Nocona
The Nocona Indians lived to play another day as they beat Henrietta on Tuesday in their final home game of the season.
The Indians controlled the game from start to finish as they pulled away in the fourth quarter to win big 50-34.
Nocona came into the game needing to win to keep its season alive. One game behind the Bearcats and Holliday for the final two playoff spots, a win would at least guarantee a play-in game for the final spot. An Eagles loss would set up a three-team scenario for the final two spots.
Nocona started the game well playing from the inside out on offense while avoiding any catastrophe against the Bearcats press defense.
Baskets were scored from post players Jason Sparkman and Cesar Gutierrez around the basket.
Perimeter players drove to the basket and got rewarded with free throws. Carter Horn knocked in a 3-pointer. Nocona led 13-9 heading into the second quarter.
The Indians went on a 9-0 run in the second quarter to extend their lead to 27-17 at one point. Henrietta made sure to close the quarter well as it trailed 28-22 heading into halftime.
The pace stayed slow and deliberate in the third quarter as Nocona was still scoring at a steady pace inside. The Indians did a better job defending the 3-point line as the Bearcats made no 3-pointers at all in the second half.
Nocona’s lead was still not comfortable 38-29 heading into the fourth quarter considering what happened the first time these teams played.
With a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Henrietta came all the way back to win by one point in the first game only a few weeks ago.
That was in the back of every fan and player’s mind as the Indians looked to close the Bearcats out before any similar heroics started happening.
The team doubled down getting the ball to finishers Sparkman and Gutierrez, who scored all of the teams points in the fourth quarter.
The backcourt ran the clock and avoided any big turnovers despite Henrietta picking up its intensity with its press defense.
Nocona pulled away as the Bearcats offense never got anything going at all, winning 50-34 in one of its most solid efforts of the season.
Holliday would end up winning, guaranteeing the third seed for itself. That means the Indians will have to turn around and beat this Bearcat team again on Friday night to earn the final playoff spot.
If Nocona wins, the Indians will play their bi-district playoff game on either Feb. 24-25. Check the Bowie News social media pages for updates.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers got a last big test to end district play on Tuesday with a double-overtime win at Midway.
The Panthers won a close one 70-68 to wrap up the second seed and give themselves an intense game heading into the playoffs.
Saint Jo led for most of the game, but the Falcons tied the score with 20 seconds left. The Panthers had a chance to win in regulation, but the shot was missed.
In the first overtime, Saint Jo found itself down three with the time running down. Brice Durham, who scored 12 points on four 3-pointers in the game, made his biggest shot of the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game, sending the game to a second overtime.
It was back and forth throughout the extra period, but with the score tied 68-68, senior Logan Morman made as shot with two seconds left to put the Panthers up for good, winning 70-68.
Saint Jo played a tune-up game at Electra on Friday to make sure it is ready for a playoff run it expects to go far.
The Panthers bi-district playoff game against Perrin-Whitt will be at 8 p.m. at Bowie High School on Feb. 25.

Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs ended their regular season playing state-ranked and district champion Slidell on Tuesday.
The Greyhounds showed why they were so highly regarded around the state and had not been challenged all district, winning 92-48 on senior night.
With a win the Bulldogs would have finished third and gotten the final playoff spot thanks to Midway losing to Saint Jo that same night, but that was a long shot.
Brock Tompkins led Prairie Valley with 17 points and Tyler Winkler was second with 11 points. Coach Seth Stephens felt his team played hard, but just did not execute well enough against the highly touted Slidell team.
The Bulldogs played Midway in a play-in game on Friday for the final playoff spot. Prairie Valley beat the Falcons back in late January 45-44, but lost the first matchup 55-44.
If the Bulldogs win, they will play their bi-district playoff game on Feb. 24-25. Check the Bowie News social media pages for updates about that situation.

Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears played their final game of the season on Tuesday at Bellevue.
The Bears fell short against the aggressive Eagles 68-25, not able to keep up offensively.
The young Bears’ team struggled this season to say the least. The good news is the majority of the team is slated to come back and continue to keep growing together. The bad news is the team is losing one of its best players in senior post player Jacob Reno.
The district was tough as always this year. No one cared the team just a season ago was competing for the final playoff spot and were returning no starters. Only a few players had gotten any varsity experience before this year.
Still, Gold-Burg will play on as the nucleus of this team only has up to go from here and the time to play through the rough parts with few seniors expected on next years roster as well.
Good attitudes can help with that process and that is one thing Coach Leo Murguia has raved about with this group since he took over this year.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.