The Clear Creek Middle School Bobcats were on the road last Monday to take on the Dawson County Tigers for the final basketball games before Christmas break.
Seventh graders won 45-40 and the eighth-grade Bobcats lost, 61-49.
The seventh-grade game was close until CCMS was able to put it away in the final quarter.
DCMS hit seven three pointers on the day and led by one point after the first and 18-14 at halftime.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Bobcats still trailed, 27-24. However, a solid 10/14 shooting performance from the free-throw line by CCMS in the quarter helped them overtake the Tigers.
The 21-point fourth allowed Clear Creek to claim a five-point victory.
Jackson McVey was the top scorer for CCMS with 14 points. Both Talyn Curtis and Haden West scored eight, Boston Teague had seven, Keegan Bryant added six and Cooper Farmer finished with five.
“The seventh-grade team is having a phenomenal season and are really coming together as a team,” coach Chad Miller said. “They have amazing chemistry and play great team basketball. It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to coach these young men. If they continue to work hard, play together, and stay humble, the sky’s the limit for them.”
Eighth-grade Bobcats Kohan Davis and Jacob Becerra scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, in their game. Davis hit two threes in the first quarter and Ryder Wofford made another as CCMS led, 15-12.
Both teams made six three pointers in the game, and Dawson drained three in the second quarter for an offensive boost and a 28-22 lead at the half.
Both teams scored nine in the third, and DCMS still held a 37-31 lead with a quarter to play.
Dawson and CCMS shot the ball well in the fourth, but the Cats were unable to catch the Tigers by game’s end.
Ethan McCollum added nine points to Davis, and Becerra’s totals, Wofford had seven points and John Ponders scored two.
“The eighth-grade team is still developing and figuring out their identity,” Miller said. “They have great potential and are still working on team chemistry. With a lot of new players having to play new roles on the team, it has been an adjustment for them. I feel confident that we will surprise a lot of teams at the tournament this season. If they continue to play with heart and keep improving, we can finish up the season with a bang.
“I am extremely proud of my seventh- and eighth-grade players.”