Bulldogs bounce back against Hondo

After struggling at times offensively in their over Devine, the Bandera varsity boys basketball bounced back well and got into a groove in a 70-57 win over Hondo on December 17

The Bulldogs led just 6-5 after a slow moving first quarter but began to have their way offensively with the Owls. Four different Bandera players finished in double-digits and another had 9 points in what was a total team effort, pushing the Bulldogs to their second win over Hondo this year, and their third straight win over the Owls dating back to last season.

After taking a 6-5 lead, Bandera never trailed in the game. Hondo kept things close until the early fourth quarter, when a 3-point shot by senior Ryan Perez gave the Bulldogs a 7-point lead. Senior Tyler Moore came up with a steal on the Owls’ next possession and finished with a layup on the other end, and junior Kayden Brown hit a 3-point shot less than a minute later. The Bulldogs went a perfect 12/12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the win, and were 15/15 from the line in the game.

Tyler Moore finished with a game-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds to finish with his seventh double-double of the season. Gavin Ortiz had 13 points and 2 assists, Kayden Brown had 13 points and 6 assists, Ryan Perez had 11 points and 6 rebounds, Liam DeMarchi had 9 points and 8 rebounds, Eli Salas had 4 points, an assist and two steals, and Joseph Kennedy had two points and three rebounds. Salas and junior Braden Cox made a big impact coming in off the bench, with Salas making a handful of key fourth quarter plays on both ends of the court and Cox posting 5 rebounds and stepping up big defensively throughout the game.

The Bulldogs improved to 13-4 on the season and have won eight straight games entering the Christmas Break. The winning streak is the program’s longest since the 2006-2007 season. Bandera had a week off before traveling to the prestigious Coach K Classic in Rockport-Fulton, where the Bulldogs were set to play Aransas Pass and Alice in pool play on December 27. Results of that game were not available by the Bulletin’s deadline.

Bandera return from Rockport on Dec.

29 and will have three consecutive home games before opening district play on Jan. 14. The Bulldogs host Llano on Jan. 4, Pearsall on Jan. 7 at Bandera Middle School, and Fox Tech on Jan. 11.

“Our guys are playing really good basketball heading into the Christmas Break,” said Coach Brady keane. They play hard, smart and together, and have committed to sharing the ball offensively while also playing great defense. Friday night was a perfect example of that - we were without our starting point guard due to an injury, and several different players stepped up to fill that role. The week off will be good for us to get back to 100 percent, and then we’re excited to go compete in Rockport against some of the best teams we’ll see this year.”