Shooting woes cripple Boyd in playoff loss to Krum
By Robert Morgan | Published Thursday, February 26, 2009
Facing the No. 4 team in the state in the opening round of the state basketball playoffs is a big enough challenge. But when you shoot just 18 percent from the floor in the first half, it makes a win even more improbable.
That was the case Monday night when the Boyd High School boys' team faced Krum. The group managed just one basket in the second quarter and watched an early lead slip away as the Bobcats rolled to a 69-35 victory in Decatur.
The Yellowjackets, who led 11-9 with 1:47 left in the first quarter, missed 15 of their last 17 shots of the first half, which allowed Krum to build a 30-13 halftime lead. The Yellowjackets found some offensive rhythm in the second half, but Krum never cooled off down the stretch en route to putting the game away by the end of the third quarter.
"We just got down after a few calls that did not go our way, and we were a bit tentative because of the possibility of us getting a charge. Our inexperience showed itself," said Oscar Hernandez, who guided Boyd to its first playoff berth since 2004. "But all the credit to Krum - They are an excellent team."
The loss ended Boyd's successful season with an overall mark of 13-13. Krum moved to 29-6 overall and will next face Whitewright in the area championship game.
The Yellowjackets gave Krum plenty to worry about in the first quarter where the lead changed hands on several occasions. Kyle Stearns and Junior Whatley tied the score twice with short jumpers, and Junior Whatley buried a three-pointer to give the locals an 11-9 lead with 1:47 to play in the first quarter.
That proved to be Boyd's final advantage of the season as its shooting woes heated up in a big way. The Bobcats scored the final eight points of the first quarter, and the Yellowjackets missed its last nine shots from the floor.
Not only did the shooting woes limit Boyd, but it was also whistled for seven fouls in the first eight minutes of play and 14 in the first half. The extra trips to the free-throw line allowed Krum to slowly pull away before the break.
Boyd missed its first nine shots of the second quarter as it dug a bigger hole by halftime. The scoring drought allowed Krum to score 21 unanswered points since BHS held its 11-9 edge in the first.
Travis Wright ended the Yellowjackets' offensive silence when he scored their first points of the second quarter on a lay-up with 1:58 left in the opening half to make it 30-13, which also held up as the halftime score.
The Bobcats ran its fast break to perfection in the third quarter where they scored 8 of the first 10 points to build a 21-point lead.
Boyd stopped the run when Trent Carter, the only senior for BHS, knocked down back-to-back baskets to make it a 40-21 contest.
The Yellowjackets shot 39 percent in the second half, but it was not enough to make up for lost time. Tim Fleming kept the baskets falling when he scored on consecutive trips down court, but Krum answered with a pair of treys - one at the buzzer - to extend its lead to 53-25.
The Bobcats controlled the flow of the game and won the battle in the paint with seven offensive rebounds in the second half.
Edgar Lugo, Fleming and Carter scored all the points for Boyd in the fourth quarter.
