The Opp Bobcats played short-handed in the first round of the Red Level Christmas tournament, and fell to the Elba Tigers 57-47.

 

The Tigers were out front 12-7 after the first period, and they wouldn’t trail at any point in the contest. Brosnan Cooks got the Tigers off to a hot start with 6 points in the first. Dewayne Bonam paced the Bobcats with excellent shots from the free throw line. Bonam was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.

 

The Bobcats found some offense in the second period, and only trailed by 4 points heading into halftime, 23-19. The Bobcats moved the ball around well, and created open looks. Devonte Williams had 4 points for the Bobcats in the second. Thomas had 4 points for the Tigers as well.

 

The Bobcats continued to fight back, but every time they pulled within single digits of the Tigers, the Tigers went go on a run to push the margin back to double-digits. At the end of the third, the Tigers were on top of the Bobcats 45-35. Bonam played hard down low, and contributed 8 points for the Bobcats. Newson kept the Tigers’ lead in double-digits with 8 points, including a pair of baskets from way downtown.

 

In the fourth, the Bobcats never quit fighting, but they just couldn’t overcome the Tigers. Williams was 2-for-4 from the free throw line, and had 6 points for the Bobcats in the fourth. The Bobcats shrunk the lead to 7 points a few times, but the Tigers responded with short runs that extended the lead back to double-digits.

 

Cooks led the Tigers with 16 points, and Thomas finished with 12 points.

 

The Bobcats’ leading scorer was Bonam with 13 points, and Williams totaled 12 points in the contest.

 

“We only had eight guys today, and we didn’t have guys playing that normally play for us,” Bobcats’ head coach Sterling Driver said. “Offensively, we thought we had the advantage on the inside. We just made some turnovers that put them out front by 8, and we couldn’t come back from it. I was proud of the way we played today though. We continue to get better, and that is what it’s all about.”