Twelve seconds left in the game.
The Coppell boys basketball team has possession, trailing Richardson by two points. Richardson steals in the inbounds pass, but Coppell regains possession eight seconds later with another chance for the tie or win.
Coppell junior guard Sibu Socks in possession of the ball goes for a three pointer, and just misses the shot and potentially the win.
As the buzzer sounds, the final score at the CHS Arena reads 61-59 with the game winner missed as Richardson (8-2) emerges victorious over Coppell (4-7) in the nondistrict matchup on Tuesday.
A battle from start to finish with the Cowboys maintaining a lead until the third quarter, the Eagles pulled ahead in the fourth.
“We have to keep the same mindset throughout the game,” Coppell senior guard Drew Wagner said. “We have to just keep grinding. We should be able to pull through on these games. That’s expected of us.”
Wagner, who sank three three pointers, helped Coppell begin the third quarter leading 35-34.
“Wagner was a huge spark off the bench,” Coppell coach Ryan Murphy said. “He came in and got those shots. Everyone notices the threes, but they don’t notice the defense on that. He did a great job on the ball and played great defense.”
Coppell’s lead increased to six points entering the fourth quarter.
“There were a lot of positive contributions from the guys.“ Murphy said. “A lot of them came off the bench locked in and didn’t skip a beat.”
The fourth quarter began as a test of composure and ability to see if the Cowboys had what it took to close out a game.
With more than 14 fouls having been committed in the fourth alone by both teams, in the final minutes Coppell’s defense struggled, and, on offense passes were intercepted, two turnovers occurred, and offensive rebounds were close to none.
“We didn’t execute well,” Murphy said. “We were missing too many little moments of stringing together consistency. Everything goes back to being consistent, and we struggled with that towards the end.”
As the clock wound down, frustration displayed on Murphy’s face as the Cowboys could not hold the Eagles who capitalized on every mistake, sealing their victory.
“I feel like everyone could have improved defensively,” Wagner said. “Especially on defense. Defense wins games. Defense wins championships.”
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