BAYTOWN — Perhaps Nederland would like that last 8 minutes, 44 seconds back.

The Bulldogs led Kingwood Park by nine late in the third period, getting closer to their first playoff victory in two years. But point guard Joe Byrd had other plans.

Byrd scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and nailed a pair of key three-point baskets, helping the Panthers dodge the Bulldogs and elimination with a 44-41 victory Tuesday in a 5A Region III bi-district game at Goose Creek Memorial.

“We played our hardest,” Byrd said. “We were down a little bit but we came back. Great team win. I’m proud. I’m happy right now.”

Byrd willed the Panthers (24-6) to victory at a point when it seemed Jase Miguez found the hot hand to ignite the Bulldogs (24-11), District 22-5A’s third-place team. Miguez, a senior, led all scorers with 17 points.

“They just got some momentum,” Nederland coach Brian English said of Kingwood Park. “When you get momentum in basketball, it could be trouble. We just didn’t answer the bell. We just didn’t get it done.”

The loss is Nederland’s second straight in the bi-district round, but with 44 seconds left in the third period and a 32-23 lead, victory seemed so imminent.

Darrell Jones and Miguez combined for 11 of the Bulldogs’ 13 third-period points as they expanded on a 19-15 halftime lead. But even that lead came after a slow start in which Kingwood Park raced to an 11-2 advantage.

Nederland’s largest lead actually was 26-15 with 5:50 left in the third frame. That was the finish of a 24-4 run keyed by two Miguez treys.

“[Miguez] is a great player,” Byrd said. “He’s going to go a long way. We found a way to contain him in the fourth quarter and we came back. Everybody pitched in to get the W.”

Kingwood Park had to overcome an 8-minute scoring drought going into the third. Byrd scored seven of the Panthers’ 10 points in the fourth, and Zach Purcell knocked down a trey at the 3:15 mark to give them the lead. Nederland retook the lead on Miguez free throws, but an open layup by C.J. Benson shifted it back to the Panthers for good.

“They did a good job [playing defense against] Jase,” English said. “Jase actually answered. We just had to have somebody else step up.”

Down 42-39 in the final minute, the Bulldogs got a timeout after rebounding a missed Miguez trey. He went for an off-balance floater hoping to get a two-for-one possession, but it was short.

Purcell hit the insurance free throws, and Jones could only score on a third-chance putback before the buzzer.

“I’m proud of the kids,” said English, who is losing seven seniors from the playoff roster. “When we lost our point guard [to transfer], we had to grow up and learn each other and find our way.”

Kingwood Park will play Angleton or Texas City in the area round.