Bulldogs fight off Wolves in state semis

Bulldogs fight off Wolves in state semis

The Earle Bulldogs fought past a stingy Jacksonville Lighthouse team to emerge out of the semifinals victorious and earn their right to play for another 2A State Championship By Collins Peeples

sports@theeveningtimes.com

QUITMAN — The Earle Bulldogs (22-5 overall) punched their ticket to the 2A State Basketball Championship game in Hot Springs, with an 82-62 semifinal round victory over the Jacksonville Lighthouse Wolves (28-7).

The Bulldogs opened the game in dominating fashion, running out to a 19-4 run in the opening stanza before Davonte Davis stopped the bleeding for the Wolves by sinking a threeball with 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

A layup and a free throw by Davis trimmed the Earle lead back to single digits, 21-12, just a minute into the second stanza.

However, Earle’s Darius Cisero and Gerry Bohannon pumped in 11 and 9 points, respectively, in the second stanza to help the Bulldogs head to the locker room with a comfortable 19-point, 45-26, lead.

That lead actually made the Bulldogs a little too comfortable, according Earle head coach Billy Murray, as the Wolves came roaring back in the third quarter to find themselves only down 7 points with 1:41 to go in the third stanza.

“We got overconfident,” Murray said. “Normally we come out in the third quarter and put them away. We came out in the third quarter and just took a break. We didn’t play.”

Starting the third stanza and resuming play, the Wolves jetted out on an 112 run which brought Jacksonville Lighthouse within 10 points of Earle, 47-37, with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

Several baskets by B.J. Murray, Billy Murray’s son, got the Earle offense going in the second half, but the Wolves continued to play aggressively and got within 7 points of Earle with a layup by Chris Mims.

Mims layup represented the first-time Jacksonville Lighthouse trailed Earle by only 7 points since early in the first quarter.

Murray credited the Wolves for fighting back into the game and testing his Bulldogs team.

“Most of the time when you’re up 19 at half, teams will lay down,” Murray said. “Hey, Lighthouse came back and fought like warriors. They came back and brought it to us.”

With their lead substantially cut, the Bulldogs woke up – going on a 23-8 run throughout the next 8 minutes of game time.

Bohannon (6-4, 215 pounds) led all scorers with 24 points and also hauled in 8 rebounds. The Earle big man’s size presented a problem for the smaller Jacksonville Lighthouse players, according to coach Murray.

“Look how big he is,” Murray said smiling. “We go to the mismatch. He’s the bigger, stronger postman. If you got a little man guarding a big man, you go to the big man. It’s common sense.”

While the domination in the paint by Bohannon appeared impressive to spectators, the Earle junior acted as if the performance was nothing new for him.

“(My teammates) just fed me the ball and when they got it to me I scored it,” Bohannon said casually.

“I felt that they weren’t as strong as me because I’m a football player,” Bohannon added on how he beat the Wolves who struggled to guard him.

Bohannon, who also plays quarterback for the Earle football team and has several scholarship offers from Division 1 schools, credited his football training to his ability of working around opposing players on the hardwood.

“You’ve got to have that foot work,” Bohannon said. “When you see the ball go, make a move on them, get them out of position and go get the ball.”

B.J. Murray finished second in scoring for Earle with 19 points and also grabbed 11 boards for the only double-double effort of the 2A semifinals. Cisero poured in 15 points while hauling in 8 rebounds. Dontrel Johnson and Travonta Doolittle knocked down 11 and 10 points, respectively, to help Earle cement their chance to repeat as 2A State Basketball Champions. No other Bulldog scored more than 2 points.

Davis paced Jacksonville Lighthouse with 21 points. Mims and Gerald Doakes also turned in double-digit scoring efforts in the loss for the Wolves, pumping in 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Earle travels to Hot Springs this Thursday where the Bulldogs play for their second consecutive 2A State Championship against the Marked Tree Indians (22-10). Tip-off for the 2A State Championship game is slated for 8:45 p.m.