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Photos by Levi Mott
December 9, 2024
Bandera boys move to 8-2, defeat state-ranked team for first time since 2016
Bandera Prophet Staff
The Bandera boys basketball team continued its strong start to the season while facing its toughest week of competition yet, going 3-2 in five games across four days.
The Bulldogs opened the week with a 70-60 win at home over Uvalde Tuesday night before traveling to the Lytle Tournament and competing among eight teams in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings and three others with winning basketball traditions.
Bandera finished 2-2 in Lytle, recording a win over Crystal City before falling to Great Hearts Northern Oaks and state-ranked #8 Corpus Christi London. The Bulldogs closed the weekend with a win over state-ranked #13 Poth, marking Bandera’s first win over a ranked opponent in almost nine years.
“This was a challenging stretch of games, but our guys showed a lot of toughness,” Head Coach Brady Keane said. “The Lytle Tournament was exactly what we needed. It gave us a chance to see how we stack up against some of the best teams in the state. Games like those are what we want early, so that we’re prepared for what we'll face in district play."
The home win over Uvalde featured another dominant first quarter from the Bulldogs as they quickly built a 19-7 lead before having to hold off a late Uvalde comeback effort.
Senior point guard Elijah Salas posted 29 points while shooting 52% from the floor and added five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Senior Beau Bergfeld had a breakout effort as well, finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Junior James Bower added 14 points and six rebounds for Bandera.
As a team, the Bulldogs dominated the interior, posting 42 points in the paint while grabbing 20 offensive rebounds and converting on 18 second-chance points.
“We came out strong and executed well in the first quarter, which really set the tone,” Keane said. “Uvalde is a good team and they made a run, but we stayed composed and finished the game the way we needed to. It was a little chaotic late in the game, but I was especially proud of the way our team stayed true to who they are and didn’t retaliate to some of the bad situations they were put in.”
In Lytle, Bandera opened pool play Thursday with a 51-38 win over a scrappy Crystal City team. The Bulldogs used a dominant second-quarter effort to pull away, outscoring the Javelinas 21-4 in the frame to take a 30-17 lead into the halftime break.
Salas had 14 points, five assists and five rebounds in the win while junior Anden Tentis-De Grote added 10 points and five rebounds. Bergfeld posted nine points and 10 rebounds, junior Jeffry Thomas had nine points, six rebounds and three steals, and sophomore Cooper Franklin added four points and four rebounds in the win.
“Our second quarter against Crystal City was some of the best basketball we’ve played this season,” Keane said. “We were locked in defensively, and that effort carried over into our offense. We pushed the ball in transition, found high-percentage shots, and took advantage of them.”
In the Bulldogs’ second pool play game of the day Thursday against Great Hearts Northern Oaks, Bandera again jumped out to a big first quarter lead before weathering a run from the Griffins that tightened the game up.
Northern Oaks held a one point lead entering the fourth quarter and led 42-41 with just three minutes remaining before the Bulldogs ran out of gas and ultimately fell in a 56-45 finish. Bergfeld posted 14 points and three rebounds, Thomas had 11 points and five rebounds, and Salas had seven points, five rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs.
“We started well but let some opportunities slip away late,” Keane said. “Northern Oaks is a good team, with a ton of size and a good balance of scoring. They made plays down the stretch like good teams do, but this wasn’t a case of our guys not playing well. We left it all on the floor and just came up a little bit short. Again, even in our first loss of the year, I was really proud of the way our team handled some unfortunate situations they faced with class and integrity.”
Bandera closed out the Lytle Tournament with a pair of games against state-ranked opponents in #8 Corpus Christi London and #13 Poth. In the London game, the Bulldogs kept pace for the first 12 minutes but struggled to match the Pirates’ offensive firepower from there. London pulled away late in the second quarter and early in the third, coasting to a 69-34 win.
Salas was the only Bandera player in double digits, posting 13 points and five rebounds while senior Hayden Winters added nine points. Tentis-De Grote had five points and three rebounds, and Thomas finished with two points and eight rebounds.
