Buzzer-beater knocks Bulldogs from playoffs
After fighting back from a sixpoint fourth quarter deficit to tie Monday night’s bi-district championship game with nine seconds remaining, the Bandera varsity boys basketball team fell in heartbreaking fashion as La Vernia advanced to the second round with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that fell through the net with no time remaining in a 49-46 finish.
The Bears were able to knock down a contested 3-point shot at the buzzer from the right wing to keep their season alive while Bandera finishes the year 22- 13, the program’s most wins since the 2013-2014 season. The Bulldogs went on to snap a 15-game losing streak to Fredericksburg, defeating the Billies at home to secure a playoff berth late in the district season.
“I hate that our season ended the way it did, but the shot at the end of the game Monday night doesn’t change what this group of guys accomplished from October to February. We accomplished three of our four goals and were one play away from getting our fourth goal of winning a playoff game: we won 20 games, won a tournament championship and advanced to the playoffs. I am so thankful to have gotten to work with this senior class,” said Head Coach Brady Keane. “I love this group, am going to miss those guys a ton, and can’t wait to see everything they accomplish after graduating this spring.”
It was a heartbreaking end to an extremely successful season for the Bulldogs, who finished third in the loaded District 28-4A and advanced to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. Bandera won the Comfort Tournament, taking home a tournament championship for the first time in more than a decade, and played for the tournament championship in Rockport as well.
“Bandera was led this year by a senior class that dedicated a large portion of its spring, summer and fall to putting in extra work in an effort to grow together and have a chance at being successful this year,” said Keane. “Tyler Moore, Ryan Perez, Luke Barnett, Liam DeMarchi, Joseph Kennedy and Kyle Morgan will be greatly missed – they took the program to new heights and led by example in showing the amount of work it takes to have a successful season.
The Bulldogs will have six varsity players returning next season in Noah Barnett, Gavin Ortiz, Kayden Brown, Cale Barnett, Elijah Salas and Brayden Cox. Bandera will also have a handful of players from a successful JV team that produced a 16-10 record who will be vying for a spot at the varsity level next season.
“For the underclassmen, I know this feeling will serve as a source of motivation as we prepare for the 2022-2023 season,” said Keane. “They have seen what it takes to be successful and will have to turn it up a notch so we can take the next step as a program.”