By Moses Leos III
Big plays in crunch time from senior leaders capped off a memorable home finale for the Lehman Lobos at the Lobo Den Friday.
An old-fashioned three-point play from senior JaMiah Windom with 69 seconds left was the difference in a 47-45 win on senior night over the Bowie Bulldogs.
For head coach Thomas Acker, putting the game in the hands of his senior leaders was a no-brainer.
“I told them there was no rhyme or reason why the seniors were on the floor at the end,” Acker said. “It wasn’t because it was senior night … they are our better players.”
Bowie held the upper hand early, taking a 14-11 lead. Lehman rallied back in the second quarter, guided by Windom’s seven points. Lehman led 26-25 at intermission.
Acker said shutting down Bowie guard Hudson Vrburus was the priority in the first half. Lehman held Vrburus to seven first half points, 11 total in the game.
Lehman also successfully battled Bowie’s methodical, grind-it-out pace.
“It was one of those grinder games; a game against Bowie is going to be a grinder,” Acker said. “They want to dictate the tempo, and we’re not an up-and-down team this year. I knew it was going to be like this.”
On offense, the Lobos used their forwards and posts to counter Bowie’s matchup zone defense. The Lobos attacked with Windom, Ivan Melendez and Robert Salinas, who tallied 15 combined points in the first half. Melendez led all scorers with 17-points.
Lehman utilized their big men to expand the lead in the third quarter.
Lobo guards fed the post, allowing Melendez to successfully battle in the paint. Melendez was the catalyst for Lehman, scoring nine of the Lobos 14 third quarter points. Lehman led 40-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
Acker said going to the team’s strengths — athleticism and size — was the game plan. For Melendez, it was a matter of playing more physical, something Lehman has struggled with.
“I felt like we got tired of people bringing the physicality to us,” Melendez said. “This time, we brought it to them.”
But Bowie responded by taking advantage of Lobo miscues in the fourth quarter. Frequent turnovers turned in to easy points for Bowie.
Bowie opened with an 8-2 run, capped off by back-to-back two pointers from S. Gonzales. The Bulldogs cut Lehman’s lead to 42-39 before a Melendez bucket stopped the bleeding.
But Bowie went on another 4-0 run, highlighted by a layup from C. Kuykendall that gave the Bulldogs a 45-44 lead with 1:19 left.
Windom emerged as the hero ten seconds later by successfully hitting a shot while being fouled. He completed the three-point play by hitting his free throw, giving Lehman a 47-45 lead with 1:09 remaining.
“I tried to get body contact, and put the ball up and aimed for the backboard,” Windom said. “(The ball) went through and I got us a lead. It felt good. I felt energized.”
Bowie held one final chance to win the game, but a go-ahead three pointer missed its mark.
For the Lobos, Friday’s victory was a shining moment in a year rife with hardship. But notching a win in their final high school home game was meaningful for the senior class.
“For all of us to come together, when we’ve known each other from childhood, to get a win in our last high school home game, it feels good,” Windom said.
