North Crowley boys beat Keller in overtime in Class 6A Region 1 quarterfinals

North Crowley beat Keller 80-78 in overtime in a 6A Region I quarterfinal on Tuesday on the Robert Hughes Court in the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.

North Crowley (31-6), No. 24 in the final Class 6A state poll according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, moves on to face No. 1 Dallas Lake Highlands (30-3) at 6 p.m. on Friday back at Wilkerson-Greines.

Trophy Club Nelson (29-7) will meet Hebron (23-12) at 8 p.m. in the second semifinal.

With the score tied at 78 apiece in overtime, North Crowley did what they had done best all game. They put their heads down and drew back-to-back fouls to go up two with only 12 seconds remaining.

Junior wing K.D. Davis then sealed the win with a block on a three-point attempt from Keller’s Robbie Flores.

The Panthers were led by junior guard Kamoni Sieber’s 26 points. The Panthers played the game with a bruising physicality, challenging the Indian’s defense to stop them one-on-one without fouling.

“They switch everything on the defensive end,” said North Crowley head coach Tommy Brakel, “We had to attack ‘em and we felt like they had a hard time guarding without their hands.”

The Panthers struggled to hit their free throws at times especially late in the game. North Crowley missed several crucial free throws including two in the overtime period.

Despite that, their foul drawing and aggression were crucial.

The Keller offense was led by Brooks Bahr who scored a game-high 41 points. Whenever the Indians need a bucket, he was their answer.

Bahr was able to score at will throughout the entire game whether on layups, jump shots or by getting to the line.

“He’s the most fearless competitor I’ve coached,” said Keller head coach Zach Weir, “ He’s special, he’s extremely special.”

The Panthers keyed in on Bahr later in the game, aggressively trapping him to get the ball out of his hands to force another player to beat them.

“Had to, he was killing us by himself, we had to do something different so we decided to run a man at him,” said Brakel. “Not only is he a great player, but he’s a great player having a great game.”

Despite the trapping forcing multiple stops, Keller still held a 70-66 lead with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

Yet, Panthers refused to let the game slip away, responding with clutch baskets from Sieber and Davis which forced the game into overtime.

The Panthers took an early overtime lead and appeared to be on its way to the win.

However, Bahr struck again and made his two biggest buckets of the night.

The first was when he split a double team to score and the second a monumental three-point field goal that tied the game at 78 before the Panthers would take the lead for good on the ensuing possession.

Despite the loss, Weir had no qualms about how his team played.

“They play with a sense of joy and excitement for the dude next to ‘em when he makes a shot or he makes a play. Few points short tonight, but I couldn’t be more proud of them dudes as their coach.”

Brakel and his sidelines were ecstatic after the game and ready for their next challenge.

“Everybody is excited. Keller is a hell of a team they’ve had a hell of a season,” said Brakel, “We were happy to get out of here with a win and get ready for Lake Highlands or Arlington Martin.”

The game also had a bit of controversy. In the third quarter when Keller fans felt that a point had been erroneously not counted. When asked about it after the game, Indians head coach Zach Weir had no comment on if he thought a point had been missed.