The four Tigers seniors - along with Trevor Ligon, Derrick Sanford and Jordan Fisher - ended their high school careers on a winning note Tuesday night and put to rest a 39-game District 13-5A losing streak by beating Temple 66-64 in overtime at Wildcat Gym in a Bell County classic.
“It’s amazing. I can’t describe the feeling,” Dunn said afterward.
Added Shelburne: “It’s like you should be really happy, but at the same time it’s our last game ever so it makes it a great way to go out.”
Belton, which recorded its first district win since it beat Copperas Cove 55-42 on Feb. 8, 2005, finished its season 10-21 overall and 1-11 in district play. The Tigers tied Temple (9-21) for sixth place in 13-5A.
With Temple trailing 66-64 with 10.5 seconds left in overtime, the Wildcats’ Lache Seastrunk missed a 15-foot jumper. Temple’s Eric Valdez pulled down the rebound, but his shot went off the rim. The ball was tipped back to Seastrunk, who glanced quickly at the scoreboard before his final 15-footer bounced in and out at the buzzer, sending Belton fans into a frenzy.
“We got the shot we wanted,” said Wildcats coach Bruce Etheridge, whose team won 60-58 at Belton in the first meeting. “We wanted Lache to get all the way to the rim, but he pulled up. I thought Eric did an excellent job of getting the offensive rebound. Lache was the guy we had planned on shooting that shot but it just didn’t fall.
“It came down just like it should have - two teams giving it all they had. A lot of folks didn’t think we had a lot to play for but I think both teams did a good job of competing. It just so happens that they made the last play.”
Belton trailed by 17 points in the second quarter and by 14 at halftime, but Shelburne, Lippincott and sophomore Eric Braeuer led the charge back, scoring 38 of the Tigers’ 44 second-half points.
Shelburne, who scored 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the fourth, gave Belton its first lead of the game at 49-47 with 5:37 remaining in the fourth before the teams traded baskets down the stretch.
“There was anger just trying to get back,” said Lippincott, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the third and fourth quarters.
Added Dunn: “We just stayed positive and no one said anything negative at halftime.”
While Shelburne, Lippincott and Braeuer made key plays during the final two quarters, Dunn took over in overtime.
He scored four of his six points and had a timely steal that led to Belton’s other basket in the extra period.
“I was frustrated the whole game,” Dunn said. “Just to get some scoring in overtime to give my team was great.”
Another big factor for the Tigers’ comeback was the defensive play of Fajkus.
Instructed by first-year coach John Osborn to guard Temple’s D.J. Wright in the fourth quarter, Fajkus didn’t allow a point to Wright the rest of the game.
“I can’t say enough about what he did for us tonight,” Osborn said. “If you had a team full of Bobby Fajkuses, you would have a pretty good team.”
Shelburne scored 20 points and Braeuer had 15.
Valdez led Temple with 20 points and Wright added 12, all from 3-point range.
Despite the fact that the Tigers lost their final home game to College Station A&M Consolidated last Friday, Osborn said he could see in his players’ eyes that they were ready to win.
They did just that, refusing to fold after starting the game down 13-0, and the seniors ended their careers with an emotional, hard-fought victory.
“That’s what we’re all about and I believe that,” Lippincott said. “We’ve been trying hard and we’ve got a really tough district and we suffer from a height disadvantage. We’re winners even though our record doesn’t show it.”
Added Shelburne: “It’s just a great win. I know I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
