The Opp Bobcats rallied late, but fell to the Dale County Warriors 50-47 in the second round of the Andalusia Invitational tournament Friday night.

 

The Warriors came out with solid shooting, and were on top of the Bobcats 17-7 at the end of the first period. McMillian had the Warriors out front thanks to a 6-point burst in the quarter. Eric Crawford added 5 points, including a late 3-pointer that put the Warriors up by 10.

 

The Bobcats got a little offense going in the second period. Devonte Williams had 7 points for the Bobcats, and went 3-for-4 from the free throw line. At halftime, the Warriors led 27-21.

 

In the third period, the Warriors defense stifled the Bobcats, and pulled back up 38-27 after the third period. Cale Pierce had a 3-pointer for the Bobcats.

 

The Bobcats came out in the fourth with a sense of urgency, and Williams had 10 fourth period points. Williams shot 4-for-5 from the line. With just over five minutes remaining in the game Williams delivered a pass to Pierce behind the arc, and Pierce hit nothing but the bottom of the net to pull the Bobcats within one point. Williams tied the game up at 45-45 with three minutes left by draining both ends of a one-and-one opportunity. Crawford put the Warriors up by three with 10 seconds left on the clock. The Bobcats had two chances to tie the game up, but both shots just missed. The final buzzer sounded, and the Warriors walked away with a 50-47 win.

 

Crawford was the Warriors’ leading scorer with 14 points, and Jeffery Whatley added 11 points.

 

The Bobcats were led in scoring by Williams with 20 points, and Dewayne Bonam finished with 10 points.

 

“We have to stop digging ourselves in holes early in the game,” Bobcats’ head coach Sterling Driver said. “We came crawling back in the second half. Devonte Williams played a great game inside for us. We just can’t get in that kind of hole early in the game.”

 

The Opp Bobcats will face the Red Level Tigers at 4 p.m. today to determine seventh place. The Dale County Warriors will face the Brantley Bulldogs at 5:30 today to determine fifth place.