Archives > Sports > Schools
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Bouncing back: Lobos rebound from loss to The Colony with win over Centennial
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
LITTLE ELM – Little Elm lost its first district game in 17 tries on Friday against The Colony.
The Lobos rebounded in a big way on Tuesday, winning a 71-64 home contest against Centennial that kept the team on top of the District 9-4A standings.
"I didn't know how they'd react because we hadn't lost a district game yet," said Rusty Segler, Little Elm head coach. "Coming out and responding like this was huge.”
"[Pullum] didn't like losing last week," Segler said. "He told me we wouldn't lose another one and he can definitely put a game on his shoulders."
Pullum was particularly dominant in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of Little Elm's 20 points in the frame and helping the Lobos maintain a slim lead throughout the second half.
Matters were made easier for the Lobos at the charity stripe. The team sank all seven free-throw attempts in the first half and ended the game 19-of-26 despite several late misses.
The work at the line also allowed the Lobos to dig out of an early hole after Centennial ended the first quarter on a 16-5 run that ended with an and-one layup from junior center Dante Vargas-Hall.
"I felt like we scored enough points to win," said Michael Scarbrough, Centennial head coach.
Centennial's lead widened to 21-12 with 6:08 remaining in the second quarter before the Lobos began to turn the tables.
Senior forward Biron Joseph, who scored 18 points for the Lobos, knotted the game at 29-29 on a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in the opening half before a steal at the other end allowed Pullum to give his team a two-point advantage heading into the locker room.
"[Little Elm] shot well from the outside," Scarbrough said. "We were trying to take away the penetration and forced them into taking the shots we wanted them to take."
The two teams then went back-and-forth for a majority of the third quarter until another last-second steal allowed Pullum to convert a quick layup with no time remaining on the clock, giving Little Elm a 51-45 lead heading into the fourth.
Centennial made several quick runs throughout the fourth quarter in an attempt to recapture the lead, but the Lobos responded each time.
The closest the Titans would get to knotting the game up came after senior Ross Spain buried a shot from beyond the arc to make it 66-64 with 1:04 left.
However, Spain's triple would be the last points Centennial would score in the game, as the Lobos sealed the 71-64 victory from the free-throw line in the closing seconds.
Spain scored fewer than four points in all four quarters and finished the game with just seven points. The Titans were led by sophomore post Karim Alao's 16 points, with junior Xander Petersson and senior Erik Petersson adding 15 apiece.
"I was glad to see [the offensive balance]," Scarbrough said. "We've been living from the 3-point line the last few games but did a great job of sharing the basketball tonight."
The Titans (11-11, 2-4) will now try to rebound from Tuesday's loss with a crucial 8 p.m. home game against Prosper on Friday.
"We've got to put something together over the next few weeks if we want to stay in the race," Scarbrough said. "Our margin for error is really small now."
For the Lobos (16-6), the victory keeps them atop the district standings with a 5-1 mark. The team will close the first half of district action Friday with an 8 p.m. road game against Liberty.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Frisco Centennial «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
