Boys basketball recap: North Crowley avenges loss, LD Bell, Centennial snap droughts
North Crowley doesn’t lose many on its home court, but when Arlington Lamar walked away with a 44-34 victory in January, it provided some extra motivation for the Panthers during Tuesday’s regular-season finale.
Led by Jacari Chambers and Tre Ballard’s 14 points, North Crowley avenged the loss, 55-45, at Lamar. The win forced a three-way tie for the District 4-6A championship with Lamar and Martin, which beat Trimble Tech.
All three teams finished 14-2 in district.
“I think the guys executed the game plan on the defensive end to a tee,” said NC coach Tommy Brakel. “Lamar hit some big shots. They’re made for a long playoff run. Big bodies, physical, can shoot the ball so that’s a good basketball team we beat on the road. We were able to hit free throws down the stretch.”
Ballard and Chambers helped North Crowley (27-7) get out to a 5-2 lead. Ballard hit a corner 3-pointer and Chambers made a reverse layup.
Lamar (23-9) scored next five points, highlighted by Shannon Robinson’s 3 from the left wing. But that would be the Vikings’ only lead of the night.
The Panthers clamped down on defense and used a 17-5 run to build a 10-point lead. Mike Hall, who had seven points off the bench, had an offensive put-back just over two minutes left in the half.
Hall’s 3-point play helped extend the lead to 37-23 in the third and North Crowley took a 39-29 edge into the fourth.
Lamar began its comeback with five minutes left. Jalen Johnson hit a 3-pointer and thanks to a couple of North Crowley turnovers, the Vikings inched within 50-43 with 1:45 left.
But North Crowley stood tall and hit from the free-throw line to grab at least a share of the district title for the 20th time in 22 seasons.
“Means a lot. To come in here in a hostile environment against a good playoff bound team and be able to win, our kids expect to win district titles and games like this,” Brakel said.
Remon Tuck and Bryan Thomas added eight apiece for NC while Robinson paced Lamar with 14.
Looking ahead to next week’s playoff opener, North Crowley won the flip and will be the No. 1 seed. Martin will be No. 2 and Lamar will be No. 3. The Panthers get Haltom at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Fossil Ridge.
The Vikings will face Abilene at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mineral Wells.
LD Bell 91, Weatherford 43
The Blue Raiders, the top-ranked team in the Fort Worth area, had five players in double figures as they breezed past Weatherford to capture the District 3-6A crown, the program’s first district title in 10 years.
Bell (26-5) will open the playoffs against Arlington Bowie (22-10) at 7 p.m. Monday at Grand Prairie.
Naz Brown had a game-high 20 points while Jaden Wells added 17. Elijah Smith had 11 and Daniel Zachariah and Gabriel Angulo chipped in 10 apiece.
Bell outscored Weatherford in the first three quarters, 26-9, 18-12 and 33-6.
The Kangaroos were led by Brayden Starling and Braden Carter, who each scored 11 points.
Burleson Centennial 74, Arlington Seguin 68
Jacob Stuckey and Zach Bolf scored 20 points apiece and the Spartans capped off senior night with their first district title in program history. Centennial (28-6, 12-2 in 5-5A) led 19-16 after the first quarter, but Seguin marched back and took a one-point lead into intermission.
Seguin (17-12), which finished fourth in district, led 51-46 after three, but the Spartans outscored the Cougars, 27-17, in the final period for the victory. Tayton Conerway scored 17 points for Centennial while Keryn Collins added 13.
Brandon Monroe led Seguin with 18 points.
The Spartans will open bi-district against Fort Worth Southwest at 8 p.m. Tuesday at North Crowley while the Cougars get Wyatt at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Martin.
