BULLARD -- The Kilgore Bulldogs used a 22-8 run from the middle of the second quarter to the middle of third, and completely controlled the glass, defeating the Bullard Panthers 59-49 in District 16-3A action at Panther Gymnasium on Friday night.

Kilgore (3-1 in district) outrebounded Bullard (9-8, 1-2) 45-17, including 18 offensive boards. The Bulldogs' length and size was just too much for the Panthers in the lane.

Kilgore led off the third with back-to-back three's by Alvin Davis. After a Nick Orange putback, the Bulldogs' lead swelled to 31-19 at the 4:59 mark. Davis finished with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Bullard's Corbin Howard hit three of four free throws, then sink a trey from the corner to get the Panthers within nine, 34-25.

Bullard lived on the free-throw line for much of the night, shooting 21 of 31, including 9 of 10 in the first quarter.

"We have to find or niche," said Kilgore coach Jeff Coleman. "We have to find out what our identity is. Are we an inside team, or are we a perimeter team? On defense, we're going to be very aggressive. The aggressive style of defense we play, we're going to foul guys, not intentionally. When we get referees that call it tight, then we'll put guys on the free-throw line."

Kilgore was led by the sophomore duo Orange and Trey Conrad, who turned in matching double-doubles. Orange tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive), while Conrad added nine points, 13 boards and three steals. X'Aviar Ganoa tallied four points and six rebounds.

Down two to start the second, Kilgore's Hector Peralez got an offensive rebound and putback. After Bullard's Hunter Landrum laid it in off a Landen Beckham assist, Kilgore started its run.

Orange found the soft spot in the Bullard zone-defense. He nailed consecutive jumpers in the middle of the lane to push the Bulldogs' lead to 20-15. Then Conrad went strong to the hoop on a fast break, drawing the foul, and hitting the free throw for an and-1 at the 1:30 mark, giving Kilgore the 23-15 lead.

Kilgore opened the fourth when Orange made a nice, up-and-under move in the post, for an and-1 that pushed Kilgore's lead to 43-31. A Peralez layup off a Jeff Sanders dish pushed the lead to 45-34. When Orange got the layup off an inbounds play, it was 49-35 with 3:43 remaining in the contest, and Kilgore was in complete control.

Howard did his best to keep Bullard close. His steal and layup with 1:14 remaining got Bullard within nine. He finished with 16 points, four boards and three steals. Scott Lowrie added 13 points and Beckham had four points and five rebounds.

Kilgore is in the Paris tournament starting Thursday, while Bullard will participate in the Wagstaff Holiday Classic beginning Thursday.

Lady Panthers Hold On To Defeat Kilgore, 39-36

BULLARD -- The Bullard Lady Panthers built an 11-point second-half lead and had to hold off a resilient Kilgore squad, beating the Lady Bulldogs 39-36 in District 16-3A action at Panther Gymnasium on Friday.

Bullard (15-8, 3-1), which plays without a single senior, was led by Lexi Kirgen, Bridget Taylor and Lexi Abercrombie. They combined for 26 points and 15 rebounds.

Kirgen, a 6-foot freshman, made a nice post move, drawing the foul and hitting the free throw to give the Lady Panthers the early lead, 8-4.

"We came out with a really good defensive game plan and stuck to it," said Bullard coach Barry Gill. "We really battled tonight, and hung in there. We battled some adversity in terms of foul trouble, and I was just really proud of my kids for really battling even though we didn't play our best. (Taylor) is a junior who's coming off a knee injury from last year. She's a real all-purpose player, versatile who plays inside and out. (Kirgen) is really improving. There's a little bit of a learning curve, but she really wants to be good, and works at it. As she gets stronger, and her natural skill development occurs, she's going to be a really nice player for us."

Taylor drained two three-pointers and Bullard held the 11-8 lead after one.

After Kirgen laid the ball up left-handed off a spin move on the block, Bullard pushed its lead to 18-8 at the 4:20 mark of the second.

Kilgore's (5-11, 2-2) Annie Mehringer had the hot hand of the night when she sank a three-pointer off a Toni Burks assist, and Kilgore started clawing back. Mehringer finished with a game-high 14 points (three three-pointers), five rebounds and three assists. Burks added eight points and 10 boards, while Destini Rossum contributed seven points and 10 rebounds.

Kilgore's Burks hit a lefty runner in the lane, then sank a baseline jump shot to bring the Lady Bulldogs within eight, 27-19, right before the half.

Bullard's Taylor started the second half with consecutive buckets. She had a layup in transition, then a putback off an offensive rebound and Bullard held a seven-point lead, 36-29, after three.

When Mehringer hit her last three to bring Kilgore within three, their was only 2.9 seconds left. The Lady Panthers ran out the clock to seal the win.

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