Leading most of the way Bridge City needed a last second shot to win the game and capture the championship. The Cardinals’ Hunter Wiegreffe sank a buzzer beater to give Bridge City a 46-43 victory over the Port Neches-Groves Indians in the final game of the Cardinal Classic basketball tournament Thursday.
The winning shot by Wiegreffe was taken from at least five feet above the top of the key. Hunter was open, and his game winner hit nothing but net as the clock showed all zeroes. Coach Larry Sterling commented on Wiegreffe’s clutch basket, “He just did a good job of being under control and getting the shot at the buzzer up, and the kid just made a great shot.”
Port Neches-Groves played a strong fourth quarter rallying from 11 points down to tie the game with ten seconds left in regulation. Haden Wiggins was the chief scorer for the Indians in the final period tallying 10 of his game high 13 points in the final eight minutes including the game tying basket when he grabbed a rebound and put it in the hole for two points.
The Cardinals used a balanced attack on offense. Six players scored for Bridge City. Max Baker hit three buckets from three-point range in the first quarter. Brandon Vela sank a beautiful running jumper at the buzzer to give Bridge City the early lead 16-8 after one.
Coming off the bench both Zach Honeycutt and Chason Burch added some key points in the second period. Honeycutt made a three-ball early to put the Cardinals up by ten. Burch sank a basket and two free throws late as Bridge City took a 23-17 lead to the locker room.
The home team expanded its advantage in the third quarter. Wiegreffe scored the first bucket of the half. Justyn Romero followed with a field goal to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 27-17. Baker kept the difference at ten with a pretty 10-foot floater from the right side. Two free throws by Wiefgreffe made the score 35-24 as the teams headed to the final quarter.
Thanks to his three baskets from three-point range Baker was the high scorer for Bridge City with eleven. Wiegreffe scored 9 points including the game winning three-pointer. Honeycutt and Romero both had 8 points. Derrick Papa fouled out, but joined teammate Wiggins in double figures for the Indians with 11 points which included three baskets from beyond the arch.
The victory by Bridge City earned a little bit of revenge for the Cardinals who lost the championship game of the Cardinal Classic last year to Port Neches-Groves. The victory gives the Cardinals six straight wins as they head to district play next week. The Vidor Pirates won the third place game over Tarkington in overtime 44-42 with the Longhorns missing a shot from half court as the game ended that literally circled inside the hoop and came out.
BC 16 7 12 11- 46
PNG 8 9 7 19- 43
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