Bulldogs victorious in
The Bandera boys basketball team made a statement at the Lytle Tournament with a 52-44 victory over state-ranked #13 Poth Friday afternoon, marking the program’s first win over a ranked opponent in nearly nine years.
The win came in the team’s final game in Lytle, where the Bulldogs were competing among eight teams in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings and three others with winning basketball traditions.
Bandera finished 2-2 in the tournament, recording wins over #13 Poth and Crystal City while falling to Great Hearts Northern Oaks and #8 Corpus Christi London.
“Our team played against Poth with an intensity on the defensive end that was hard to match,” head coach Brady Keane said. “Jeffry Thomas dove on the floor for a loose ball 24 seconds into the game, and I think that was the spark that really got us going. We came out with energy, set the tone early, and maintained it throughout the game.”
Nine different Bulldogs contributed to the scoring effort in the win over Poth, with senior Beau Bergfeld leading the way with 11 points and five rebounds.
Salas had 10 points, five assists, and five steals, while junior James Bower added 10 points and four rebounds.
Thomas posted five points, four assists, and three rebounds, and sophomore Cooper Franklin chipped in five points and five rebounds.
Prior to defeating Poth, Bandera’s last win over a ranked opponent came on Feb. 9, 2016 in a 39-36 win over Boerne.
“Beating a ranked team for the first time since 2016 is a reflection of the work this group has put in, and it gives us some momentum heading into another big week,” Keane said. “It’s still early in the season and our goals are bigger than what we’re able to accomplish in November and December.”
Senior point guard Eli Salas was selected to the All-Tournament team in Lytle for his consistent leadership at the point guard position throughout the week. Salas is averaging 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals so far this season while shooting 50% from the field.
“Eli is a four-year varsity player and he’s earned the success and recognition he’s getting as a senior,” Keane said. “What impressed me the most this week is he took a really hard flagrant foul late in a win over Uvalde on Tuesday, and he was hurting. He would never tell anybody that, though, and he pushed through four games in two days after that to compete alongside his teammates. That’s the type of competitor and leader that he is.”
The Bulldogs, now 8-2 on the season, will return home to host rival Devine at 6:30 pm on Tuesday.
“We have another big week ahead and we’re excited to get back to work,” Keane said. “This group is a lot of fun to coach, and I’m looking forward to seeing them continue to grow together each day.”
