HALTOM CITY – — Northwest could not have scripted its bi-district playoff gameplan against North Crowley any better.
The Texans had a quick start, kept the pace deliberate and had the game tied, 41-41, midway through the fourth period. But a key stretch in which they committed three consecutive turnovers that resulted in Panthers buckets produced the difference in a North Crowley 53-47 victory at the Thomas Coliseum. Northwest finished its season at 17-15.“That’s the game,” Northwest coach Mike Hatch said. “They will always put that press on. We may have gotten a little tired there. But we knew we had to play perfect.”With the game tied at 41, Northwest actually had a chance to take the lead. That’s when the turnovers surfaced.To give themselves a chance, the Texans had to keep the score in the 40s against an explosive offensive team. They succeeded, leading 9-2 early and only trailed 19-18 at the intermission. They were within 36-33 going into the fourth quarter.Facing the non-stop trapping defense, the Texans handled it decently. They were called for a pair of 10-second violations but didn’t seem rattled until the deciding moments.Sophomore post Elijah Christman led the way with 17 points, while junior David Ogunwolu added nine. A tough assignment against North Crowley 6-8 forward Norense Odiase limited senior post Todd Christensen to six. Junior point guard Josh Tatum had six.“For about the last four weeks, the kids have done a great job doing what we’ve asked them to do,” Hatch said. “They really matured throughout the year.’’Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
