By DAVID MAY
Special to Mineral Wells Area News
BROWNWOOD – Playing their regular season finale at Brownwood on Tuesday, the Mineral Wells Rams found themselves in a shootout – from the free-throw line. The Rams whistled their way to an 85-82 victory while locking up third place in District 6-4A.
Having previously clinched a playoff spot, Mineral Wells awaits the winner of Friday’s District 5-4A game between Sweetwater and Levelland. The winner of that game will finish in second place and face Mineral Wells in the opening bi-district round.
Officials called 60 fouls in Tuesday’s game – 30 on each team. There were 87 free-throw shots attempted – 19 in the first half and an incredible 68 in the second half. The difference in the game was Mineral Wells sinking 34 of their 42 free throws (83%), while the Lions made 25 of their 45 attempts (55.5%).
Sophomore Jaidun Fisher took 16 free throw shots – all in the second half – making 14 of them (87.5%). He was the game’s high scorer with 23 total points.
Preztynn Harrison scored 15 points for the Rams, knocking down six field goals and three free throws. Jordan Fisher tallied 14 points for the Rams, including two three-pointers. Charlie Ramsay scored 10 points before fouling out.
The Rams’ win coupled with Graham’s defeat of Stephenville on Tuesday clinched Mineral Wells’ third-place finish and matchup against the District 5 runner-up. Had the Rams ended up in fourth place, they would have played Estacado (21-7, 10-0), currently ranked ninth in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A boys poll.
Mineral Wells completes the regular season with a 9-26 record overall and a 4-4 mark in district.
Fourth-quarter free throws were key for Mineral Wells. Fisher was 8-of-10 from the stripe in the final frame, while Ben Bullock was 4-of-6, finishing with eight points on the night. Nathan Colwell was 3-of-4 from the line in the decisive final period.
The Rams in the fourth attempted 22 free throws, making 16, while Brownwood had 14 free throw attempts, making 11. The Rams outscored the Lions 30-26 in the final period to eke out the three-point win.
The teams battled to a 13-point tie in the first before the Rams went to the break with a 33-31 advantage.