“CC London is ranked where they are for a reason,” Keane said. “We were excited about that game but had some defensive breakdowns and missed too many open shots to keep pace with a team of that caliber. They’re well-coached, disciplined, and have a lot of talent. It was a great learning experience for us though, and one we embraced at this point in the season.”
The Bulldogs wasted no time bouncing back, jumping out to a big first quarter lead against #13 Poth while dominating the game defensively in the early going. Bandera held Poth scoreless for the first four minutes, and continued with its defensive intensity throughout while holding the Pirates to just five points in the third quarter.
Poth shot just 34 percent from the floor, and the Bulldogs shared the ball well with nine different players contributing to the scoring effort in a 52-44 win.
Bergfeld had 11 points and five rebounds, Salas had 10 points, five assists and five steals, Bower had 10 points and four rebounds, Thomas posted five points, four assists and three rebounds, and Franklin had five points and five rebounds.
Prior to defeating Poth, Bandera’s last regular season win over a state-ranked team came on Feb. 9, 2016, when the Bulldogs stunned Boerne 39-36.
“Our defense was the difference against Poth,” Keane said. “Jeffry Thomas dove on the floor for a loose ball 24 seconds into the game, and I think that was the spark that really got us going. We came out with energy, set the tone early, and maintained it throughout the game. It was a complete team effort, and I’m proud of how we responded after a tough loss. Beating a ranked team for the first time since 2016 is a reflection of the work this group has put in, and gives us some momentum heading into another big week.”
Salas was selected to the All-Tournament team for his performance in the Bulldogs’ four games, as the senior point guard pushed through some lingering pain from a late flagrant foul in Tuesday’s win over Uvalde to compete alongside his teammates against some high-level competition.
Salas is averaging 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals so far this season while shooting 50% from the field.
“Elijah’s leadership and toughness stand out. Even when he’s not 100%, he’s out there making plays for us. He’s the engine that keeps us going, and he’s earned every bit of recognition he gets."
The Bulldogs, now 8-2 on the season, will return home to play rival Devine at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday. Bandera will then travel to the Comfort Tournament, where the Bulldogs finished as consolation bracket champions last season.
“We’ve got some more tough games ahead, but that’s what we want,” Keane said. “These challenges are on our schedule to help us grow and prepare for the level of competition we’ll face in district play next month.”
The Bulldogs opened the week with a 70-60 win at home over Uvalde Tuesday night before traveling to the Lytle Tournament and competing among eight teams in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings and three others with winning basketball traditions.
Bandera finished 2-2 in Lytle, recording a win over Crystal City before falling to Great Hearts Northern Oaks and state-ranked #8 Corpus Christi London. The Bulldogs closed the weekend with a win over state-ranked #13 Poth, marking Bandera’s first win over a ranked opponent in almost nine years.
“This was a challenging stretch of games, but our guys showed a lot of toughness,” Head Coach Brady Keane said. “The Lytle Tournament was exactly what we needed. It gave us a chance to see how we stack up against some of the best teams in the state. Games like those are what we want early, so that we’re prepared for what we'll face in district play."
The home win over Uvalde featured another dominant first quarter from the Bulldogs as they quickly built a 19-7 lead before having to hold off a late Uvalde comeback effort.
Senior point guard Elijah Salas posted 29 points while shooting 52% from the floor and added five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Senior Beau Bergfeld had a breakout effort as well, finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Junior James Bower added 14 points and six rebounds for Bandera.
As a team, the Bulldogs dominated the interior, posting 42 points in the paint while grabbing 20 offensive rebounds and converting on 18 second-chance points.
“We came out strong and executed well in the first quarter, which really set the tone,” Keane said. “Uvalde is a good team and they made a run, but we stayed composed and finished the game the way we needed to. It was a little chaotic late in the game, but I was especially proud of the way our team stayed true to who they are and didn’t retaliate to some of the bad situations they were put in.”
In Lytle, Bandera opened pool play Thursday with a 51-38 win over a scrappy Crystal City team. The Bulldogs used a dominant second-quarter effort to pull away, outscoring the Javelinas 21-4 in the frame to take a 30-17 lead into the halftime break.
