BEAUMONT – The Nederland Bulldogs needed two overtimes to do it but beaing a well respected program like South Oak Cliff was more than worth it for the Dogs, which outlasted Dallas with a score of 83-78.

Nederland’s Francis Torres, who scored 26 in Thursday’s win at the Montagne Center, hit 1-of-2 free throws with eight seconds left in regulation. South Oak Cliff took but missed the final shot, which sent the game into a first overtime with the score 62-62.

The next time around, Dallas tied the game up at 70-70 with four seconds remaining in overtime number one, which gave Nederland a chance to win. Torres got the inbound pass and drove the lane but could not get the shot off before time expired, sending the contest to a second overtime frame.

The Bulldogs owned the final four minutes, however, which Nederland outscored their opponent 13-8 to claim the victory and move onto the winner’s bracket. The win also improved Nederland’s record to 7-3 on the season.

Sophomore Dionte Forney hauled in 14 rebounds and scored 10 points for the Dogs, which also received 15 points from senior Chris Hammond.

Nederland will now square off with Harker Heights, which squeezed out a 64-57 decision over the Memorial Titans in what turned into a fourth quarter shootout.

Nederland head coach said his Bulldogs 83 points was the most they had scored in his tenure at Nederland. The Dogs were also responsible for ending South Oak Cliff’s four-game winning streak.

Beating Harker Heights will prove to be just as difficult for Nederland, as HH runs the floor very well. English said Thursday’s opponent and today’s opponent play very different styles. He said Harker Heights likes a fast pace, transition game while Dallas brought a bigger, more physical team to the floor.

English said the key to victory in today’s 12:30 p.m. game at the Montagne Center will be keeping Harker Heights at a slow pace.

If the Bulldogs can win that matchup, they will return to the Montagne for an 8 p.m. showdown with the winner of Aldine Eisenhower and Westbury Christian. Westbury beat Central 61-49 and is a heavy favorite to advance to Saturday’s championship game.

If Nederland loses the 12:30 game, it will not play again until 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Ozen High School.



Thursday’s scores

West Brook advances with bye

Vidor 50, Aldine 47

Ozen 86, St. Pius 42

Eisenhower 69, Marshall 56

Westbury 61, Central 49

Nederland 83, South Oak Cliff 78

Harker Heights 64, Memorial 57



Friday’s pairings

(Montagne Center)

8 a.m. – Vidor vs Ozen

9:30 a.m. – Eisenhower vs Westbury

11 a.m. – West Brook vs North Shore or Perry Walker

12:30 p.m. – Nederland vs Harker Heights

2 p.m. – Aldine vs St. Pius

6:30 p.m. – 8 a.m. winner vs 11 a.m. winner

8 p.m. – 9:30 a.m. winner vs 12:30 p.m. winner

(McDonald’s Gym)

9:30 a.m. – South Oak Cliff vs Memorial

11 a.m. – Marshall vs Central

(Ozen High School)

6 p.m. – winner’s from McDonald’s Gym games

7:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. winner vs North Shore or Perry Walker