By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@sbcglobal.net

Last year, the Bowie High School boys’ basketball team was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs.
This year, Doug Boxell and crew have taken the next step as Conference 3A bi-district champions – as the Jackrabbits recorded their 12th straight victory with a 47-31 conquest of Pottsboro.
“We got a playoff win,” Boxell said. “It’s part of the journey, and we get to move on. The kids have been working hard toward that. They played hard and played together (to win).”
Bowie improved to 24-9 overall, and the team will play Dallas Life Oak Cliff at 3 p.m. today in the 3A area round. The game will be played at Saginaw High School.
Boxell was pleased with how the Jackrabbits picked up their defensive intensity in the second half – holding Pottsboro to 11 second-half points.
“We were able to outhustle them for loose balls,” Boxell said, “and we were able to get a few turnovers off our press, and we got a double-digit lead. Our intensity helped us out.”
Pottsboro’s Zane Pritchett knotted the score at 23-all with a 3-pointer at the 6-minute, 1-second mark of the third quarter.
That’s when Bowie dialed up the defensive pressure, and the Jackrabbits went on a 14-2 run during the game’s next four minutes.
Jeffery Howard opened the scoring run with a 3-pointer from the wing. Zeke Vaughan and Chase Hall worked a nifty give-and-go on the Jackrabbits’ next possession.

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Bowie’s Cooper Cantwell (14) and Zeke Vaughan find themselves crowded down along the baseline during Wednesday’s Conference 3A bi-district game at Denton. Click on the image for the complete photo. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)