Everything Central has done all season has brought them to this moment. Round one versus Powell, early in the season Powell got the best of the Bobcats and upset the to set the tone of their two games. Coach Joe has prepared every player on the bench and on the court for this game and this moment. To start the first game Powell sets the tone and hits a wide-open-three-pointer. Even Though the Panthers came out hot the Bobcats got crucial stops to end the first quarter 19-12.Starting the second quarter the Bobcats Chris Bozeman hits a mid-range jumpshot to put the Bobcats up seven points.
Going into halftime the Panthers took all of the momentum from the Bobcats and snatched the lead making the score 28-34. In the locker room at halftime Coach Joe gives words of wisdom and tells his team “we have been here before and it won’t be our last time so let’s get out there and play our brand of basketball and get this win.” Coach Joe’s speech gives the Bobcats a new life, a burst of energy and coming out in the third Reggie Jones hits a wide-open-three. With a neck and neck third quarter the Bobcats come back and take the lead going in the fourth 48-43. With a rollercoaster of a fourth quarter the Panthers were up 2 with little time left but Joshua Brown hit a three pointer putting the Bobcats up one. With elimination on the line the Panthers get called for a double dribble and Reggie Jones seals the game with two clutch free throws.
Second round of the tournament our Bobcats vs. the Wildcats. The Wildcats come out strong and take the lead but the Bobcats are right on their backs. Sophomore shooting guard Zae Gibby gives the Bobcats a burst of energy with an acrobatic layup on two Wildcats. The game goes neck and neck through the first half and the crowd is with the Bobcats. Receiving all the energy the Bobcats come out getting crucial stops and making the deficit three points. Trey Robinson senior forward hits two amazing free-throws to put the Bobcats down one point. Going into the fourth quarter the Wildcats have a six-point lead, with all the momentum against the Bobcats they come out on a 6-0 run and tie up the game.
With all of the fight the Bobcats have given the Bobcats find themselves down three points. Jones takes a personal foul and fouls out of the game, one and one for the Wildcats starting pg and he misses the first giving the bobcats a chance to tie the game and go to the District Championship for the first time since 2011. Bozeman takes the ball and calls for a screen, it doesn’t work and he pulls it back out calling for another screen freshman center DJ sets the perfect screen and gets Bozeman open for a three he shoots it and hits the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounds and this one goes to overtime!
Central wins the tip and waist no time with a layup by Gibby. After a tough back and forth OT the bobcats are down one point and are looking for a prayer Gibby get it to Brown for the and-one play and the Bobcats seal the deal winning the game 66-62 after some technical free-throws.
The biggest game of the season is happening now, nothing matters but this the District Championship versus the Beavers. The Bobcats are 0-2 to the Beavers both by double digit deficits. The Bobcats have something to prove this game: everyone is fired up in warm-ups and ready to secure this win. Starting off the game the Beavers win the tip and hit an amazing contested layup to give them a sign of relief. The Bobcats come out not looking like their usual selves playing into the hands of the Beavers as they go down 12-26.
Coming out in the second quarter things are seeming to turn around for the Bobcats as guard Dante Strickland hits three back to back threes decreasing the lead to only 11 points. In Beavers typical fashion they gain all momentum back as guard JJ Faulkner and Forward Jalen Roberts complete an alley-oop play totally shocking the crowd and the Beavers bench. Coming out of halftime The Bobcats put themselves in a hole by scoring 13 points to the Beavers 18 and already being down in the first half they came out in the fourth down 19.
Guard Dante Strickland gets an untimely technical foul and Bozeman gets benched in the fourth giving the Beavers even more of an advantage over the Bobcats. With the fourth winding down the Bobcats find themselves down 30 points. With all being said, the Bobcats are still competing to be in the region championship with an elimination game against the Bearden Bulldogs.
Read more from The Bobcat Times:
The Bobcat Times 