NEDERLAND — John Comeaux stepped to the line for two free throws, his Ozen team already up by two baskets against Nederland with 5 seconds left in overtime.
“Whoomp, there it is,” someone from the Ozen cheering section yelled. And Comeaux scored his 19th and 20th points of the night.
But it almost wasn’t there for the sixth-ranked team in 5A.
Ozen erased a 12-point halftime deficit and grinded out 79-76 win in the extra frame against Nederland, sweeping the two-game regular-season series from the Bulldogs. It’s also the 17th win in the last 18 for the Panthers (21-3, 8-1 in District 22-5A).
Josh Boyd finished with 28 points for Ozen after going scoreless through the first quarter. He and Comeaux combined for all 13 of Ozen’s overtime points.
Jase Miguez totaled 27 points for Nederland. He made a three-point shot at the end of overtime to shape the final margin.
But the Bulldogs (21-9, 6-3) made them go those 4 extra minutes.
Darrell Jones, who finished with 19 points, swished a three-point basket with 43 seconds left in regulation to even the game at 66-66. The Panthers melted the clock down to 8.4 seconds before calling timeout, and Boyd pulled up an unsuccessful shot at the top of the key that Garrett Ary vertically defensed as time expired.
Boyd scored the Panthers’ last six points of the game, including a three-ball to make it a 74-69 lead with 2:24 left. Reid Garrett answered 26 seconds later with a trey, and that’s as close as the Bulldogs would come.
From the tip, the Panthers were on the ropes. Kevin Howard scored the first five points and Jones drove for two more to give Nederland a surprising 7-0 advantage, 2:13 into the game.
Miguez scored Nederland’s first five points of the second quarter. He was intentionally fouled on a dunk attempt that rattled in and fell hard to the floor with 5:31 left before halftime, only having to leave momentarily.
The Bulldogs dictated the pace for much of the first half and built their biggest lead at 37-20 after Josh Hebert sank a three. But Boyd scored on three straight drives to the hole, and the Panthers only trailed 37-25 at halftime.
Ozen, which shot 23 for 38 in free throws, took advantage of the line in the third quarter and increased its defensive pressure to swing momentum. But Colton English made a steal in transition and canned a three at the buzzer to pad Nederland’s lead to 50-45.
Then, it was a race to the finish that saw the Panthers ahead 64-58 with 2:09 left in regulation. Jones completed a three-point play, Darian Jones responded with a tip-in, and Jones struck back with the tying three.
Nederland visits fifth-ranked Central on Tuesday in Beaumont.