Pirates too much for Cowboys in district tie-breaker

The Bryson Cowboys entered Saturday's tiebreaker with Perrin hoping to go into the playoffs with momentum. After splitting games during the season, the teams needed one more meeting to settle a tie for second place in the district. The Cowboys struggled from the start in a 79-57 loss at home to the Pirates.

The Pirates opened the game pressing on defense and the Cowboys could never get any consistency going on offense. The visiting Pirates opened the game on a 12-3 run before Cowboys coach Slade Egan called a timeout to settle things down. Landon Stephens had the only points for the Cowboys with a 1-2 trip to the free-throw line after a steal and a layup after another steal minutes later.

Defensively, the Cowboys did all they could to stay in the game, forcing nine turnovers and scoring five points from them. Shots and rebounding were a struggle for most of the quarter until the closing minutes. After trailing 18-3 with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter, the Cowboys inched closer with a 9-2 run. The Pirates led 20-12 after the first quarter.

The run extended to 15-5 in the second quarter. Stephens earned another basket from a turnover with 5:33 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to five points at 23-18. Rebounds proved to be key in getting back into the game.

Ultimately, it was 3-point shooting from Perrin that proved too tough for the Cowboys in the first half. Behind a total of eight 3-pointers, including five in the second quarter, the Pirates ultimately extended the lead to 41-29 at halftime.

"We just came out flat from the beginning," Egan said. "Rebounding was about the only thing going for us in the first half and I told the team at halftime that is why we were even still in the game."

That five-point deficit is as close as the Cowboys could get in the game. The Pirates outscored their host Cowboys 38- 28 in the second half. The Cowboys lost their edge in rebounding as the game slipped away. The one lone bright spot in the half came in a 5-0 run over a two-minute span late in the third quarter that included a second-change basket from Drake Huffman.

Stephens led all scorers in the loss with 22 points. The defense, however, allowed five Pirates to score in double-digits.

"This was easily our worst game of the season," Egan said. "We came out flat and stayed that way all game. The offense never got going for us. Now with the playoffs coming up, we just have to forget about this. I'm looking forward to seeing the culmination of my two years with this team."

With their win, Perrin-Whitt will take the second seed out of the district. They were matched against Midway. As thirdplace finishers in 22-1A, the Cowboys were paired against Saint Jo, who finished in second place in 22-1A.