by JOSHUA TAYLOR
The Lehman boys basketball team squared off against the Clemens Buffaloes on Tuesday looking to avenge an earlier blowout loss to the Buffaloes. Lehman held their own against a second place Clemens squad, but fell to the Buffaloes by a score of 82-77.
From the jump, the Lobos were not intimidated by Clemens as they raced out to a 9-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Buffaloes then came back to even the score and the teams traded buckets throughout the first half. Lobo senior De’Andre Carson kept the Lobos’ offense in high gear, attacking the basket without fear. Carson would finish with a career high 41 points while adding four assists with only two turnovers. As the Lobos’ primary ball handler, Carson said he fully expected a shootout with the Buffaloes, who average more than 80 points per game this season.
“We knew it would be an up and down game, so we practiced with a faster tempo this week. I think we played well, we just left some points on the board and didn’t execute as well as we could have.”
In the second half, the frenetic pace continued as each team would rely on their leading scorers for big shots on crucial possessions. Clemens senior guard William Gates Jr, who would score 36 points on the night, hit several key jumpers to keep Lehman from gaining momentum and going on a run. The Lobos would never trail by more than nine points, but also never led in the second half. Even after Carson hit a 3 pointer with 21 seconds left to cut the lead to 3, the Buffaloes stepped up and hit 2 critical free throws to seal the victory.
Lehman head coach Thomas Acker was proud of the Lobos’ effort as he said his team “played as hard as we could play, handled their pressure, and played with a lot of toughness tonight.”
The Lobos have another key game against the Hays Rebels on Friday night as they meet at the Lobo Den for Senior Night in their last home game of the season.
