By Taylor Penn

Staff Writer

Pottsboro 55, Howe 47

Howe entered Tuesday night’s matchup against Pottsboro looking to even up its district record to a respectable 5-5, but fell to 4-6 after failing to get it done on the road against the Cardinals in an eight-point loss. The second half proved to be the turning point in the game, much like the first time that these two teams met earlier in the year, when Pottsboro won that contest 62-47 after an evenly-matched first half. The teams fought to a draw in the first period, 13-13, before Howe took a one-point advantage into the locker room after outscoring Pottsboro 15-14 in the second quarter. Pottsboro’s offense came alive in the second quarter to score 15 while holding the Bulldogs to just 10 points to run out to a four point lead as the teams headed into the final quarter of play. The Bulldog offense tallied nine points in the fourth quarter as they suffered their sixth district loss of the year. Howe was led by Garrett Fulenchek, who finished with a team-high 21 points on 10-of-19 shooting against the Cardinals. Fulenchek also pulled down five rebounds in the loss. Fulenchek was the only Bulldog to score in double digits on the night, but Alex Torres contributed eight points, three assists, and two steals. Three Bulldogs - James Henderson, Tanner Hawkins, and John Talley - chipped in four points apiece. Hawkins also led the Bulldogs in rebounds with eight.

Gunter 77, Howe 29

The Bulldogs were overwhelmed by the visiting Tigers on Friday night, falling to Gunter for their fifth district loss on the season.

Gunter came into the matchup boasting an impressive 7-1 record in district play and proved that it is a force to be reckoned with. The Tigers started the game on a 9-2 run and never looked back.

Offensively, the Tigers had excellent ball movement which in turn exposed holes in Howe’s zone defense and led to some easy Gunter baskets. The Tigers scored the game’s first six points before Alex Torres knifed through the defense for a quick layup in traffic. Unfortunately for Bulldog fans, Howe buckets proved to be hard to come by against the Tigers. After being outscored 21-8 in the first quarter, the Bulldogs were looking to get something going early in the second quarter to chip away at the double-digit deficit. Grisolia banked a three pointer off the glass to start the period, but Howe only managed five points in the second quarter to fall behind 37-13 at half.

Howe’s inability to come up with rebounds, combined with Gunter’s suffocating full-court press, led to a long night for the Bulldogs. No Bulldog scorer reached double digits against Gunter, but John Talley came close with nine points and five rebounds, both team-highs. Jacob Grisolia was second for the Bulldogs with six points. The Tigers limited the usually potent Torres to a meager four points in the contest. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Tigers did not miss a beat in the second half as they outscored Howe 40-16 to take the district win.

Howe will now look to rebound from the pair of tough losses at home against Callisburg on Friday evening. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m.