After a rough 0-3 start in district play, the Bowie Jackrabbits were able to have a great week going 2-0 against Vernon and Henrietta.
The Jackrabbits beat the Lions 37-29 earlier in the week before winning at Henrietta 53-44.
Bowie came into the week on a tough stretch to start district. Its first three games against Jacksboro, City View and Holliday were all lost by a combined seven points.
While the Jackrabbits were competing well against some of the top teams in the district, they just could not pull out a close win so far.
Bowie then played Vernon on Jan. 7 and decided to just make sure the game was not close. The Lions were a small team and the Jackrabbits were able to use their height and length to not allow them to get easy shots inside the 3-point arc, which is where they wanted to score from.
Bowie led 9-3 after the first quarter and really took control in the second quarter up 24-11 at halftime.
Despite the Jackrabbits never really getting their offense going, their defense continued to stifle Vernon in the second half as Bowie led 33-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits dialed back their intensity and did not finish the game well. This allowed the Lions to nearly double their three quarter total and cut Bowie’s secure lead to single-digits by the end.
The Jackrabbits still won with some room for comfort 37-29, but it was not the end to a one-sided game they wanted to have.
The win got Bowie its first win, but knew Henrietta would not be an easy game. The Bearcats were 2-1 with wins against Holliday and Vernon and would be playing at home.
The Jackrabbits did end up playing a little earlier on Friday due to weather, but besides missing a day of practice it did not throw them off too much.
Bowie started the game well, up 18-8 after the first quarter as five different players made at least one basket. The second quarter proved to be an offensive explosion for both teams.
The Jackrabbits continued on their pace, scoring 20 points as five players again made at least one basket. For Henrietta, the team made four 3-pointers and also scored 20 points.
Thankfully, the 10-point lead after the first quarter held as Bowie led 38-28 at halftime.
The second half proved to be much more of a slog for both teams offensively as the pace slowed down.
The teams combined to score on 11 points, but thankfully it was near even as Bowie’s lead stayed in the double-digits up 44-33 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter saw a bit more scoring as both teams made several trips to the free throw line. The Bearcats made two 3-pointers and five of their six free throw attempts to score 11 points in the quarter.
Thankfully, Bowie was not far behind, scoring nine points and to win with some breathing room 53-44.

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

For more pictures from the game against Vernon, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6872186&T=1