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BASTROP — The Bastrop boys varsity basketball team clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 15 years after picking up two key wins last week.
The Bears secured no worse than a third-place finish in district play following their 64-45 win against Crockett Feb. 3 and 52-46 upset over Anderson Feb. 6.
CROCKETT
The Bears earned their second victory of the season over the Cougars, completing the district sweep.
Junior guard Preston Alexander led Bastrop with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He also contributed on the defensive end, adding five assists.
Bastrop placed two more players in double figures, as junior Diego Rangel finished with 15 points and senior Brent Carter added 11.
The Bears shot 46% from the field and dominated the glass with 30 rebounds. Eleven of those came on the offensive end and led to multiple second- chance points.
ANDERSON
Bastrop followed with a much tighter contest against Anderson, pulling out a win in a defensive battle.
Alexander once again led the Bears in scoring with 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
With the game tied at 44 and 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bastrop clamped down defensively, allowing just two points the rest of the way.
The Bears took the lead at 46-44 when Alexander scored on a transition jumper following a steal with 1:27 left. On the ensuing possession, Rangel secured a defensive rebound and drove the length of the court, drawing a foul. He made one of two free throws to extend the lead to three.
Rangel finished with 10 points.
The Trojans answered with a layup to cut the deficit to 47-46 with 45 seconds remaining. Anderson then had a chance to take the lead after forcing a turnover, but Bastrop’s back line held, forcing a rushed shot.
Senior Ryder Alvarez was fouled moments later and made the first free throw to make it 4846. After missing the second, Alvarez grabbed his own rebound and scored on a putback layup to push the lead to 50-46 with 20 seconds left, effectively sealing the win.
Alvarez finished with nine points.
With the victories, Bastrop improved to 7-3 in district play. The Bears were set to face McCallum after press time Tuesday and will close the regular season against Cedar Creek at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Bastrop High School.
