Bakersfield takes 3 out of 4 games at Couch

The Bakersfield boys and girls basketball teams traveled to Couch Friday, Feb. 10, and brought home three wins.
The evening started with the Lady Lions JV team leading 16-4 at the end of the first period. They went into halftime leading 26-14. Meghan Ehrhart had 12 points in the first half. The Lady Lions held onto their lead through the third quarter and entered the final period ahead, 35-24. Bakersfield saw their lead cut to 7 at one point in the fourth quarter, but they pulled out the win, 51-41.
The boys JV team took the floor next and, after one period, the Lions led 17-9.  Couch came back and tied up the score with just under a minute left in the first half, but Bakersfield ended the half up 27-25. It continued to be a close game in the third, with the Indians and Lions trading a slim lead back and forth. The Lions went into the fourth leading 37-36. The last quarter went much like the third, with the lead being swapped between the two teams. The Lions got the win, 51-48.
In the next game, the Lady Lions  led 12-9 at the end of the first. The Lady Indians tied it up at 19-19 just before going into halftime. The third quarter saw the Lady Lions take the lead back. Junior Natalie McKee led her team, pulling down some good rebounds and scoring in double digits. At the end of three quarters, Bakersfield had extended its lead to 38-25.  The fourth quarter saw foul trouble and an injured starter for the Lions. Two starters fouled out with just about two minutes remaining and a Bakersfield lead of 5. The Lady Indians’ Octavia Lowery brought the Couch team out on top, with a made shot and free throw with 4.6 seconds on the clock. The Lady Lions fell, 47-48.
The boys varsity team closed out the night. The Lions were down by 2 after one quarter, 17-19. Despite some foul trouble, the Lions went into halftime tied at 38-38. Derik Murphy and Cole Summers were the first-half standouts for Bakersfield. The end of the third quarter found Bakersfield leading 53-50. The final period of the game saw the lead change hands repeatedly. With two minutes remaining, the Lions led by 3. A foul by the Indians on a 3-point attempt by Hunter Bentley put Bakersfield up by 6 with 1:30 on the clock, after all three free throws were made.
A foul by the Lions and a couple of turnovers put Couch right back in the game, and the score was tied with 18 seconds left. As if the night wasn’t already long enough, the game went into overtime. Bakersfield put up the first points in overtime, leading 73-68 with just over 2 minutes left. It was all tied up again, 75-75, with 24 seconds on the clock. Couch went to the foul line with 7.7 seconds left and pulled ahead by 1. A drive and layup at the buzzer by Cole Summers gave the Lions the victory, 77-76.
Bakersfield is hosting the Class 1, District 4 tournament beginning Saturday. See page 14 for brackets and seeding information.

Bakersfield vs Couch

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