Bakersfield improves to 14-4 with win at Dora; Falcons’ JV edges Lions in overtime
The Bakersfield Lions continued their strong season Tuesday night, Jan. 20, rolling past the Dora Falcons 71-31 on the road to improve to 14-4 overall.
“Our boys showed great discipline in our game against Dora,” Bakersfield Coach Cainen McGinnis said. “We have talked every day since the beginning of the season, that each day is an opportunity for us to grow not only individually but collectively as a unit. We’re still trying to sharpen a lot of little things as we are nearing the post season. We just want to be playing our best basketball in March. I felt like last week against Dora, we continued to show a lot of improvement on both ends of the floor.”
Bakersfield placed three players in double figures, led by Seth Montague with 16 points. Ty Cotter followed with 15, while Eli Cotter added 12. Isaac Luna chipped in eight points, Alex Helm scored seven, Tyler Hodgson and Hayden Sanders each finished with four, Paxton Cotter had three and Russ Lovins rounded out the scoring with two.
Montague also led the Lions on the glass with eight rebounds, followed by Eli Cotter with seven. Ty Cotter paced the offense with four assists, while Sanders was active defensively, recording a team-high five steals.
Dora head coach Stetson Neldon said his team faced a difficult challenge against a quality Lions squad but was pleased with his players’ effort.
“Yes, they fall to 2-13, but what the story doesn’t show is the heart and how hard these boys played,” Neldon said. “I saw lots of positives and we didn’t back down from a very good team. Got beat, yes; backed down, no. I’m proud of the boys and their efforts.”
Braxton Mayberry led Dora with 13 points. Cooper Howard added eight, while Braydon Helton and Payton York scored three apiece. Clayton Collins and Westin Ledbetter each finished with two points.
In junior varsity action, Dora earned a dramatic 17-16 overtime win in the two-quarter contest, improving to 4-6 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.
“We found ourselves down one and had the ball back with 2.2 seconds left,” Neldon said. “A quick timeout — my last one — and the boys executed the play well.”
In the closing seconds, Blayze Collins was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Collins made the first free throw to tie the game at 16-16, missed the second, then knocked down the third to secure the one-point victory as time expired.
“Those were his only two points, but arguably the biggest two of the night,” Neldon added.
Clayton Collins and Westin Ledbetter each scored six for the Dora JV. Blayze Collins and Dalton Bunch added two points apiece, while Nathan Lorraine scored one.
Both Dora’s and Bakersfield’s varsity teams were scheduled to begin play in the Big Spring Conference Tournament, originally set to start Monday night. Due to snow and road conditions, the tournament has been rescheduled. Tournament details were unavailable at press time.