Bucks fall to Pirates; looks to rebound as district play begins

Down ten points, with under a minute to play, the Buckaroos fell short in defending the home court against the Eula Pirates, 58-48.

The Breckenridge Buckaroos (7-3) played host to the Eula Pirates (5-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 15, as the Bucks played the final home games before the holiday break.

“We played a good team, and they can shoot the ball well,” Brent Lucas, Buckaroos head basketball coach, said. “We struggled to score, and this team has things that we want to have. Patience on offense, the ability to feed the post, and an improving defensive. This team was the best shooting team we faced all season.”

The Bucks jumped out to an early lead after #24, Anson Rodgers, scored a quick layup in the contest. A three-pointer by #14, Jonas Arellano, gave the lead, and a steal and layup by #13, Nathan Lechner, gave the Buckaroos the 7-5 lead.

The Bucks were leading, 9-5, after a drive to the lane by Rodgers, led to a layup by #14, Jonas Arellano. The score became 9-8, with under three minutes to play in the first quarter after a three by the Pirates.

Another three by the Pirates made the score 11-9, but the Bucks quickly responded with a three from #15, Jayton Hash.

With under 30 seconds to play in the first quarter, a foul by the Bucks put the Pirates at the free throw line, and the Pirates were able to tie the game at 12. A buzzer-beater by the Pirates gave them the 15-12 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, #35, Jerry Lawson, was able to get on the scoreboard with a quick layup to make the score, 14-15, with Pirates leading the contest.

A layup and fouls would put Rodgers, at the foul line to tie the game at 17 and a quick answer and three-pointer by the Pi-rates made the score 20-17. A foul put Arellano, at the free-throw line to make the score, 25-20 giving the Pirates the five point advantage.

The largest lead of the first half for the Pirates came in the midway point of the second quarter with the Bucks down eight points.The Bucks were down ten points before mounting a comeback.

A layup to make the score, 30-22 started the Bucks’ next possession. A three-pointer by Arellano made the score, 30-25, and a long-range jump shot by Hash made the 30-27 with under a minute to go in the first half.

By the end of the first half, the Bucks were down five points, 32-27.

The Bucks were off to an inauspicious start in the second half, with the team down by ten points.

A foul and technical foul led to two shots at the charity stripe and put the Bucks down by seven, 37-30. A fadeaway shot by Lawson put the Bucks down by six.

By the end of the third quarter, the Bucks were down ten points, 45-35, with an entire fourth-quarter needed for a comeback.

A three-pointer by Hash, pulled the Bucks closer and made the score, 45-38, with under seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

A steal gave the Buckaroos the momentum and made the game a fivepoint contest with just over six minutes left in the final half.

With the Buckaroo faithful cheering the team on, the Buckaroos attempted to draw closer.

The Bucks were down by ten points until Lechner made a spinning layup to close the gap, but the Buck defense could not contain the Pirates losing 58-48.

The Bucks’ record on the season falls to 7-4, as the team will begin district play on Wednesday, Dec. 30, against the Holliday Eagles. The Bucks will play 13 consecutive games against district competition.

“We’re in a tough district,” Coach Lucas said. “We play teams like Bowie, Henrietta, Holliday, and Wichita Falls, so it’s going to be tough. Every game is going to be a knockdown drag-out fight. We need to score a point and have confidence.”