Blocked shot allows Lone Star boys to escape The Colony with 60-57 win

But just when Lone Star was humming along, the Cougars’ dynamic duo of freshmen Dakari Spear and Xavier Green got in a rhythm. The Colony got as close as two points, but Lone Star sophomore EJ Olaseni got a partial block on Spear’s corner 3-point attempt that would have tied the game and the Rangers escaped with a 60-57 victory.

“He’s athletic and still learning the game, but I’m super proud of his effort tonight,” Lone Star head coach Keith Connor said of Olesani. “We knew that it was going to (Spear) or (Green) on that final shot. Our guys made a play.”

The theme that Connor said the Rangers have set for this season is “stick together.” Lone Star did that all night long, regardless of how tense the moments became in the fourth quarter. Two players that helped the Rangers stick together were freshman Trent Perry and senior Randy Fowler.

Perry was instant offense for Lone Star. The freshman forward scored 11 of his team-high 23 points in the first quarter, including a one-handed dunk after a missed jump shot by a Rangers teammate to give Lone Star a 13-11 lead with 1:33 remaining in the frame.

Fowler picked up where Perry had started the game, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including two clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter.

But in between, Lone Star (10-12 overall, 2-2 district) struggled to find ways to contain extended runs by The Colony (14-9, 1-3).

Spear helped to set up a dramatic fourth quarter. He made a putback and subsequent free throw after being fouled for a three-point play with 24.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, which reduced Lone Star’s lead to 43-36.

The Colony rode the play of two of their heralded freshmen, Green and Spear, during the fourth quarter with both players accounting for all 20 of the Cougars’ points in the game’s final eight minutes.

After Lone Star senior Jaden Merdacal made a free throw to put the Rangers ahead 56-48 with 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, Green and Spear followed with a 3-pointer. Spear’s triple reduced Lone Star’s lead to 56-54.

“One thing about this group through the course of the season is that we’ve fought and we’re not going to lay down,” said Cleve Ryan, The Colony head coach. “But we’ve got to quit putting ourselves in that situation where we are down and having to fight so much to get back in the game.”

After a jump shot by Fowler restored a two-possession lead for Lone Star, Spear spotted Green open in the left corner on the ensuing The Colony possession. Green made the shot and it was a one-point lead for the Rangers with 4.6 seconds remaining.

Spear finished with 29 points, while Green had 18 points.

“We’ve got to have them score the ball for us to be successful,” Ryan said. “We as a team need to get more consistent on getting back and getting the right shots, especially down the stretch.”

But Olesani preserved the victory for Lone Star with his last-second shot block of Spear.

“We’ve got a young team, and we’re still growing,” Connor said. “I’m so proud of their effort. I’m so proud that they found a way. The whole theme this year is ‘stick together,’ and our guys found a way, even with us being down a starter tonight. I’m proud of every single kid out there.”