The second game of last night saw a second trip earned to the championship game of the Purple and Gold Tournament, this time on the boys side. This semifinal action featured the Stockton Tigers and the Longhorns of Hodgeman County.
The Tigers got out to a quick 6-0 start off of back to back 3s by Ethan Means. However, Hodgeman County spent the rest of the quarter clawing back and at the end of one, Stockton led 11-10.
The second quarter was a dog fight as well, with both squads exchanging long, time-eating possessions that involved crisp passing and careful ballhandling. Both teams also played clean defense, with each squad only having one foul by halftime. Stockton led 21-19 at the break.
The Tigers opened the third on a 8-0 run to make the score 29-19. The Longhorn defense was able to stiffen the rest of the way, and the lead had been cut to 30-26 by the start of the final period.
The fourth quarter was a defensive stalemate that saw only 8 points combined between the two teams and the result was a 32-32 tie at the end of regulation.
The Longhorns started overtime with a bang, scoring the first 5 for a 37-32 lead. Stockton closed the lead 37-34 and again 39-36 with just seconds left. A desperation, half-court 3 at the buzzer was off the mark, and Hodgeman County had won the instant classic 39-36.
Eli Salmans led all scorers with 23 points for the Longhorns. His brother Issac had 14 points and 5 rebounds. Troy Rogers had 15 points and 5 rebounds for Stockton. Ethan Means chipped in 13.
Hodgeman County will play the winner of Lacrosse and Ness City in Saturday's championship game at 7:30. Stockton plays the loser of Lacrosse and Ness City for 3rd place on Saturday at 4:30