Bucks outlast Plowboys in season-opening win

The Breckenridge Buckaroos tipped off their season against the Roscoe Plowboys at home and were able to outlast the visiting team in a thrilling 46-42 victory.

In the game that took place Friday, Nov. 21, the Bucks jumped right out to an early lead as they transitioned from football season. After a quarter of play, they led 15-7, leaning on players like Conor Salazar, Jaime Cruz and Flores to start the scoring off.

Salazar recorded a pair of two-point shots, while Cruz added a two-point and a three-point shot and Flores knocked down two shots from behind the arc.

It was a much tougher second quarter for the Bucks, as they were outscored 18-11 and held a narrow 26-25 lead at halftime. Salazar added a two-point basket, while additional players like Hudson Woodward (two-pointer), Cooper Wimberley (three-pointer) and Joacim Fernandez (pair of two-pointers) joined in on the scoring in the quarter.  

The Plowboys remained right in the game in the third quarter, with the Bucks hitting only two of six free throws as a major factor. Ryan Waller knocked down a mid-range shot and a layup early in the quarter to maintain the lead.

However, the Plowboys tied the score at 33 with a free throw under two minutes to go, later tied it again at 34 and took a 36-34 lead on a fastbreak layup off a steal with under a minute left.

Douglas White drove to the basket and finished off a layup with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter to tie the score back up at 36. Salazar attempted a heave to the basket at the buzzer but fell just short of swishing it in.

On the first possession for the Bucks in the fourth quarter, Waller drove through contact to score a layup and finished off the and-one opportunity at the free throw line.

With White making his presence known defensively with a block and a rebound, he passed the ball up the court to Cruz, who finished it off for a fast break layup to up the lead to 41-36. The lead was 42-36 after Waller hit one of two free throws following a steal.

Roscoe was right back into it on their next possession, hitting a putback shot on a back-end free throw miss for a 42-39 score. They then hit a corner three-pointer to tie the score at 42-all with 2:41 left in the game.

Salazar continued to be a focal point of the Bucks’ offense as he knocked down a midrange shot to take the lead back. After a timeout, the Bucks held the ball for over a minute before the Plowboys finally fouled.

With Breckenridge not yet in the bonus, they would need to inbound, and Christian Flores was called for an illegal screen with 32 seconds to go. The Plowboys, however, couldn’t take advantage as they missed a go-ahead corner three.

Salazar rebounded and was immediately fouled–he made the front end but missed the backend free throw. But after the Plowboys rebounded, it again didn’t go their way as the ball wound up back in the hands of the Bucks and they were fouled with just over one second left.

Cruz iced the game at the charity stripe as he made one of two shots, and the final heave up court by Roscoe was knocked down.

“That was what I was impressed with the most–was our rebounding and getting our hands on the ball,” head coach Brent Lucas said. “That’s been a big problem for us in the past, getting outrebounded in ballgames. So tonight, I thought we did a whole lot better in that category and that made a difference in the ballgame for us.”

Lucas said that they had been practicing for only a couple of days before the opening game, following the football season and having tryouts. During the day of the game, they held a scrimmage during practice with game-type situations.

“I thought it went well. We remembered a lot of the things we’ve been doing in the past; we hadn’t even practiced some of it and they still remembered,” Lucas said. “So that’s a plus. That means we’re going in the right direction.”

Next up, the Bucks will travel to Graham to face off against the Steers, who started their season with a 72-35 win over Millsap. The matchup in Graham takes place Monday, Nov. 24.