BEAUMONT — Missed free throws alone almost negated Nederland's second half effort on Friday night at Beaumont Central High School, where the Bulldogs pulled off a 46-41 victory over the Jaguars in District 20-4A basketball action. 

   Nederland trailed Central for 19 of the 24 minutes in the first three quarters. It was not until a 13-1 march over the final 5 minutes of the third quarter that Nederland bullied their way back in front for the first time since holding a 5-4 lead in the opening quarter.

   That huge run gave the Dogs a 34-32 advantage, ending with a layup from Nederland's Dylan Campbell, who got a great pass in transition from Chris Cunningham just before the close of the third quarter.

   Central's Markel Freelow popped a three to start the scoring in the fourth period, giving Central a 35-34 edge, but the Dogs regained the lead after Josh Wagner responded with a 3-pointer of his own.

   Two possessions later, Central hit another trey to tie the game at 39-39. But Nederland rattled off a 7-2 run over the final 3:29 to survive the Jags and get out of Beaumont with an 8-3 district record, dropping Central to 7-4 and into third place.

   Bulldog coach Brian English said the 11-point turnaround from the middle of the second to the end of third quarter was only possible because of the his club's defensive effort.

   "That was the best defense we played all season," explained English whose team is now 15-14 overall and will host Livingston Tuesday. "It took everything we had to hold down those (Central's) guards. It was just a great effort all around."

   While English mostly spoke of his Dogs second half intensity, Nederland really started picking it up in the second quarter after Central had taken a 18-7 advantage through the first two minutes of the frame.

   The Jags were paced by Kristian Smith up to that point, as the 6-2 sophomore guard produced 10 of his team-high 12 points in the opening 10 minutes of action.

   Smith was the only Jaguar to reach double figures while Nederland's Dionte Forney and Kelvin Smith each recorded 12 and Cunningham pitched in with 11.

   Forney also had three blocks and 10 rebounds on the night. Kelvin Smith finished with nine boards, while Cunningham grabbed six and dished out four assists. 

   Despite the great defensive play and huge 3-pointers from Wagner and Cunningham in the fourth quarter, shooting 16-of-32 from the foul line nearly cost the Bulldogs.

    But four of those made free throws helped Nederland take the final lead change with a pair from Smith and then Forney iced it with two of his own. Forney also grabbed an extremely important rebound on Central's end of the floor with 8 seconds left in regulation, which forced Beaumont to foul with 7.54 to go.

    The score was 44-41 at that juncture. Forney's two free throws also bailed out Cunningham, who missed two only seconds before. In between those trips to the line, Central jacked up a 3-pointer that could have tied it but the shot went long and Forney was able to do the rest.

   At one point in the third quarter, the Dogs missed 5-of-6 foul shots but ultimately made 7-of-8 during the key 13-1 run. Four of those seven were set up by two technical fouls by Central for unsportsmanlike conduct.

  After falling into an 11-point deficit minutes into the second, Kelvin Smith produced a 7-0 charge for Nederland that trimmed the score down to a manageable 20-17.

    Smith could have added two more points to that run but missed a pair of free throws that would have made it a one-point ball game. Instead, Central closed the half with a 7-3 run that pushed their lead to 27-20 at the break.

    Beaumont led 31-21 after 2:31 into the third quarter but was pegged with its first technical foul, and that changed the course of the game, as Cunningham hit both of those foul shots to spark the Bulldogs big rally.

    "That was a very big win for us, you know," English said. "It was a win that means a lot as far as playoff seeding goes and it was important we didn't lose back-to-back games (lost 63-51 at LC-M on Tuesday). We came to play tonight and we had to because every possession was critical."



Vidor 47, PN-G 43

VIDOR — In terms of staying in any contention for a playoff spot in District 20-4A basketball, Friday's matchup with the Vidor Pirates was a must win situation for the Port Neches-Groves Indians.

   Unfortunately, the Tribe was outscored by 16 points in the middle two frames and that allowed Vidor to cash in a 47-43 victory, just the second district win of the season.

   The loss drops the Indians, who have lost three straight by a difference of six points or less, to 16-11 overall and 4-7 in league play. Vidor's Danny Riddick led all players in scoring with 17 points. Spencer DeRon, 10 points, was the only Indian to reach double figures.

   PN-G held a 13-6 edge after the first quarter but Vidor marched back with a 13-4 second period. Then the Pirates topped the Indians in the third quarter with a 19-12 difference, giving them a 39-29 advantage heading into the final frame.

   The Tribe fought back in the final eight minutes but came up short, despite winning the quarter 14-8.

   PN-G will host Lumberton at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday for its next game.



Lady Jags 95, Lady Dogs 36

NEDERLAND — Excluding the Ozen Lady Panthers and Livingston Lady Lions, playing the Central Jaguars has been brutal for the rest of District 20-4A's basketball teams. The Nederland Lady Bulldogs were no exception in their 95-36 loss to the Lady Jags Friday night in the Dog Dome, as seven of Beaumont's players scored in double figures.

   Central improved their district-best record to 12-1 while Nederland's records dropped to 7-20 overall and 2-11 in 20-4A.

   For the Lady Dogs, Victoria Miller tallied 16 points and four assists, and Logan LeBlanc and Kaliegh Klein each had four assists as well.

    Nederland will finish the 2009-10 campaign Tuesday in Livingston where it will meet the Lady Lions at 7:30 p.m.