Bison men finish district play in third - Playoff bound!

“Stall ball” by the Bulldogs wasn’t much fun -- for anyone. Van’Go’photo The Buffalo Bison finished their regular season play by hosting the #1-ranked New Waverly Bulldogs on February 16. The game was a defensive battle early on and the Bison frustrated the Bulldogs with aggressive play at both ends of the court. Both teams were pressing and neither was able to put many points on the board. NW tried mostly 3-pointers, unsuccessfully, and BHS led 7-6 late in the period. then the Bulldogs pulled ahead just before the buzzer, 11-7.

Buffalo went on a run of their own in the second and tied the game at 17-all. Then NWHS earned 9 unanswered points to take a 26-17 lead into the locker room.

New Waverly opened the third with a pair of treys to solidfy their lead. Bison players and fans were frustrated by the Bulldogs’ strategy late in the third, as they employed “stall ball” to keep the score low and burned several full minutes off the play clock, to take a 36-21 lead into the final quarter, where they pulled away for a 60-33 win.

Senior Jordan Canady pulled off a steal and a dunk against the #1 team in the state in his final game in the BHS gym last Tuesday. Van’Go’photo Canady, still nursing a tender ankle, led his teammates with 13, including a pair of three-pointers. A.B. Bell had a big second half and scored 8, including four of five freethrows. Ryan Read added 5, Micah Burnside- Jones netted 4, Cain Hayes 2 and Damian Rodriguez tacked on 1.

WEST SABINE

The Bison honed their game with a warm-up against West Sabine on Saturday. Senior Jordan Canady did not play, taking the weekend off to allow his ankle to be 100% for the playoffs, and Coach Warren Ringland pulled up several JV starters to get experience against a top-level team.

Saxton Sims (#15), Micah Burnside-Jones (#5) and Cain Hayes (#32) hold nothing back in the Bison’s final district game against New Waverly. BHS meets Newton in Bi-District play on Tuesday in Lufkin. Van’Go’photo Burnside-Jones led the Bison in the first quarter, and they trailed by one at the buzzer, 11-10. West Sabine’s Weatherspoon dominated the rest of the game, pouring in 30 points on the way to a 46- 39 win over BHS. Everyone on the Bison bench saw some action in the game and Buffalo had eight players score. Burnside-Jones finished with 12, Bell contributed 8, and Hayes 6. Read, Tate Hartley and Creagor Elsom each knocked down a three-point- er. Sims and Jordan Nix added 2 each.

“We played a district champion that is a very athletic opponent, which should help us on Tuesday. They also play man defense, which we have barely seen in district.” Coach Ringland noted. Looking ahead to the Bi-District game in Lufkin, Ringland added, “Newton is very athletic and quick, something we saw in New Waverly and Corrigan-Camden in district. That should help us prepare for Newton. They are good but I feel like we can compete with them. It should be a good game, as the playoffs are supposed to be.”

After a delay for winter weather, the Bison are scheduled to play their bidistrict game with Newton on Wednesday, February 24, at 6:00 at Angelina Junior College in Lufkin.