February 13, 2013
District Contact: Rayanne Schmid, communications coordinator
936-569-5000, ext. 8845 (office) or 936-585-1518 (Cell)
NACOGDOCHES — The Dragons find themselves in a must-win game with postseason implications despite a bumpy start and a loss in Tuesday’s final game of the regular season.
Any shot at the playoffs seemed nearly impossible Tuesday after the Whitehouse Wildcats’ comeback win — 70-64 — in a game where the Dragons led going into the final quarter.
However, the fates dealt an unexpected win by Lindale — the first district victory of their season — against Corsicana, who went into the game tied for fourth place with the Dragons.
Lindale’s 15-0 run in the third quarter sealed the Eagles’ victory and forced the Wildcats into a sudden-death game against the Dragons for the final playoff spot.
The Dragons helped bolster their playoff chances when the beat Corsicana 53-43 with two regular season games remaining. Austin Willeford led the way for the Dragons with 19 second-half points. The senior would finish with 25 points on the night.
In the previous meeting, the two teams met in Corsicana, the Tigers ran away with a 58-32 victory. The loss was the third straight for the Dragons who were sitting at 1-4 through the first round of district play.
The victory moved the Dragons to a two-way tie with Corsicana for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs, while creating an interesting finish in district 16-4A.
Nacogdoches and Corsicana will meet for the third and final time this season at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at The University of Texas at Tyler to see who moves on in postseason play.
The winner faces no. 4 Arlington-Seguin in bi-district playoffs, scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 18.
###