road game on Friday, when the Bulldogs will travel to take on Fredericksburg. Bandera has lost 14 consecutive games against the Billies dating back to 2014,
and the Bulldogs will be playing for a chance to remain atop the district
standings after knocking off Davenport and Canyon Lake to open district play.
Coach’s Notes: “I was extremely proud of the energy, effort and togetherness our team played with Tuesday night. Ten of our 11 players scored and everyone contributed in one way or another to the win. We shot the ball well, and played well defensively after a crazy first quarter. We’re fired up to be 2-0 in district but definitely are not satisfied. Friday is a huge game for us on the road in Fredericksburg and we’re looking forward to the opportun ity to pull off an upset.”
District 28-4A
Varsity standings: Boerne 2-0; Wimberley 2-0; Bandera 2-0; Fredericksburg 0- 2; Davenport 0-2; Canyon Lake 0-2
JV
The Bandera JV basketball team got off to a slow start but responded with a strong effort in the second and third quarter to take down Canyon Lake in an exciting 69 -67 finish Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs trailed 21-14 at the end of the first but outscored the Hawks 36-24 in the next two quarters to build a slim lead entering the fourth. Bandera got just enough stops on the defensive end to hold off a hot shooting performance from Canyon Lake, and a pair of clutch free throws from sophomore Cale Barnett helped to seal the victory. Sophomore Alex Dirck finished with a team-high 18 points in the win while Barnett added 15 points and several assists, running the Bulldogs’ offense efficiently. Hank Pate scored 13 points, Isaac Segura had 10 points, Salvador Enriquez had 8 points, Jorge Cabasos added 3 and Rance Roden had 2 in the win for Bandera. The Bulldogs moved to 13-6 on the season and 1-1 in district play with the victory.
Freshmen
The Bandera freshman boys basketball team took the court Tuesday night missing a handful of key contributors but gave Canyon Lake everything it could handle in a heartbreaking 31-30 loss.
Bandera jumped out to an early lead behind the hot shooting of Jace Knowles, who knocked down a pair of 3-point shots in the first quarter. Canyon Lake responded in the second half with a strong shooting effort of its own, outscoring the Bulldogs 9-4 in the fourth quarter to steal the come-from-behind win.
Knowles and Gattlin Winkler finished with a team-high 10 points each while Gavin Spruell had 4 points. Dylan Peace, Ibra ham MacNeil and Hayden Winters each scored 2 for the Bulldogs.