Late comeback falls short for Hebron in regional tournament

Yet for as much as defense has been a calling card for Hebron all season, the Hawks faced a different kind of beast on Friday night. Byron Nelson came into the game averaging 63 points per game and is led by Butler signee Finley Bizjack, who led the Dallas-area in scoring in the regular season with 28.6 points per game.

Hebron made a spirited comeback in the second half after trailing by 13 points at halftime. The Hawks reduced the deficit to just one point after junior Cameron Mennsfield made two free throws 36 seconds into the fourth quarter. However, Bobcats senior guard Brice Barbarin continued Byron Nelson’s three-point barrage, making back-to-back 3-pointers less than a minute apart and Byron Nelson pulled away for a 54-43 win from Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.

“Defensively, we just didn’t play a very good game,” said Eric Reil, Hebron head coach. “We allowed them to make three 3’s in transition, and that hurt us a lot. We knew Bizjack was good, but we didn’t make it hard on him. He had a really good game. They hit their shots tonight. They’re a good team.”

Byron Nelson (30-7) advanced to the Region I-6A final for the first time since 2013 and will face 6A’s No. 1 Lake Highlands at 1 p.m. Saturday. Hebron ended its season at 23-13.

The Bobcats unleashed a 3-point barrage in the first half, making five of their eight 3’s in the game’s first two quarters. Bizjack had 14 of his 22 points during that span of play and was fouled twice on 3-point attempts, making four of six free throws on those chances. The Butler signee muscled his way for a layup with one minute remaining and then buried a free throw with 1.6 seconds left to give the Bobcats a 31-19 halftime lead.

“He’s hard to defend,” Reil said of Bizjack. “If you throw one or two guys at him, someone is going to be open. And we had some foul trouble. Jaden (Clemons) picked up two quick fouls, and that hurt us. Nate (Mercer) came in and did a good job. But that’s why Bizjack is a Division I guard. He is good.”

Hebron had just 19 points at halftime and made just two field goals in the second quarter. But Reil knew there was still 16 minutes left to play. In an attempt to get his Hawks going on the offensive end, he told his players in the locker room at halftime that it was their turn to make a run.

Hebron heeded the words of its head coach.

A match-up that the Hawks exposed in the third quarter was in the paint. Hebron made it a point of emphasis to get the ball to 6-foot-8 senior forward Isaiah Dixon. Dixon, who had one alley-oop dunk in the first half, caught fire by scoring eight of his team-high 16 points in the third frame and had two more dunks, the second of which reduced Byron Nelson’s lead to six points.

“I don’t think we went inside enough,” Reil said. “We should have done a better job of giving him the ball, and I’ll take the blame for that. But we didn’t attack tonight like we have the last three games.”

The momentum continued for Hebron. Sophomore Ashton Toney buried a corner 3 with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Mennsfield made two free throws early in the fourth quarter, and just like that, Byron Nelson’s lead now stood at 37-36.

But the Bobcats’ 3-point shooting proved too much for the Hawks to overcome.

Barbarin had scored just two points entering the fourth quarter, but he made back-to-back 3’s with less than six minutes to go, as Byron Nelson reclaimed the lead for good.

“He was one of their subs, and we were going to let him shoot it,” Reil said. “Again, we talked about taking chances on other people, and he did a good job making those two shots.”