TEXARKANA, Texas - Liberty-Eylau had a second half to remember.
The Leopards (18-10, 5-3) outscored Pleasant Grove (14-13, 3-5) 41-25 in the second half and went on to a 70-58 win in a District 15-4A varsity boys basketball game on Senior Night at the Rader Dome.
"This group of seniors is very talented," Liberty-Eylau head coach Dewaski Davis said Tuesday night. "I don't think they quite know their full potential, but they are getting there quick. They are a special group.
"We didn't get off to the start that I wanted, but we stayed focused and kept on doing what we do."
Liberty-Eylau finished second in District 15-4A behind champion Paris, with the Hawks taking third. All three of those teams will compete in the state playoffs. The Leopards will face the third-seeded team from District 16-4A (Cumberland Academy or Kilgore) and the Pleasant Grove will battle 16-4A runner-up Tyler Chapel Hill.
The Leopards got off to an 8-0 spurt to start the fourth quarter against the Hawks. R'Aikeem Harris hit a trey, Kentraile Atkins swished in a floater and then hit a shot from 3-point land during the rally.
The Hawks tried to battle back, but some 3-point attempts just missed the mark.
Takaylon Hampton scored eight points in the third quarter as L-E took a 46-42 into the final quarter. Hampton finished with 17 points for the Leopards.
Javon Hunter had a double-double for the Leopards with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
T'vondrick Henry had a game-high 22 points for Pleasant Grove, while Brett Carmony had 12 points, all on 3-pointers.
Pleasant Grove went on an 11-2 run midway through the first quarter. Torey Phillips hit a layup, Henry drove in for a layup, Carmony nailed a trey, Landon Jackson made a putback and Henry slammed one home during the run.
Liberty-Eylau came back with 10-2 run, which started with a Takaylan Hampton 3-pointer. Beandre Wafer made a layup, Kentraile Atkins hit a 10-foot jumper and Keeunue Shepard swished in a shot from downtown as the buzzer sounded.
The Leopards had a 17-16 lead after the first quarter.
A Henry layup started a 15-2 Hawk run at the start of the second quarter. Carmony hit a trey, Henry dunked and then hit a 3-pointer, Layton Jackson hit a layup and followed with a traditional 3-point play.
Pleasant Grove was up 31-19 after the run. Hunter helped bring the Leopards back with seven points and Hampton connected on a trey to make it 33-29 at the half.
The Leopards shot 49 percent from the field on 22-of-45 shooting, while the Hawks hit 23 of 54 shots for 43 percent.
Turnovers were almost even; Pleasant Grove had 19, and L-E committed 18. The Hawks out-rebounded the Leopards, 33-29.
Liberty-Eylau seniors Atkins, Harris, Wafer and Hunter were honored before the game on Senior Night.