Mexico didn’t have to wait long to play a game down to the wire.
With about a minute left, the Bulldogs’ season opener with Class 6 Smith-Cotton on Saturday was tied at 52, but …
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Mexico didn’t have to wait long to play a game down to the wire.
With about a minute left, the Bulldogs’ season opener with Class 6 Smith-Cotton on Saturday was tied at 52, but Mexico lost 59-58 to close the 15th annual Gary Filbert Classic in Mexico. Despite leading 50-44 in the fourth quarter, Mexico (0-1) couldn’t clinch a victory.
Charlie Fisher beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer from beyond half court and finished with 24 points and five rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Head coach Darren Pappas said Smith-Cotton made plays in vital moments to create that situation.
“We have to do a better job in late-game situations,” Pappas said. “We’ve got to be a little bit tougher as far as taking care of the basketball and getting knocked off spots and stuff like that.”
Pappas said Smith-Cotton (2-0) nailed some key shots from the perimeter, including Maxwell Lyles’ third 3 pointer as part of his 17 points. Lyles is a freshman, but Pappas said the Tigers had contributions from upperclassmen like Dax Wiskur and his 15 points and six rebounds. DeMarcus Sims Boggs hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and Simon Gladush evaded Kaden Benne’s reach for a layup in the final minute.
“They’re a lot more mature team than we are as they have a lot of juniors and seniors,” Pappas said. “We’ve got a bunch of sophomores with a few juniors and seniors.”
Benne scored seven of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and had three 3-pointers in the game. Fisher erupted for 10 points in the second quarter to help give Mexico a 34-30 halftime lead.
Fisher was able to drive to the rim for some buckets from point-blank range. Pappas said Smith-Cotton made that strategy tougher for Mexico in the second half.
“They cranked up their pressure and got a little more physical with us, especially on the drives inside the paint,” Pappas said.
Pappas said he thought the Bulldogs handled Smith-Cotton’s length and size advantage well. The Tigers used that size advantage better in the third quarter to take a 42-41 lead into the fourth quarter, but Mexico did force some mistakes.
Mexico ran out a starting lineup with three new starters. Kinser Groves finished with seven points, four rebounds and three steals. Brady Thoenen added six points, and James Matthews recorded four assists and had a couple of steals while being a key figure in Mexico’s defensive pressure.
Pappas said Mexico needs more experience, but that can easily be fixed with more playing time. The Bulldogs begin the Montgomery County tournament as the No. 1 seed at 6 p.m. Dec. 2 meeting with New Haven.
“The effort was there by all our guys, especially those three new starters,” Pappas said. “We just have to get comfortable in a starting varsity role. You can’t replicate that in practice all the time. I like this team, and I think they’ll mature relatively quickly.”
