Wildcats eliminated with last-second shot

It wasn't the desired, or even expected, outcome as the 31-2 Wildcats fell to 14-12 Richardson Pearce in area playoff action last Friday night at Wills Point High School.

Falling behind by 10 points after Richardson Pearce came out strong in the second half, Whitehouse battled back only to lose at the buzzer when Richardson tipped in a missed shot for the 48-46 win.

It was Pearce's only made field goal of the fourth period.

The timing of the basket was close enough for official review, before it was ruled good.

"We fought hard, we played hard and never gave up," said Whitehouse head coach Wally Dawkins. "Sometimes those bounces just don't go your way. Tonight, I never thought they went our way, and they certainly didn't go our way at the end."

Whitehouse junior Cade Clark led his team with 16 points and 10 rebounds. In his final game, senior Luke Shivers scored 13 points and had four boards.

"The senior class is a special class," Dawkins said. "I've watched those kids come up since they were five or six years old. They are great kids, they are going to be successes and have real good character."

The two teams were tied at halftime, 26 all, before Pearce's 10-point run.

The Wildcats fought back to tie the game at 45-45 before a converted free throw with 2:14 left gave Pearce a 46-45 lead.

As time ran out, Clark went to the line, making the first of two free throws.

The Mustangs pulled down the rebound and raced to their end of the court. They missed two shots before the tip-in sealed the victory.

Whitehouse outscored Pearce 8-3 in the fourth period, but missed six of eight free throws down the stretch.

"I thought getting behind by 10 was a big key. Having to fight our way back was tough," Dawkins said. "We didn't shoot the ball well and we didn't shoot free throws well."

The Cats finish 31-3 on the year.