DeAndre Carson broke away from the Clemens defense and hit a banking jumper in the lane with a few seconds left in the game that ultimately he turned into a three-point play to give the Lobos a 53-51 playoff-clinching win. Lehman moves on to play Kerrville Tivy in the bi-district round of the playoffs on Tuesday at Boerne Champion High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by MARK CAUL
Although the initial plan for the overflow crowd in attendance was to bid adieu to five talented seniors, everybody wearing blue and silver knew it wasn’t your typical celebratory senior night.
There was definitely a great deal at stake. By the time it was over, people were buzzing about how it turned out to be a game for the ages.
Lehman High captain Tarale Murry made sure that the last game he played at Lobo Gym would be a memorable one.
Murry poured in 24 points and secured 18 rebounds as Lehman outlasted Clemens 53-51 and punched their ticket into the boys basketball playoffs for the first time in school history. DeAndre Carson’s late three-point play gave the Lobos the lead for good.
Lehman moves on to play Kerrville Tivy in the bi-district round of the playoffs on Tuesday at Boerne Champion High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“I think it was definitely the best game I’ve played here simply because of how much it meant to this team and our school,” Murry said. “It’s an awesome feeling to know that we’re going to be in the playoffs.”
After senior post Adam Woodworth picked up two quick fouls early in the game, Murry went to work and began to play like a man possessed. He secured seven offensive rebounds in the first five minutes of the contest alone – pushing the Lobos to an early 12-10 first quarter advantage.
“We knew they didn’t have anybody that could slow Tarale down so we went to him and he was phenomenal,” Lehman head coach Thomas Acker said.
Both DeAndre Carson and senior Dane Peddycoart hit 3-pointers on back-to-back trips, extending the Lobo lead to 18-14 midway through the second quarter.
Clemens took full advantage of an uncharacteristically sloppy stretch from Lehman that was marred by turnovers and undisciplined fouls towards the end of the second quarter.
The Buffaloes surged to a late 15-3 run, grabbing a 29-21 lead with Joseph Lizcano and Syrblake Horton each burying a pair of long range three point bombs to close out the first half.
“We just didn’t play smart during their little run,” Carson said. “We needed to settle down and get back on track. But we knew we had a chance to come back on them and that’s what we did. This was the game we wanted. We didn’t want to have to beat Lockhart on the road to get in.”
Although Clemens lead by as many as nine in the second half, the Lobos came roaring back as Murry easily pushed past Clemens defenders and had his way around the basket.
“When Tarale is playing like that we are hard to beat,” Woodworth said. “I went out with foul trouble in the first quarter and it seemed like Tarale just took over the game from there.”
Murry grabbed 18 of his team’s 28 rebounds – including 11 offensive boards – but it still almost wasn’t enough.
The Lobos – who went 4-of-14 from the free throw line on the night – opened the door for Clemens to steal the game away as Larry Benson and Murry both missed crucial free throws down the stretch.
With Lehman clinging to a slim 50-48 lead with 22 seconds left, Murry missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Buffaloes got the rebound.
Clemens eventually worked the ball around to Horton, who buried a 30-foot bomb that briefly silenced the raucous Lobo crowd and gave Clemens a 51-50 lead with only 13 seconds left to play.
Following a timeout by Acker, Murry inbounded the ball to the speedy Carson, who scooted past two Clemens players trying to trap him and drove strong to the basket.
Carson tossed up a shot off the glass that fell through, after getting fouled by Lizcano in the process.
Carson made the bonus free throw to complete the three-point play and ignite the Lobo fans.
After Clemens used two timeouts while trying to advance the ball up the court, Murry stepped in front of Horton as the Buffaloes tried to inbound the ball underneath the basket and secured his final rebound of the night that would ultimately send his team to the postseason.
“It was a special night and I didn’t want to let my team, our fans and our coaches down,” Murry said. “I’m proud to say I was a member of the first Lehman (basketball) team to make the playoffs. But we want to try and do something when we get there.”
