The Bowie Jackrabbits kept their late season magic going by beating Jim Ned in the area round on Friday.
The Jackrabbits won 66-52 against the Indians in a game they controlled from the jump and never let go of to keep their playoff run going.
Bowie came into the game on the heels of the upset of the year with it beating highly ranked Peaster in the bi-district after four overtime periods. There might be some worry there would be a bit of a let down after such an emotional win, but that win was just the continuation of its previous game.
Bowie’s win in its final regular season game against a Holliday team did not improve its seeding, but it did lead to the Eagles losing expectedly in the bi-district round to state-power Brock since the loss made them finish third in the district. It was the fate Holliday sent Bowie to last year.
The confidence was sky high now and the Jackrabbit team was not ready for their ride to end. In comparison, despite Jim Ned being one of the top programs in 3A in just about every sport, this year’s boy’s basketball team was human.
The Indians were 23-13 on the season and finished third in their district, which meant they were a bit of a step down in competition for Bowie from its previous two wins. Still, the Jackrabbits were in no position to not take Jim Ned seriously now that everyone was jumping on their band wagon following the upset win against Peaster.
There is some recent history with Jim Ned beating Bowie in the same area round back in 2019, which ruined that team’s chances at trying to repeat as state champions.
The start of the game was the most important as the Jackrabbits got a good lead in the first quarter and never let go.
“They were very good at driving the ball and also have a talented post man,” Coach Andy Atkins said. “We had a plan to help on that post and attempted to neutralize their ability to drive the ball. I thought we were able to do those things well.”
Bowie came out and scored the game’s opening 13 points. Even with the Indians getting its stuff together, the Jackrabbits led 16-7 after the first quarter.
Bowie could never run away with the lead and cruise, but it also never let Jim Ned back into the game to make it close. The Jackrabbits led 34-20 at halftime and 53-38 heading into the final period.
Bowie was able to go 7-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to close out the win with little trouble 66-52.

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