Strong second half propels Bulldogs to win

EMPIRE - A defensive halftime adjustment made all the difference for the Empire Bulldogs in their Class A Area II Regional Tournament opener on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs broke open a close game in the third quarter taking a six-point halftime lead over Turner and expanding it to 20 points by the end of the third quarter on their way to a 67-41 victory.

“I felt like defensively we got after the ball a little bit better in the second half,” said Braden Hill, Empire boys coach. “I think we were a little late on our rotations in the first half. We come into the locker room at halftime and make some adjustments then the defense got the offense rolling.”

The Bulldogs got a big game from junior Francisco Garcia, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Hill said it was more than just the points from Garcia that helped his team prevail. 

“He played well, but what people don’t understand is, he didn’t only play well on the offensive and defensive ends, but when we had some guys get in foul trouble, he took over the leadership role for us and he probably had a ton of assists. Top to bottom, he played really well. I think he’s a big reason why we got going there in the second half.

The win kept the Bulldogs’ season alive for at least one more day. A loss will end the season.

“We know that it is the way for anybody we face from here on out,” Hill said. “We’ve been in this position before and we know what it is going to take to win tomorrow. I think we will have a good game plan and I think we’ve got a really good chance.”

Empire has now won eight of its last 10 games and Hill attributes the success to teamwork.

“We’re just playing together and I don’t think we have any selfish individuals right now,” Hill said. “We know it takes all five of us, including our bench guys, to be able to succeed, and I think top to bottom, these guys understand that and there’s not just been one guy take over games.”

The first half saw six ties and seven lead changes. The Bulldogs would take the lead for good in the second quarter on a putback by Garcia with 4:36 remaining that put Empire up 23-22. The putback was part of a 10-2 run that gave the Bulldogs a 29-23 halftime advantage.

Turner quickly scored the first bucket of the third quarter to cut the lead to 29-25, but it would be as close as the Falcons would get. The Bulldogs seized control by revving up their defense and turning turnovers into points on the offensive end. 

Empire would score the next 12 points and their four-point lead quickly swelled to 16 points in under five minutes. The Bulldogs knocked down four three-pointers in the quarter with Carson Skiles and Dax Hecox hitting two each.

Turner was unable to make a run in the fourth quarter as Empire answered every bucket by the Falcons with one of their own.

The Bulldogs play the loser of Friday night’s game between Amber-Pocassett and Thomas-Fay-Custer on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Union City in the regional consolation semifinals.

Scoring

Empire (13-10): Francisco Garcia, 20; Cale Porter, 15; Dax Hecox, 9; Carson Skiles, 6; Bryce Shaver, 6; Junior Seward, 5; Johnathan Simmons, 4; Zach Lipscomb, 2

Turner (12-11): Esparza, 15; Pryor, 9; Hudson, 7; Love, 6; Higle, 2; Perezsilerio, 2