Bobcats beat Bryson to clinch playoffs spot

The Newcastle Bobcats came out on top over the Bryson Cowboys in their final game of the regular season.

Playing on their home court Friday, Feb. 9, the Bobcats defeated the Cowboys 43-26 to clinch third place in the district and a spot in the 1A Region 3 playoffs bracket. Graford has won the district, followed by Perrin-Whitt in second and Newcastle taking third.

It took a bit of time for the Bobcats to get things going in their last game, but they eventually overcame a slow start to get the big win.

Newcastle’s offense came out sluggish in the opening minutes and the Bobcats suffered a lot of missed shots in the early going. Bryson built up a 5-0 lead before senior Ty Strawbridge got the Bobcats on the board with a floater in the lane for two points.

The Cowboys found holes in Newcastle’s defense to increase their lead to 9-3 before the Bobcats closed the gap in the remaining minutes of the first quarter thanks to consecutive baskets from senior Isaac King. Bryson held a slim 9-8 lead after the first period of play.

The second quarter is when the Bobcats found their groove. Newcastle exploded and outscored Bryson 18-4 in the next eight minutes of the game.

King knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing off an assist from freshman Keyton Newland to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 11-9. From there, Newcastle took off with multiple players contributing to the offensive outburst.

Seniors King and Strawbridge continued their scoring, but sophomore Tristan Clemons and freshman Jacob Omundi helped, as well, with a few timely buckets. King hit one more 3-pointer in the final minute and Newcastle led 26-13 at halftime.

The scoring slowed down for Newcastle in the third quarter. Bryson didn’t do much better, so the Bobcats’ lead didn’t waver during that part of the game. King scored two points in the frame while Omundi scored two at the basket, as well.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Newcastle held a 30-20 lead and were looking to close out the Cowboys.

Newcastle’s offense found itself again in the fourth and final quarter of the game.

Freshman London Martinez hit a 3-pointer for his first points of the game while Strawbridge and King carried the bulk of the load for the home team.

In an attempt to slow the game down and help them get back into it, Bryson got in foul trouble and sent King to the free throw line 10 times in the quarter, of which he converted six. The Cowboys only managed six points in the quarter and when the buzzer sounded, Newcastle clinched the 43-26 win.

King led the team in scoring with 25 points, more than half the team’s total. Strawbridge followed him with 9 points, Omundi pitched in 6 points, Martinez had 3 points and Clemons finished with 2 points.

The Bobcats will soon figure out their bi-district matchup and location for their first playoff game as they’ll hope to make a splash in the postseason.