LAUREL HILL — There’s a good chance Laurel Hill School’s boys basketball team will face rival Paxton in the upcoming District 1-1A semifinal game.
If the teams do meet the Hoboes should have extra incentive to take down the Bobcats after a heartbreaking 70-60 loss Friday night.
In what can only be described as another typical Laurel Hill-Paxton showdown, the Bobcats scored 16 fourth quarter points from the free throw to seal the win.
But as the late baseball philosopher Yogi Berra would have said, the game wasn’t over until it was over.
Anyone that knows the backyard rivalry between the two schools would understand that wouldn’t come easy.
The Bobcats and Hoboes were tied at 57-57 with 3:38 left in the final period when Zack Varnum hit a pair of free throws to put Paxton in front for good.
“I thought the difference in the game, and why we got into foul trouble, is because we were heavily trying to favor (guard) Zack and put the pressure on him,” Hobo Coach Kent Zessin said. They were getting a lot of weak side rebounds. “They had three or four key possessions early in the fourth quarter that they got some rebounds and scored on the second opportunity.
“It was a typical Paxton-Laurel Hill game. If you want to show up and watch a good basketball game that will get you fired up this is the one to be watching.”
The Bobcats (19-3, 12-0) scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, but only four of those points came on field goals. Paxton toed the line 23 times in the fourth quarter.
As the Paxton free throws continued to mount so did the Hobo foul trouble. Bryson Cooper, Mason Cooper and TJ. White fouled out in the fourth quarter
The game started as a shootout between Bryson Cooper and Varnum as Cooper scored 10 of his team-high 20 points for the Hoboes in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Varnum scored nine of his game-high 28 in the first nine minutes as the teams traded baskets.
Grant Stewart picked up the slack for Paxton in the second quarter when Varnum got into foul trouble. Stewart scored six of his 20 points in the second period.
White helped keep things close for Laurel Hill (10-7, 6-6) with a pair of 3-pointers as Paxton led 36-29 at the half.
Bryson Cooper had 17 of his team-high 20 points at the half, but younger brother Mason was just getting warmed up.
After going scoreless in the first half, Mason Cooper scored 13 points in the final two quarters to keep the Hoboes within striking distance before Paxton pulled away from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
PAXTON 70, LAUREL HILL 60
Paxton 13 23 12 20 – 70
Laurel Hill 14 15 11 20 – 60
PAXTON (70)
Jack Hamilton 6, Hunter Allen 3, Garrett Bodie 12, Grant Stewart 20, Zack Varnum 28. Totals 16 4 26-33 70.
LAUREL HILL (60)
T.J. White 8, Mason Cooper 13, Dakota Bly 7, Justin Simmons 1, Cam Gordon 7, Sam Durm 2, Bryson Cooper 20. Totals 16 4 16-21 60.
Basketball box: Paxton at Laurel Hill boys
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Paxton free throws sink Laurel Hill (PHOTOS)