Late Heroics Helps Schulenburg Boys to Win in Playoff Opener
The Schulenburg boys basketball team squared off against Thorndale Monday night in a playoff matchup that was held at Brenham High school.
The Shorthorns triumphed in a battle that came all the way down to the final minute as they were able to pull out the victory with a score of 51-47.
The Schulenburg boys now advance to play Deweyville at 7 p.m. Thursday in Crosby in the second round.
“We didn’t play our best game,” said Schulenburg head boys basketball coach Rich Hoogendoorn. “But we showed a lot of heart in the second half and figured out a way to win. It wasn’t pretty, but praise the lord we won so we can move on.”
Senior shooting guard Bryce Wilson racked up 17 points on the night and carried a heavy workload for the Horns.
“I just wanted to show out and do my best,” Wilson said. “Work hard for my team and make sure we got the win tonight.”
Both teams displayed a man-to-man defense from the very beginning until Schulenburg went into a full-court press and forced a turnover right away with about five minutes to go in the first quarter. Thorndale was held scoreless until the three and a half minute mark when sophomore guard Blake Roberts hit a long two-pointer from the perimeter.
Schulenburg took an 11-2 lead after the first quarter with the Bulldogs unable to find their shooting stroke while the Shorthorns attacked the basket and ran the floor. Thorndale gathered a rhythm in the second quarter from a basket and foul play that made it a 17-14 ballgame at the four minute mark. Schulenburg called a timeout with 2:39 to go after junior guard Kenny King pinned the ball against the backboard on a Bulldog layup attempt that came from a steal.
With just under a minute to play in the half, Thorndale took their first lead of the game on a three pointer from junior guard Chance Betak to make it a 24-23 contest. Betak then scored a lay up on the following possession after milking the clock down to the final seconds of the period in order to take a 25-24 lead going into the locker room.
Schulenburg began the third quarter with a designed play for senior center Alex Lozano to come off a screen and knock down a three pointer, in which he did, to put the scoreboard at 27-25 in favor of the Horns. It was a back and forth third quarter that made up of some crucial plays down the stretch. Schulenburg’s King drew a basket and a foul with 1:25 to play that was answered by a Bulldog three pointer to make it a 37-34 contest with Thorndale on top.
In the final seconds of the quarter, King went up to the Schulenburg side of the court to defend his man full-court, went for a steal, and committed a foul that sent Thorndale to the line. The Bulldogs hit both free throws for a one-point advantage at 37-36 going into the fourth quarter.
With about six minutes to play in the game, Lozano was able to shake loose and hit a monster three-pointer for Schulenburg to increase the momentum on their good start to the period and take a 42-36 lead that forced Thorndale to call a timeout as soon as they crossed half court. Schulenburg switched to a 2-3 zone defense at the five minute mark and Thorndale took advantage as they hit back-to-back three pointers to tie the game at 42. Late free throws for Thorndale gave them a 45-43 lead until Schulenburg’s Wilson converted a clutch ‘and one’ play with 1:55 to go, which put the score at 46-45 in favor of the Horns. In the final couple minutes of the match, it came down to whether Schulenburg would be able to hit their free throws or not, since Thorndale was forced to foul in order to stop the clock. Wilson went to the line and hit a pair of free throws to make it a 48-47 game with just under a minute left. Lozano then went to the line and missed both attempts, but Wilson grabbed the huge offensive rebound with 44 seconds to play. King then went to the line at the 33 second mark and hit one of two attempts. Thorndale junior forward Dean Johnson launched a three pointer on the other end that missed and went out of bounds to Schulenburg with 14.7 seconds left. Lozano was fouled on the inbound and missed both free throw attempts. Thorndale secured the rebound and called timeout with eight seconds to go. The Bulldogs quickly moved the ball up the court and found Betak on the wing for a three pointer that clinked off the back iron. Horns forward T.J. Speed grabbed the rebound, drew a foul, and hit both free throws to seal a 51-47 victory and a trip to the next round of the playoffs for Schulenburg.
Thorndale scoring:
Blake Roberts- 18 pts
Branson McCoy- 4 pts
Jake Ivy- 2 pts
Chance Betak- 15 pts
Cayden Nicholson- 3 pts
Dean Johnson- 5 pts
Schulenburg scoring:
Kenny King- 13 pts
Keisean Johnson- 2 pts
Bryce Wilson- 17 pts
Jalen Wilson- 2 pts
T.J. Speed- 4 pts
Alex Lozano- 8 pts
Kenny Schramek- 5 pts