The Bowie Jackrabbits won the rematch against rival Nocona on Saturday.
The Jackrabbits won 55-48 at the Indians gym to pay back the loss Nocona gave them at their own gym a couple of weeks back.
Bowie came into the game following a tough loss to district leader City View that most likely meant the end to its quest for a district title. Nocona also was coming off a bad loss to the Mustangs, but had had a bye-game to get ready for the Jackrabbits.
The snowstorm moved the game from Friday night to Saturday afternoon and cost both teams a practice day while also throwing off any sort of routine.
The first game between the these two teams saw Bowie without Coach Andy Atkins, who missed due to illness. The Indians also were missing some key bench players for that game due to grades or injuries.
Nocona went into the game giving extra defensive attention on the Jackrabbit’s top two scorers Cade Thompson and Brody Armstrong.
Unlike some low-scoring games the two teams have had in the past, the beginning of the game saw both teams scoring in a flurry, especially near the end of the first quarter.
The Jackrabbits recent hot streak from 3-point range showed up as they made four 3-pointers by four different players in the first quarter and led 19-15.
The Indians got a big lift from Adam Meekins in the quarter as he made two 3-pointers and scored eight of his team’s points.
Bowie led for all of the second quarter, but for most of it Nocona was only one basket down.
Both teams got some scoring from the benches in the quarter. The Jackrabbits had Kynan DeMoss make two 3-pointers. The Indians had Ryder Oswalt, Michael Wetmore and Ty Presley each come in and score a basket.
Bowie ended the half stretching its lead to five points, going in ahead 33-28.
The third quarter saw both teams struggle to score much compared to the first half.
Baskets for both were hard to come by and free throws were not given out generously even on physical drives.
Nocona got as close as it would all game to taking the lead when it cut the lead to 37-36 with a little more than two minutes to play.
Bowie’s best offensive possessions for most of the quarter had been driving and kicking out for an open 3-pointer after a few more passes. Unlike in the first half, the shots were not going in.
In the final two minutes the Jackrabbits made two of those 3-pointers at the best of times by Armstrong scoring his sixth point of the game since he attracted so much attention and Drew Weber.
A long, skinny post player who can shoot from range and move his feet, Weber has come off the bench for most of the season after starting last year. The senior accepted his role and was big Saturday.
The two 3-pointers allowed Bowie to extend its lead to 43-36 heading into the fourth quarter.
From there Nocona knew it had to change up its tactics to no allow the Jackrabbits to run clock. The Indians took out all of their post players to play a more perimeter centric lineup and started aggressively pressing the ball on defense.
Bowie matched that personnel, but could still have a rim protector with Weber’s long arms and height. He also made two more 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help keep the Jackrabbits lead several baskets ahead.
Nocona was trying to grind the game into its type of game as the intensity ramped up. The team took a blow when started Brady McCasland fouled out with three minutes to go and down eight points.
Despite Bowie missing free throws in the final minute, the Indians could not make enough shots to come back from the 55-45 lead even with Meekins making his fourth 3-pointer of the game.
It just made the final score 55-48 in favor of the Jackrabbits.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.