After droppinig a crucial contest to Atlanta on the last day of January that put Saline a game back in the district standings it looked hurt the surging Bobcats chance at winning or sharing the 2C title. Things looked especially bleack when Atlanta beat Georgetown this past Tuesday, who had been the only team to plant a district defeat on the Bulldogs.

Saline kept the heat up by winning their remaining district games including a 50-44 victory over Georgetown on Friday. Now they needed Atlanta to stumble at home against defending Class C runner-up Calvin. Christmas came in February for the Bobcats as Atlanta lost 61-55 to drop the Bulldogs into a tie with Saline at 8-2 in district setting up a winner take all playoff game in Dodson next Saturday, February 18th at a time to be determined. 

Saline 50 Georgetown 44 (boys) There are two games a small school basketball coach dreads. Homecoming and Senior Night. That is because of all the distractions that the players deal with it is hard to keep them focused. Down 27-23 at the half in the must win game against a good Georgetown team on Friday, head coach Klint Robinson challenged his guys to strengthen their focus and intensity in the second half. The Bobcats did just that, limiting Georgetown to just 17 points combined in the third and fourth quarter 

Meanwhile Wesley Crawford and Jacob Jones, who had two points between them in the first half, took it upon themselves in the second half to supply firepower with Crawford making all nine of his points and Jones adding seven  to help lift Saline to a 27-17 second half advantage. One needs look no further than Will Dison to find the game star. The senior made sure that the night celebrating others like him on the team ended happily by pouring in 25 points that included 17 of Saline’s first 23 points in the contest. Maddox Williams scored five and Shawn Staggs added a basket. 

With the victory Saline improved to a seemingly impossible 19-14 overall, after starting the season 1-9, and tied with Atlanta atop district 2C with an 8-2 record. Georgetown saw their district record evened at 5-5 and their overall mark drop to 20-12.  

TEAM	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Saline (19-14, 8-2)	13	10	14	13	50
Georgetown (20-12, 5-5)	15	12	9	8	44

Georgetown 47 Saline 41 (girls) Free throws aren’t free if you don’t make them. Saline found out that lesson the hard way on Friday when Georgetown sent the Lady Bobcats to the line 13 times in the fourth quarter of the final district 2C contest of the year. The Lady Bobcats only made three, leaving ten points on the court. Add the fact not a single field goal was made and Saline’s 38-30 third quarter lead turned into a six point loss. 

With Alaya Gray, who led Saline in scoring with 15, draining three treys in the third quarter it looked like Saline, who had already wrapped up the district title the game before, was going to finish 2C play undefeated. Georgetown had an incentive though in the fact a victory would give them a winning season at 15-14 and played the final frame with a ferocity not seen in the game prior that caught the Lady Bobcats flatfooted.  

TEAM	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Saline (14-17, 6-1)	8	11	19	3	41
Georgetown (15-14, 5-5)	11	5	14	17	47

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