Bell County went toe-to-toe with one of South Carolina’s elite programs before coming up just short, falling 52-50 in overtime to No. 2 ranked Dorman on Saturday.
The Bobcats led by as many as 11 points and controlled much of the game.
Bell County’s effort never wavered, even after losing a key piece late when Ethan Buell fouled out with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
Bell County (5-2) had chances to close the door late, but a handful of turnovers in the final minutes allowed Dorman to rally and force overtime.
The Bobcats continued to battle in the extra period, but couldn’t quite deliver the finishing blow against the talented Cavaliers.
Buell led Bell County with 21 points before fouling out, while Blake Burnett posted a strong double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
“I thought our guys played great in regulation right up until the last couple minutes and we just couldn’t hang on,” Bell County coach Brad Sizemore said. “A few costly turnovers late allowed them to get back in the game and send it to overtime, we had several opportunities to win the game just couldn’t pull it off. I was really happy with our effort, execution and the way our guys competed. We just made a few too many mistakes against a really good team. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and build off the experience.”
