Texas High beat Pine Tree Friday night at the Tiger Center, but the Pirates didn't go quietly.
Pine Tree went on a 10-0 run early in the third quarter to almost erase a 21-point deficit. Fortunately for the Tigers, they got their second-wind to prevail in the key District 16-5A encounter, 67-58.
"Everything went right in the first half and we played about as well as we could," THS coach Keith Jones said. "We lost our intensity at the start of the third quarter, and we played about as bad as we could. It's hard to play a full game as well as we did the first half.
"They beat us badly on the glass in the third quarter and got second shots after second shots. We got the momentum back in the fourth quarter, and we were fortunate that we had a big enough lead early to survive."
Texas High improves to 13-7 on the season and more importantly 3-3 in 16-5A play. The Pirates fall to 7-14 on the year and 2-4 in district.
"I told my kids this game was huge," Jones said. "I told them we could be tied for third place if Sulphur Springs won, or we could be in fifth place if we lost. I was proud of the guys, they stepped up, even though Quan (Hampton) wasn't here."
Hampton was visiting Kansas University, which has offered the 5-foot-9 senior a football scholarship.
THS seniors Lavon Brown and Chris Reid stepped up in Hampton's absence to score 25 of their combined 34 points in the first half. Brown finished with a team-high 19.
The Tigers' lead was a precarious five points going into the final quarter, and Pine Tree climbed within three on several occasions, the final time coming with 4:39 left in the game on a layup by freshman J.J. Sparkman, who led all scorers with 24 points. He also pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds before fouling out late.
Kenny Jackson also played a big role in the Pirates' rally, finishing with 16 points, while Josh Nafrady pulled down 12 rebounds.
Six-foot-6 senior Jordan Ray came off the bench to help the Tigers out-rebound the Bucs in the final eight minutes and preserve the win. He also swished two key free throws in the final period.
Brown buried two 25-footers in the first two minutes of the game as the Tigers scored the first 12 points.
Reid contributed seven points in the first quarter, converting a conventional three-point play with 1:54 left that gave Texas High a 19-4 advantage.
Pine Tree answered back on three field goals inside the paint by Sparkman, who also grabbed 10 of his rebounds in the opening half.
In earlier action Texas High's junior varsity and freshmen scored impressive wins.
The Tigers' jayvee beat Pine Tree, 85-62. Kyle Wright led the winners with 26 points, while Jonathan Blair added 25. Quechez Clark scored 16 and Jacoby Johnson 12. Davon Coleman led the Pirates with 18.
Texas High's freshmen broke into the win column with a 70-56 victory. Cedric Kelly scored 21 for the Tigers and Daveon Hawkins contributed 20. Gabe Adams led all scorers with 25 for the Bucs.
Pine Tree 8 15 21 14 - 58
Texas High 21 20 8 18 - 67
PT (58): Williams 1 0-0 2; Noll 3 1-2 7; Jackson 6 1-2 16; Sparkman 11 2-2 24; Hawkins 2 3-4 7; Best 1 0-0 2, TOTALS 24 7-10 58.
THS (67): Wilson 3 0-0 7; Stanley 2 0-0 4; Reid 6 3-3 15; Brown 7 3-5 19; Ray 1 2-3 4; Vaughn 1 0-0 2; Drumm 1 0-0 2; Crump 4 0-0 8; Hunt 3 0-2 6, TOTALS 28 8-13 67.
3-point goals: PT-Jackson 3. THS-Brown 2, Wilson. Team Fouls: Pine Tree 11, Texas High 12. Fouled out: Sparkman, Drumm.