Defense gives Bugs a chance, close loss to Frontier

 

February 4, 2018

Lynn L. Martin

Alva's Ethan Flynt scrambles for a loose ball in Friday night's loss to Frontier.

ALVA, Okla. – A well planned and executed game plan gave the Alva Goldbug boys a chance for a win Friday night against the Class A No. 1 Frontier Mustangs. However, despite the battle, the Goldbugs fell to the Mustangs 57-54.

It was the first time the Mustangs had been held to fewer than 60 points this season, and their closest outcome in the Mustangs' current undefeated season.

Alva dropped its record to 12-8 this season. The Goldbugs will face another top 10 team on Monday when they host Class A No. 3 Pond Creek-Hunter, a team the Bugs beat for third-place at the Wheat Capital Tournament. The Bugs will play on back-to-back nights as they travel to Fairview on Tuesday, before closing the season on Feb. 13 with a rematch against Woodward on the road.

For the 2018 playoff campaign, the Goldbugs have been matched up with Chisholm for district play, it was announced by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association on Tuesday.

The Bugs found themselves in a 47-39 hole entering the fourth quarter. With just over four minutes remaining in the game, the Mustangs had opened that lead up to 14 points. However, the Bugs began to claw their way back into the game late.

With 4:16 to go in the game, Mitchell Meyer answered a Frontier basket by quickly taking the ball up court for a layup on a fast break. On the next Goldbug possession, Lane Scarbrough pulled down a hard-fought rebound and put it in for two off the glass to make it 54-45 with 3:41 to go.

With two minutes to go, Jacob Faulkner continued what would ultimately be a 11-0 run by the Bugs with two free-throws. After Frontier turned the ball over on a wild pass on the other end of the floor, Faulkner found Davion Murrow in the left corner for a three to cut the lead to 54-50. Murrow then played helper after a Mustang missed basket, finding T.W. Beiswanger under the basket for two points, cutting the lead to just two.

Frontier had an opportunity to potentially put away the Bugs as Connor Norman went to the line in consecutive possessions. However, Norman went one-for-four at the line in the trips, only extending his team's lead to three.

Lynn L. Martin

Goldbug Davion Murrow (5) finds the going is tough against Frontier's Connor Norman (15) Friday night.

Scarbrough then went to the line and hit a pair of free-throws to cut the lead to just one. Following two Norman free-throws with 14-seconds remaining in the game, the Bugs had a final chance to send the game into overtime.

Alva got the look the Bugs needed in the final possession as Meyer brought the ball up the court and found Scarbrough from the right wing. Unfortunately for the Bugs, the shot fell just short off the front of the rim for the final 57-54 decision.

Meyer controlled the Goldbug offense with 18 points, also assisting on multiple Goldbug baskets. Scarbrough finished in double-figures as well with 14 points, and Dalton Rose and Beiswanger netted six points. Murrow's big fourth quarter three helped him to four points, the same total as Faulkner, and Ethan Flynt added two points.

Three players finished in double-figures for the Mustangs including Trevor Norman and Nolan Childs with 15 points each to lead their team.

 

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