Amarillo Palo Duro outlasts Abilene Cooper in Region I-5A boys basketball playoff opener
LAMESA – Both coaches bemoaned their team’s lack of offense, but suffocating defense by both teams had a lot to do with that.
In the end, Amarillo Palo Duro managed to find enough air to still be kicking.
The Dons outscored Cooper 12-8 in the final 6:32 to fight off the Cougars 50-42 in a grueling, physical Region I-5A bi-district boys basketball playoff game Tuesday at Lamesa High School.
“I thought Abilene Cooper played really well,” Palo Duro coach Jeff Evans said. “They did some really good things and made us struggle, and we certainly struggled tonight in many ways. Every way, honestly. I think a lot of credit goes to them on that.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Cooper coach Bryan Conover. He thought his team defended the ball like it has all year yet struggled offensively, like it has most of the season.
“We uglied the game up I thought pretty well,” Conover said. “We defended. We were pretty tough. They’re long, and we went small at times to get some shooting in the game. They went zone, and they hurt us on the offensive glass.”
Playing zone wasn’t originally in Evans’ plans. However, he was forced into it once senior guard Audi Luckey picked up his third foul in the first half – two on charges. That worried Evans, who described Luckey as the “engine of our car all season.”
Evans knew his car needed that engine all four quarters to get past Cooper.
“So, we changed our defense and played zone,” Evans said. “That’s the first time in 27 years that I’ve played zone in a game. We just felt like maybe we could hide him in that zone and protect him and take some time off the clock.”
Luckey didn’t pick up another foul the rest of the night, and he finished with a team-high 17 points – seven in the second half. He even drew a foul, then hit two free throws to give his team a 46-39 lead with 1:42 to go.
“He’s been a four-year varsity player and an all-region player,” Evans said. “So, his basketball I.Q. is really high. We told him at halftime, ‘We trust you. Just don’t get overly aggressive and pick up your fourth or fifth (foul).
“I thought he did a good job of picking his spots. Maybe if he wasn’t in foul trouble, he would have attacked more, but I thought he was smart and played a little more conservatively.”
Kent Pierson added 14 points as Palo Duro (18-10) advances to play El Paso Chapin in the second round later this week. Chapin beat El Paso Bel Air 63-39 on Monday.
Jordan Willis led Cooper (18-13) with a game-high 19 points. He hit five of the Coogs’ seven 3-point goals. Kam Gray followed with nine points.
Jaelyn Rivera, usually Cooper’s most consistent scorer, was held to three points.
“They really focused on Rivera, put two dudes on him most of the time, which is probably what I would have done, too,” Conover said. “Jordan stepped up, played really well. Kam did well. It’s a tough game. We just weren’t able to pull it out.”
Coogs come out roaring
The Coogs, seeking their first playoff win since 2017, came out strong, scoring the game’s first seven points and had a 9-2 lead. But the Dons started playing a full-court press, and it bothered the Coogs – bothered them enough for Palo Duro to score seven unanswered points to tie the game at 9.
“They’re a pretty physical team, aggressive,” Conover said. “They try to pressure you a lot. It hurt us early. I thought we had some careless turnovers. But I thought we cleaned it up.”
It was close the rest of the night. Cooper had two leads in the second quarter, the last at 23-19, but Palo Duro scored the last six points of the half for a 26-23 advantage – and never trailed again.
The Dons also scored the first five points of the second half to complete a 11-0 run. It might have been the difference in the game, but the Coogs would storm back to close within two (33-31) on Rivera’s old-fashioned three-point play with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
Kordae Brown got a basket off an offensive rebound with 12 seconds to go for a 35-31 Palo Duro lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The final frame
Both teams exchanged treys to open the fourth, but Palo Duro went on a 4-0 run – the last after a Cooper turnover – to take a 42-34 lead with 5:59 to go.
Cooper would get as close as four (46-42) on a Zavian Alexander trey with 1:13 remaining.
But the Coogs couldn’t get another shot to fall.
“We had some open looks, Conover said. “We just couldn’t knock them down. We got what we wanted a lot of times.”
Palo Duro hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final 2:16 to go with a Walid Abdalrahim basket to fend off Cooper.
Evans could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“We never could get any separation like we would have liked to,” Evans said. “They would get two or three offensive rebounds and then knock down a 3 every time we thought maybe we could get hold of the steering wheel. That’s a credit to them and their players and their coaches. They made it a struggle. We’re fortunate to be moving on.”
Palo Duro won the game at the free-throw line, hitting 14 of 18. Cooper hit 3 of 7 free throws. The Coogs outscored the Dons 39-36 from the field.
Dons rule first round
Palo Duro, making its 22nd consecutive postseason appearance, improved to 21-1 in those first-round playoff games.
Evans said he graduated all but one of his top six players from last season. That one returner is Luckey.
“This has been a young team that’s had a lot to learn,” Evans said. “They’ve gotten better. They showed that in their last game of the regular season when they beat Amarillo High."
The 62-58 decision was the Sandies only district loss and knocked them from No. 4 in the state to No. 7 and gave the Dons a boost heading into the playoffs.
“Still, a playoff game is a whole new thing," Evans said. "We had one player that it isn’t new to. So, I’m proud of them for getting through it – surviving it.”
Then again, maybe it was that Palo Duro tradition that carried the team Tuesday night.
“That’s a motivating force,” Evans said. “Our kids knew, and with a young team they probably felt some of that pressure and maybe it affected them. But they kept fighting and got out of it. So, we’ve had luck in this first round.”
Deja vu?
The Dons have beaten Cooper four of the past five years in the postseason opener – 68-46 in 2019, 65-50 in 2020 and 77-72 in 2021. They also beat the Coogs 89-65 in 2016.
“It just seems like I’ve seen the Cooper Cougars so many times, and somehow it just always ends up us,” Evans said. “We always know it’s going to be a battle. Coach Conover and his coaches and kids always do a great job – a class group of guys. We’re just fortunate.”
Cooper, which lost to Canyon Randall 46-45 in the first round last year after winning its second straight district title, ends the year after tying Lubbock Coronado for second in District 4-5A. The Coogs were the No. 2 seed, while Palo Duro was the third seed from 3-5A.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” Conover said. “We had a great season. We were picked liked sixth in the district and had a great year. We found a way. For a team that doesn’t score much, we won a lot of games. We were able to sit down and guard people. I’m just really proud of our kids the way they bought in and competed all year.”
REGION I-5A BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF
Amarillo Palo Duro 50, Cooper 42
Cooper … 10 … 13 … 8 … 11 – 42
Palo Duro … 11 … 15 … 9 … 15 – 50
COOPER (18-13) – Savion Vinson 0 1-2 1, Jordan Willis 7 0-0 19, Jaelyn Rivera 1 1-1 3, Maxwell Falade 3 1-2 7, Zavian Alexander 1 0-0 3, Eric Tonche 0 0-2 0, Kam Gray 4 0-0 9. Totals 16 3-7 42.
AMARILLO PALO DURO (18-10) – Walid Abdalrahim 3 0-1 7, Audi Luckey 5 6-7 17, Eli Igiranez 2 2-2 6, Kordae Brown 2 2-4 6, Kent Pierson 4 4-4 14. Totals 16 14-18 50.
3-Point Goals – Cooper 7 (Willis 5, Alexander, Gray), Palo Duro 4 (Abdalrahim, Luckey, Pierson 2). Total Fouls – Cooper 19, Palo Duro 9. Fouled Out – Cooper: Willis; Palo Duro: None. Technical Fouls – None.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Amarillo Palo Duro fends off Abilene Cooper boys in basketball playoff
