It was a tough matchup for the Bowie Lady Rabbits in their bi-district game against old foe Jacksboro on Tuesday in Denton Ryan.
It was a low scoring and physical game, but the bigger Lady Tigers were able to go ahead at the end thanks to some clutch free throws as they won 39-30.
Jacksboro came into the game just missing out on winning the district title against Brock. Still featuring the tall and imposing Baylee Thompson in the post as well as several big and long girls, Bowie was mostly undersized at every position. Still, after splitting the district title last year and beating the Lady Tigers in 33-31 in the Whataburger tournament before district, the Lady Rabbits were not intimidated.
The opening quarter went back and forth. Bowie’s main concern was trying to shut down any scoring from the paint. If Jacksboro passed out for a three-point shot, they would do their best to close hard.
With both teams playing physical throughout and with fouls being called few and far between, scoring was tough. It also was the type of game where the Lady Rabbits thrive. The Lady Tigers led 9-6 heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter was the worst stretch Bowie played in the game. On the floor the Lady Rabbits were flying around, getting offensive rebounds, forcing turnovers and not getting any balls to go in the basket.
Jacksboro was able to knock in two three-pointers and make the most of their free throw attempts as they stretched their lead to the biggest of the game. Bowie trailed 23-10 heading into the second half.
It did not take long for the Lady Rabbits to turn things around in the second half. In the first minute and half they outscored the measly four points they scored in the entirety of the second quarter.
They cut the lead to less than 10 points at 25-18 midway through the quarter. This was thanks to more of that same energy, but it came with more payoffs. Bowie was mixing in some press defense and trapping. Along with some offensive rebounds and a couple three-pointers, the Lady Rabbits were making the hustle plays pay off with points.
The Lady Tigers were not going to go down quietly though as the rest of the quarter was almost a stalemate as both teams continued to struggle to score.
Jacksboro kept committing what felt like a million traveling violations that gave Bowie the ball and seemed to compound the momentum the Lady Rabbits had, despite still trailing.
The Lady Rabbits wanted to score inside with leading scorer Hope Howard, but with her going against the Lady Tigers’ length inside, they had to get her the ball in certain situations or spots where she could score, like perimeter shots or one-on-one drives before help could come.
Bowie was behind 30-22 heading into the fourth quarter, but the game seemed within reach since they had mostly controlled the third quarter.
Things continued from the third as the Lady Rabbits battled closer and closer. Jacksboro’s lead was down to 32-28 with a little more than four minutes to go.
The next two times down the court, the Lady Tigers were able to draw free throw attempts. They went 3-4 and the lead was at 35-30 with 2:07 left after Bowie scored.
Jacksboro avoided catastrophe as they ran clock for more than a minute before taking a shot at the basket. Despite missing, the Lady Tigers were able to score on the offensive rebound to go up by three baskets 37-30 with a minute left.
Some desperate shots at the basket missed from the Lady Rabbits and another successful attempt at the free throw line from Jacksboro sealed Bowie’s fate. The Lady Tigers won 39-30.

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