BANGS – A 12-1 run by the Zephyr Bulldogs midway through the fourth period allowed them to pull away from the Bangs Dragons en route to a 51-42 non-district victory Tuesday night.
Zephyr (4-3) was sparked by 13 points from Quayde Heard, 12 from Bauer Blair, seven each from CJ Byers and Reese Hamm, six from Spencer Marwitz, two apiece from Troy Kubin and Chayden Woodcock, and one point each from Cooper Walls and Slade Butler.
For Bangs (4-6), Ryan Alqorum led the charge with a game-high 18 points followed by 15 from Braxton Wommack, eight from Jayden Robinson, and one point from Jackson Edmisten.
Clinging to a 38-34 advantage with 5:49 left in the contest, Zephyr held Bangs scoreless for the next 3:31, stretching the lead to 47-34 in the process. Edmisten sank a free throw for the Dragons with 2:18 to go to end the scoreless stretch, but Hamm answered with a trey for the Bulldogs to give Zephyr its largest lead, 50-35, with 1:56 remaining.
The Dragons closed with seven of the last eight points, but the deficit proved too great to overcome.
During Zephyr’s decisive 12-1 run, buckets from Heard, Kubin and Byers allowed the Bulldogs to push the lead into double figures, 44-34, with 3:15 left. Marwitz then drained a three-pointer for Zephyr at the 2:46 mark, capping a string of nine unanswered points.
Tied at 11 after one quarter, Zephyr carried a slim 25-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Bulldogs then allowed just four points in the third period and were able to pad their cushion to 34-28 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Dragons were last in front just 22 seconds into the second half on a bucket by Wommack that pushed Bangs ahead, 26-25. Zephyr responded with nine straight points – seven by Heard on a three-pointer and two buckets in the paint, and a short jumper by Byers.
The Bulldogs are back in action Thursday through Saturday as they host their own tournament, while the Dragons are set to take part in the Graham tournament this weekend.
