Lavaca's Andrew Johnson hit a pivotal 3-pointer as the shot clocked expired with 2 minutes left in the game to help the Golden Arrows turn back a Woodlawn comeback bid in the second half for a 60-52 victory over the Bears in the first round of the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament last Tuesday night, Feb. 26, at Mansfield High School.Lavaca came out red hot from behind the arch, hitting six 3pointers in the first half as the Golden Arrows, the no. 1 seed from the West Region, held a commanding 39-22 lead over the Bears at halftime.Despite Lavaca's lighting it up from outside over the first two quarters, Woodlawn Coach Logan Adair said he decided to go to a zone defense in the second half and the move worked.The moved seemed to pay off as the Golden Arrows began to struggle in the second half,making just seven field goals over the final two periods. The Bears, meanwhile, were beginning to find some success down low with their senior big man, Raylon Lawson.Lawson scored 16 of his teamhigh 23 points in the second half as Woodlawn began to chip away at Lavaca's lead. The Bears had narrowed it to a 49-37 deficit by the end of the third quarter before closing to within four with about 2 minutes left in the game. Adair said it looked as though the Bears were going to make it a one-possession game as the Ar-rows were just about to run out the shot clock when Johnson drained his 3. Adair said Woodlawn already had a player streaking down the floor for a quick outlet pass that could have cut Lavaca's lead to just two.Johnson's trey turned out to be the Golden Arrows' only 3pointer of the second half, but it was enough to push their lead back to seven. Woodlawn, the no. 4 seed from the South Region, was unable to make up much ground after that and ended up dropping an eight-point decision."We knew going in that we had a chance," Adair said about the first-round match-up Lavaca. "They shot better than we thought they were going to ...
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