Published: February 28, 2008 10:19 pm         

Bulldogs fall in the first round of playoff action

By Dale Gibson

Herald-Banner Sports



Royse City, which had claimed its first district basketball championship since 1974 lost a hard-fought battle against the Carrollton Ranchview Wolves, 55-47, Friday night at Mesquite Horn High School in a Class 3A Area Round playoff contest.

Ranchview finished the regular season ranked No. 16 in the state according to the final Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll which was released Feb. 18.

“Our boys were very hurt after this loss,” said Bulldogs Coach Anthony Howerton. “They worked hard going back to last summer preparing for the playoffs. We all wanted more, but from a team that won only six games all last year they really improved. I can’t tell you how proud of them I am.”

The game was close all the way with neither team being able to put any safe distance between them. The lead changed hands eight times with Royse City’s largest coming with 44 seconds left in the third quarter when the Bulldogs went up, 38-34, as Wynn Posey dropped in a pair of free throws. Posey had put the ’Dawgs up 36-34 at the 1:21 mark of the third quarter when he grabbed his own shot that had been blocked and took it back to the hoop for two points.

Ranchview’s largest lead had been six points until Thedford Simmons connected on a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left in the game to give the Wolves an 8-point lead, 52-44. Simmons, who went 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the game’s final 30 seconds, hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left and tossed in another from the charity stripe with four seconds left to make the final margin, 55-47. Those five points were the only points Simmons scored all night.

Royse City got on the scoreboard first when Justin Crutchfield hit a free throw and J. T. Thompson got a lay-up off a steal, giving the ’Dawgs a quick 3-0 lead with only 40 seconds gone in the first quarter.

Brandon Williams gave Ranchview its first lead of the game, 8-6, at the 2:34 mark of the first quarter.

Crutchfield, who went 6-of-8 from the free throw line for the Bulldogs, connected on another free throw and Dustin Petersen, who was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points, got the roll on a lay-up putting Royse City back on top, 9-8, with 1:21 left in the opening period.

Desmond Comfort drilled a 3-pointer and Armon Freeman scored on an in-bound pass to close out the first quarter, putting the Wolves on top, 13-9.

Thompson came away with a loose ball and hit a short jumper with 2:12 left in the second quarter to tie the contest, , 15-15, but Ranchview answered with a quick fast break to regain the lead.

Posey hit an 18-footer with 1:07 left in the first half to tie the game again, but less than 10 seconds later the Wolves responded as Freeman scored, and the first half ended with the score Ranchview 19, Royse City 17.

After the low-scoring first half, both teams hit the floor running in the third quarter. The ’Dawgs scored quickly when Justin Jacobs found Chris Smith under the basket for a slam dunk knotting the score at 19-19.

But the Wolves weren’t intimidated and Williams, who finished as the Wolves’ leading scorer with 17 points, nailed a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and went in for a lay-up and with less than a minute gone in the third quarter, Ranchview was on top, 24-19.

Crutchfield and Williams each canned 3-pointers for their teams before Crutchfield grabbed a missed shot and put it back up for two more Bulldog points.

Crutchfield then passed to Smith who tossed in a 10-footer, cutting the Wolves’ lead to 27-26 with 4:42 left in the third quarter.

Comfort drilled another 3-pointer for the Wolves with 3:18 left in the third quarter to give Ranchview a 34-30 advantage.

But a tip-in by Petersen started the ’Dawgs on an 8-0 run that gave them a 38-34 lead with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Petersen, with an assist from Jacobs, tied the game at 34-34 before Posey scored four straight points.

Ranchview stopped the Royse City run with five unanswered points, including another 3-pointer by Williams, putting the Wolves back on top, 39-38, with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.

Smith closed the third quarter scoring, with an assist from Kollin Padon, sending the Bulldogs into the final eight minutes with a 40-39 lead.

Early foul trouble began to catch up with the Bulldogs in the final period as Petersen and Jacobs picked up their fourth personal fouls early in the fourth quarter.

Ranchview countered by going to a four-corner offense, patiently waiting for an open shot or another foul. The Wolves scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to take a 43-40 lead and never trailed after that. Petersen closed the margin to one-point, 45-44, with 4:42 left in the game but that was as close as they would get.

Ranchview was ahead 48-44 when Jacobs fouled out with 1:26 left in the game. The Wolves were ahead, 52-44, when Petersen fouled out.

Posey nailed a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left, keeping the ’Dawgs hopes alive, but Smith had to commit his fifth foul in an attempt to get the ball back and three free throws by the Wolves’ Simmons made the final count, 55-47.

“Our crowd was the best we had all year and it really helped us,” Howerton said. “Ranchview has a great team and coach and we wish them the best in the playoffs.”

At press time Ranchview was scheduled to meet Kennedale at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 26) in a regional quarterfinal matchup. Kennedale beat Frisco Wakeland, 66-65, in double overtime to reach the quarterfinal round. The winner of that contest will advance to the regional tournament to be held at Texas A&M-Commerce Friday (Feb. 29) and Saturday (Mar. 1).