February 19, 2024
Bulldogs stay alive in postseason, advance to play La Vernia
By Sports Staff
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera boys basketball team is playoff bound for a third consecutive season after recording a thrilling 47-43 road win over Canyon Lake Friday night in a District 27-4A play-in game.
The game was a true road test for the Bulldogs, who had to travel to Canyon Lake for the game after losing a coin flip to determine the play-in site. But Bandera jumped all over the Hawks right from the get-go, and held off a late rally to secure the victory.
“We knew we were going to have to come out with a lot of energy to match a big home crowd and our guys showed they were up to the challenge right off the bat,” Bandera head coach Brady Keane said. “Hitting a couple shots early got us going, but I was most proud of our physicality and tenacity on the defensive end. We were outsized and never let that be a factor.”
The Bulldogs were white-hot from the 3-point line, knocking down 40 percent of their shots from long range. Junior Elijah Salas went 6-for-9 from deep while senior Cale Barnett, senior Bryson Holden and junior Layne Bourgeois hit one 3-point shot apiece to give Bandera a total of nine long range connections.
Three of those big shots came in the first quarter, helping the Bulldogs build an 11-6 lead after eight minutes. Bandera led by five at the break, and a crafty finish at the rim from Bourgeois just before the third quarter buzzer gave the Bulldogs an 8-point lead going into the fourth quarter. But Canyon Lake fought back and made things interesting down the stretch, capitalizing on a handful of Bandera miscues to take the lead at 41-40 with 3:00 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs went back on top 42-41 at the 1:54 mark when Salas made a nice pass to senior Isaac Segura for a layup, but Canyon Lake scored in transition to make it 43-42 with just 59 seconds left.
The Bulldogs never panicked, and worked about 30 seconds off the clock before Salas was fouled on a drive to the basket and sent to the free throw line where he connected on both shots to give Bandera a 44-43 lead. The Bulldogs forced a turnover on the other end, and senior Bryson Holden knocked down a key free throw before Barnett sealed the win with a steal and two free throws of his own in the final seconds.
“It was almost exactly the same last-minute situation as when we played Canyon Lake at our place,” Keane said. “Our guys led most of the way, but never faltered when they made a few big plays down the stretch. We stayed composed, and did a terrific job of executing at the free throw line when it mattered most.”
Salas finished with a game-high 20 points and added five rebounds, five assists and five steals for Bandera. Segura had seven points and seven rebounds, Barnett had seven points, two steals and two rebounds, Bourgeois had five points and seven rebounds, Holden had six points and four rebounds, Beau Bergfeld finished with two points and two rebounds, and Corben Gonzales added three rebounds, five assists and five steals.
The victory moved the Bulldogs to 18-15 on the season and 6-7 in District 27-4A play, good enough for the fourth and final playoff spot. Bandera will now advance to the first round of the 4A playoffs to take on state-ranked No. 20 La Vernia, the champion of District 28-4A.
The Bears are 30-1 on the season, with their only loss coming in district play against San Antonio Kennedy. La Vernia’s last game of the regular season was a 50-43 win over San Antonio Fox Tech.
The Bulldogs will take on La Vernia at 6:30 p.m., Monday, at the Northside District Gym at Harlan High School.
“We love playing at Harlan,” Keane said. “It’s a beautiful facility and it’s such a short drive that there’s no reason we shouldn’t have another huge Bandera crowd Monday night. La Vernia has won a lot of games this year, but there’s no question that our team is fired up for another do-or-die opportunity to extend our season.”
The game was a true road test for the Bulldogs, who had to travel to Canyon Lake for the game after losing a coin flip to determine the play-in site. But Bandera jumped all over the Hawks right from the get-go, and held off a late rally to secure the victory.
“We knew we were going to have to come out with a lot of energy to match a big home crowd and our guys showed they were up to the challenge right off the bat,” Bandera head coach Brady Keane said. “Hitting a couple shots early got us going, but I was most proud of our physicality and tenacity on the defensive end. We were outsized and never let that be a factor.”
The Bulldogs were white-hot from the 3-point line, knocking down 40 percent of their shots from long range. Junior Elijah Salas went 6-for-9 from deep while senior Cale Barnett, senior Bryson Holden and junior Layne Bourgeois hit one 3-point shot apiece to give Bandera a total of nine long range connections.
Three of those big shots came in the first quarter, helping the Bulldogs build an 11-6 lead after eight minutes. Bandera led by five at the break, and a crafty finish at the rim from Bourgeois just before the third quarter buzzer gave the Bulldogs an 8-point lead going into the fourth quarter. But Canyon Lake fought back and made things interesting down the stretch, capitalizing on a handful of Bandera miscues to take the lead at 41-40 with 3:00 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs went back on top 42-41 at the 1:54 mark when Salas made a nice pass to senior Isaac Segura for a layup, but Canyon Lake scored in transition to make it 43-42 with just 59 seconds left.
The Bulldogs never panicked, and worked about 30 seconds off the clock before Salas was fouled on a drive to the basket and sent to the free throw line where he connected on both shots to give Bandera a 44-43 lead. The Bulldogs forced a turnover on the other end, and senior Bryson Holden knocked down a key free throw before Barnett sealed the win with a steal and two free throws of his own in the final seconds.
“It was almost exactly the same last-minute situation as when we played Canyon Lake at our place,” Keane said. “Our guys led most of the way, but never faltered when they made a few big plays down the stretch. We stayed composed, and did a terrific job of executing at the free throw line when it mattered most.”
Salas finished with a game-high 20 points and added five rebounds, five assists and five steals for Bandera. Segura had seven points and seven rebounds, Barnett had seven points, two steals and two rebounds, Bourgeois had five points and seven rebounds, Holden had six points and four rebounds, Beau Bergfeld finished with two points and two rebounds, and Corben Gonzales added three rebounds, five assists and five steals.
The victory moved the Bulldogs to 18-15 on the season and 6-7 in District 27-4A play, good enough for the fourth and final playoff spot. Bandera will now advance to the first round of the 4A playoffs to take on state-ranked No. 20 La Vernia, the champion of District 28-4A.
The Bears are 30-1 on the season, with their only loss coming in district play against San Antonio Kennedy. La Vernia’s last game of the regular season was a 50-43 win over San Antonio Fox Tech.
The Bulldogs will take on La Vernia at 6:30 p.m., Monday, at the Northside District Gym at Harlan High School.
“We love playing at Harlan,” Keane said. “It’s a beautiful facility and it’s such a short drive that there’s no reason we shouldn’t have another huge Bandera crowd Monday night. La Vernia has won a lot of games this year, but there’s no question that our team is fired up for another do-or-die opportunity to extend our season.”