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January 29, 2024
Bandera boys basketball takes down Wimberley for first time in a decade
By Sports Staff
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera boys basketball team moved itself back into position to compete for a spot in the postseason by recording its first win over Wimberley in 10 years last Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter on the Texans but started to slow down offensively in the second quarter as Wimberley answered with a 12-0 run of its own.
Bandera led 28-23 at the half and trailed for the first time at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter, but outscored the Texans 32-16 in the final 12 minutes to secure a 62-47 victory.
The win was the first for Bandera over Wimberley since Feb. 8, 2014.
“We let one slip away when we went to Wimberley earlier this season and I think our guys had been looking forward to the rematch for a while,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “We came out with a ton of energy on the defensive end and did a good job pushing the ball in transition. I was really proud of the way we never panicked, even when they took a second-half lead - we kept our composure and finished the job in the fourth quarter.”
The Bulldogs were led by junior point guard Eli Salas, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Bryson Holden had 16 points and seven rebounds in the win, senior Isaac Segura added nine points, nine rebounds and two assists, senior Corben Gonzales had six points and three rebounds, sophomore Jeffry Thomas had four points, four rebounds and four assists, senior Cale Barnett had three points and four rebounds and junior Beau Bergfeld finished with three points and three rebounds.
“Eli hit some really big shots and set the tone defensively,” Keane said. “Bryson was extremely efficient on the offensive end, Isaac dominated the boards, and we got contributions from everyone who stepped on the floor. It was a total team effort.”
Bandera continued the momentum into Friday night’s game on the road at Navarro, recording a 61-47 win over the Panthers. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start as Navarro built a 24-11 lead in the second quarter, but Bandera closed the first half on a 13-0 run to tie the game at 24-24 entering the halftime break.
The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Panthers 23-7 in the third quarter, building a comfortable lead they would protect down the stretch.
Salas had 23 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists, Segura had 13 points and four rebounds, Holden had eight points and 12 rebounds, Thomas had seven points, five rebounds and three steals, Gonzales had six points, and Barnett had four points and three steals.
“The 13-0 run late in the second quarter completely changed the game,” Keane said. “Our energy on the court, on the bench, and with our freshmen and JV players in the stands was at an all-time high. That carried over to the second half and we finished the job playing at a really high level.”
Bandera will now shift its focus to a huge home game against Canyon Lake on Tuesday as the Bulldogs look to avenge a loss to the Hawks in the first round of district play. Canyon Lake currently holds the No. 3 seed in the postseason picture, though the Bulldogs can take control of that spot with a win Tuesday night.
Tip-off is at 5 p.m. for the JV and freshman teams, and 6:30 p.m. for the varsity Bulldogs.
“We’ve talked a lot about not worrying about what else is going on in district play and just focusing on us one day at a time,” Keane said. “We’re really excited for another big district home game, and hope to have a rowdy group of fans in the stands Tuesday night ready to be loud from start to finish.”
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter on the Texans but started to slow down offensively in the second quarter as Wimberley answered with a 12-0 run of its own.
Bandera led 28-23 at the half and trailed for the first time at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter, but outscored the Texans 32-16 in the final 12 minutes to secure a 62-47 victory.
The win was the first for Bandera over Wimberley since Feb. 8, 2014.
“We let one slip away when we went to Wimberley earlier this season and I think our guys had been looking forward to the rematch for a while,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “We came out with a ton of energy on the defensive end and did a good job pushing the ball in transition. I was really proud of the way we never panicked, even when they took a second-half lead - we kept our composure and finished the job in the fourth quarter.”
The Bulldogs were led by junior point guard Eli Salas, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Bryson Holden had 16 points and seven rebounds in the win, senior Isaac Segura added nine points, nine rebounds and two assists, senior Corben Gonzales had six points and three rebounds, sophomore Jeffry Thomas had four points, four rebounds and four assists, senior Cale Barnett had three points and four rebounds and junior Beau Bergfeld finished with three points and three rebounds.
“Eli hit some really big shots and set the tone defensively,” Keane said. “Bryson was extremely efficient on the offensive end, Isaac dominated the boards, and we got contributions from everyone who stepped on the floor. It was a total team effort.”
Bandera continued the momentum into Friday night’s game on the road at Navarro, recording a 61-47 win over the Panthers. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start as Navarro built a 24-11 lead in the second quarter, but Bandera closed the first half on a 13-0 run to tie the game at 24-24 entering the halftime break.
The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Panthers 23-7 in the third quarter, building a comfortable lead they would protect down the stretch.
Salas had 23 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists, Segura had 13 points and four rebounds, Holden had eight points and 12 rebounds, Thomas had seven points, five rebounds and three steals, Gonzales had six points, and Barnett had four points and three steals.
“The 13-0 run late in the second quarter completely changed the game,” Keane said. “Our energy on the court, on the bench, and with our freshmen and JV players in the stands was at an all-time high. That carried over to the second half and we finished the job playing at a really high level.”
Bandera will now shift its focus to a huge home game against Canyon Lake on Tuesday as the Bulldogs look to avenge a loss to the Hawks in the first round of district play. Canyon Lake currently holds the No. 3 seed in the postseason picture, though the Bulldogs can take control of that spot with a win Tuesday night.
Tip-off is at 5 p.m. for the JV and freshman teams, and 6:30 p.m. for the varsity Bulldogs.
“We’ve talked a lot about not worrying about what else is going on in district play and just focusing on us one day at a time,” Keane said. “We’re really excited for another big district home game, and hope to have a rowdy group of fans in the stands Tuesday night ready to be loud from start to finish.”