Salas had 14 points, five assists and five rebounds in the win while junior Anden Tentis-De Grote added 10 points and five rebounds. Bergfeld posted nine points and 10 rebounds, junior Jeffry Thomas had nine points, six rebounds and three steals, and sophomore Cooper Franklin added four points and four rebounds in the win.
“Our second quarter against Crystal City was some of the best basketball we’ve played this season,” Keane said. “We were locked in defensively, and that effort carried over into our offense. We pushed the ball in transition, found high-percentage shots, and took advantage of them.”
In the Bulldogs’ second pool play game of the day Thursday against Great Hearts Northern Oaks, Bandera again jumped out to a big first quarter lead before weathering a run from the Griffins that tightened the game up.
Northern Oaks held a one point lead entering the fourth quarter and led 42-41 with just three minutes remaining before the Bulldogs ran out of gas and ultimately fell in a 56-45 finish. Bergfeld posted 14 points and three rebounds, Thomas had 11 points and five rebounds, and Salas had seven points, five rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs.
“We started well but let some opportunities slip away late,” Keane said. “Northern Oaks is a good team, with a ton of size and a good balance of scoring. They made plays down the stretch like good teams do, but this wasn’t a case of our guys not playing well. We left it all on the floor and just came up a little bit short. Again, even in our first loss of the year, I was really proud of the way our team handled some unfortunate situations they faced with class and integrity.”
Bandera closed out the Lytle Tournament with a pair of games against state-ranked opponents in #8 Corpus Christi London and #13 Poth. In the London game, the Bulldogs kept pace for the first 12 minutes but struggled to match the Pirates’ offensive firepower from there. London pulled away late in the second quarter and early in the third, coasting to a 69-34 win.
Salas was the only Bandera player in double digits, posting 13 points and five rebounds while senior Hayden Winters added nine points. Tentis-De Grote had five points and three rebounds, and Thomas finished with two points and eight rebounds.
“CC London is ranked where they are for a reason,” Keane said. “We were excited about that game but had some defensive breakdowns and missed too many open shots to keep pace with a team of that caliber. They’re well-coached, disciplined, and have a lot of talent. It was a great learning experience for us though, and one we embraced at this point in the season.”
The Bulldogs wasted no time bouncing back, jumping out to a big first quarter lead against #13 Poth while dominating the game defensively in the early going. Bandera held Poth scoreless for the first four minutes, and continued with its defensive intensity throughout while holding the Pirates to just five points in the third quarter.
Poth shot just 34 percent from the floor, and the Bulldogs shared the ball well with nine different players contributing to the scoring effort in a 52-44 win.
Bergfeld had 11 points and five rebounds, Salas had 10 points, five assists and five steals, Bower had 10 points and four rebounds, Thomas posted five points, four assists and three rebounds, and Franklin had five points and five rebounds.
Prior to defeating Poth, Bandera’s last regular season win over a state-ranked team came on Feb. 9, 2016, when the Bulldogs stunned Boerne 39-36.
“Our defense was the difference against Poth,” Keane said. “Jeffry Thomas dove on the floor for a loose ball 24 seconds into the game, and I think that was the spark that really got us going. We came out with energy, set the tone early, and maintained it throughout the game. It was a complete team effort, and I’m proud of how we responded after a tough loss. Beating a ranked team for the first time since 2016 is a reflection of the work this group has put in, and gives us some momentum heading into another big week.”
Salas was selected to the All-Tournament team for his performance in the Bulldogs’ four games, as the senior point guard pushed through some lingering pain from a late flagrant foul in Tuesday’s win over Uvalde to compete alongside his teammates against some high-level competition.
Salas is averaging 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals so far this season while shooting 50% from the field.
“Elijah’s leadership and toughness stand out. Even when he’s not 100%, he’s out there making plays for us. He’s the engine that keeps us going, and he’s earned every bit of recognition he gets."
The Bulldogs, now 8-2 on the season, will return home to play rival Devine at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday. Bandera will then travel to the Comfort Tournament, where the Bulldogs finished as consolation bracket champions last season.
“We’ve got some more tough games ahead, but that’s what we want,” Keane said. “These challenges are on our schedule to help us grow and prepare for the level of competition we’ll face in district play next month.”