Region 3-A: Lewisville vs. McBee

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Entering play on a Tuesday evening, both Lewisville and McBee had played in one region game apiece. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The homestanding Panthers were victorious in its regional tilt – an emphatic victory at Riverwalk Academy on Jan. 8. As for the Lions, they were undefeated for the season going into regional play before dropping a home game to C.A. Johnson on Jan. 10.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Lewisville and McBee are having improved 2023-24 seasons. After winning only six games all of last season, the Lions have gone 8-1 for the current campaign. The Panthers were victorious in only seven games last season – they have already won seven in 2023-24.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Would McBee earn its second regional win or would Lewisville claim its first? The answer was the latter as the Lions scored a thrilling 57-54 win over McBee.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Remember What Happened Last Time? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On both occasions when these Upper State regional foes met last season, they were both victories for the Panthers. McBee eked out a 62-58 win over Lewisville at the Lions' home court in mid-January along with another close victory (54-51) over the Lions in early February.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up-tempo play would be the order of the day in the first quarter. The high-energy nature of the game would break in McBee's favor in the opening eight. The Panthers built a 17-12 over Lewisville with one complete.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things shifted in the second quarter as the Lions began resembling the team whose lone loss was to C.A. Johnson. As both teams entered their respective locker rooms to strategize for the second half, it was Lewisville 25 and McBee 19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One had to expect that these two teams would be evenly matched. That was the case once again in the third quarter. With three frames having been complete, the Panthers had a three-point, 34-31 lead over the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A late 3-pointer by the Panthers evened the score at 45 all. An ensuing transition layup attempt by the Lions was unsuccessful as was the final McBee possession of the frame. Just as was the case with the girls, Lewisville's and McBee's boys needed four minutes of bonus basketball to settle Tuesday evening's contest.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The closing sequence of overtime appeared to indicate that a second overtime would be needed to settle what was a very entertaining contest. Except for a buzzer-beating triple that put a lid on things for the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2323845,"width":"507px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8347-2-crop-1942x1275-1705488875.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8347-2-crop-1942x1275-1705488875.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2323845" style="width:507px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewisville's efforts on Tuesday were powered by a freshman – the lone 2027 on the Lions roster. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2380313' first='Jalen' last='Culp']</strong> led all scorers with 25 points. Speed and rim attacking capabilities are among Culp's strong points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2323855,"width":"507px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8378-crop-2236x1469-1705489655.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8378-crop-2236x1469-1705489655.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2323855" style="width:507px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions also were the recipient of a strong effort from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2260428' first='Jakarri' last='Strong']</strong>. The 5-foot-11 senior guard came through with 16 points – including the three biggest of the contest. Strong's buzzer-beating trey in overtime won it for Lewisville. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2323857,"width":"504px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8374-crop-2236x1469-1705489817.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8374-crop-2236x1469-1705489817.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2323857" style="width:504px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewisville's offense had a hard time containing what <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1372635' first='Tyrek' last='Wright']</strong> got accomplished for the homestanding Panthers. Wright finished with 21 points and proved himself all night to once again be a stalwart for McBee's backcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2323860,"width":"551px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8398-crop-2368x1555-1705490147.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/IMG_8398-crop-2368x1555-1705490147.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2323860" style="width:551px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another one of those backcourt anchors was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2709020' first='Jakari' last='Holloman']</strong>. He contributed 15 points to the Panthers' cause. Holloman is listed at 5-foot-9 on McBee's roster and is one of four 2026 on the roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>What's Next?</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next time both teams take the court will be on the road Friday at regional rivals. The Panthers will be at C.A. Johnson and the Lions will head to Great Falls.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->