Rabbits run into Regional Final

GLEN ROSE – Graford Coach Jeff Bell had just one message for his kids late in Tuesday night’s Region I semifinal with Lingleville: Get us to overtime.

The Rabbits did just that, using a sweet pass from Levi Butler to a streaking Marc Matthews to tie the game at 45 with under a minute to go in regulation. Graford took control from there, getting a five-point lead in the first 45 seconds and maintaining it in a 56-51 win at Tiger Arena.

Graford is now 26-3 and faced Slidell in the Region I Final Friday evening. Results were not available as of press time. Bell, who was obviously drained after the contest, talked about the importance of the extra session.

“If we got to overtime, I knew that was a lifetime,” Bell explained. “I told them to execute in the final two minutes and I felt really good about our chances.”

Bell should have as Butler, who had some early threes but had stopped shooting due to some misses, buried his third trey of the game 20 seconds into the extra session and Graford never trailed after that. Matthews added a bucket seconds later.

Graford led by seven after a pair of Cody Lemley free throws but Linglevile, which missed its first six shots inn the extra session, made it interesting with Kyler Phillips burying a three-pointer with 43.7 ticks left to get within four.

Butler again used keen eyesight down the stretch, finding Teagen Ford on the baseline to extend the lead to seven. Phillips would bring his team within four one last time with another trey but it was too little too late.

“We took care of business in overtime,” Bell said. “We got tough. We got mean.”

Lingleville gave Graford everything they wanted after the Jackrabbits took a 39-31 lead early in the fourth quarter, the biggest of the contest. A 12-0 Cardinal run gave the squad a four-point lead with 3:49 to go.

With Graford missing six shots in a row in the fourth” it was free throw shooting from Matthews and Lemley which kept things close and ultimately tied the game at 43 with 1:50 left.

“They were a lot quicker than they looked on film and got after us,” Bell offered. “Hats off to their kids and coaches.”

Matthews set the pace offensively with 19 points. Butler tossed in 15 and Dustin Matthews added 10. Brock Cage and Izrael Juarez each had 10 points for Lingleville, which finishes at 19-7.