In another tough matchup, the California Pintos lost to Versailles Tigers 98-92 in the consolation championship game at the Tri-County Conference Tournament Jan. 4 at Osage. With the loss, the Pintos finish with a tournament record of 1-2.
The game started well for the Pintos, as they buit a 24-21 lead after the first quarter. But the second quarter was a different story, as Versailles took the lead early and while California regained the lead at 27-26, Versailles had a 48-40 lead at halftime.
Pintos head coach Ron Lebel said that the team made some costly mistakes in the second quarter.
"We turned the ball over too much," Lebel said. "We gave too many possessions up."
In the second half, momentum alternated between both teams, as both California and Versailles went on separate runs. California cut into the lead in the fourth quarter to make it 75-72, but Versailles answered with a 7-0 run that gave them a an 82-72 advantage.
The Pintos found themselves trying to play catch up, as they trailed by as much as 12 points. They were able to cut the lead down to two at 89-87 with around two minutes to play, but Versailles ended the game outscoring the Pintos 9-7 in the final minutes to secure the win.
Lebel said with the way the two teams played up-tempo basketball, that runs for both teams are expected. Lebel said that turnovers made it possible for Versailles to extend their lead with runs of their own.
"Every time we had a nice run, it seemed like we would turn the ball over two or three times," Lebel said. "So, that would swing the game toward Versailles. So, we need to stop turning the ball over, basically."
Isaac Ash led the way for the Pintos with 19 points. Trey Porter produced 17 points, while Jordon Geiser and Nathan Pickering added 12 apiece. And Jordan Bondurant had nine points.
The Pintos had trouble stopping Wyatt Espinosa, who had a game-high 29 points for Versailles, and Jonathon Geier, who had 27 points.
"Sometimes, we just have trouble getting organized on the defensive end," Lebel said. "We are going to practice everyday and try to get better at the game and understanding the key players on other teams."
The team has lost by less than 10 points in four of its games. Lebel said despite losing close games, there are positives to take away from the season, so far.
"We are not a two- or three-player team," Lebel said. "We had more guys step up tonight and got some good quality minutes. It is rough, when you continue to play well and lose close games. But, it is not too hard to find positive things and to keep building on the positive."
"We had a lot of positives; I thought we played with a lot more energy tonight," Lebel said. "A couple of our guys, who had been struggling, played better tonight; we did a lot of nice things."