WEST FORK -- Cody Roebke got West Fork the lead in overtime and his cousin, Ryan, sealed the deal Friday night as the Tigers claimed a key 67-57 win over 3A-1 West Conference foe Lavaca in the Tiger Dome.
West Fork, which never led in regulation, remains a half-game behind Greenland for the league lead, thanks to strong defense and solid rebounding in the second half and overtime.
Boys
West Fork 67, Lavaca 57 (OT)
Lavaca^19^12^18^6^2^—^57
West Fork^10^13^18^14^12^—^67
Lavaca (13-9, 7-3): Dockery 18, Clark 16, Todaro 14, Eck 6, Graves 3.
West Fork (18-6, 8-2): C. Roebke 22, R. Roebke 16, Yates 12, Treat 10, Hays 5, Burnett 2.
Girls
West Fork 57, Lavaca 44
Lavaca^11^17^7^9^—^44
West Fork^8^8^21^20^—^57
Lavaca (14-10, 6-4): Crawford 16, Moody 15, Dorsey 6, Rose 3, Smithson 2, Phillips 2.
West Fork (13-13, 4-6): Throgmorton 19, Griffin 15, Tedford 9, Greenlee 8, Kutz 6.
Cody Roebke hit two free throws, then got a steal and layup to give West Fork (18-6, 8-2 3A-1 West) a 59-55 lead and Lavaca (13-9, 7-3) never recovered. Ryan Roebke finished the deal, making 5 of 6 free throws over the final 1 minute, 32 seconds of overtime.
West Fork coach Cody Vaught couldn't have been more pleased with his team's play late in regulation and overtime. But he also admitted to some nerves since Ryan Roebke missed the first half of the overtime with a nose bleed.
"They just played better defense," said Vaught, whose team held Lavaca without a field goal throughout the fourth quarter and overtime. "We had to change. We were playing an amoeba defense and we had to go straight man and try to get them to take outside shots.
"They do such a good job moving. Their guards are so talented. We were just trying to find a way to slow them down and get better help side."
Cody Roebke led all scorers with 22 points, while Ryan Roebke added 16. Ethan Yates, who sent the game into overtime with a layup with 5.6 seconds left in overtime, added 12 and Jeff Treat 10 for the Tigers. Sophomore Ryan Dockery led Lavaca with 18, while Courtland Clark added 16 and Joseph Todaro 14.
Lavaca coach Renner Reed said his team showed some immaturity down the stretch, after leading by eight going into the fourth quarter.
"We looked real immature in the fourth quarter and overtime," Reed said. "There was one possession they got five consecutive offensive rebounds. We missed a front end (of a one-and-one) and were up two with about a minute and a half left. I know they're bigger than us, but we've got to get bodies on them.
"I thought we competed constructively for three quarters and we shot good shots. We didn't have a field goal in the fourth quarter or overtime and that's just not us. We usually finish at the rim."
Girls
West Fork 57, Lavaca 44
The Lady Tigers used a 27-2 second-half run to wipe out a double-digit deficit and surge to the victory.
Shannon Throgmorton scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half, but guard Brooke Tedford sparked the Lady Tigers' 16-0 third-quarter spurt.The sophomore came off the bench and hit three 3-pointers, including one with six seconds left in the third quarter, to give West Fork a 37-35 lead after three quarters.
Lavaca's Makaila Moody stopped the Lady Arrow's scoring drought with a base-line jumper to get within 39-37 with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter. But Lavaca didn't manage another field goal for another five minutes.
Holly Griffin was also in double figures for West Fork (13-13, 4-6 3A-1 West) with 15. Tedford chipped in nine. Bailee Crawford led Lavaca (14-10, 6-4) with 16 points, while Moody added 15.
The Lady Arrows finished the first half with an 11-0 run to lead 28-16 at the intermission and pushed that lead to 35-21, but scored just three points over an 11-minute span in the second half.
Sports on 02/06/2016