Wildcats Edge Bulldogs in Kearney Classic Final

Brennan Watkins scored 25 points and became the go-to-man for the Bulldogs down the stretch, scoring 13 in the 4th - Photo Courtesy Mac Moore

The Blue Springs Wildcats and Kearney Bulldogs battled hard for first place in the Kearney Classic Basketball Tournament on Friday, but the Bulldogs came up short of the win.

Kearney held the lead for most of the game, but fell behind in the 4th quarter. The Bulldogs fought hard to catch up, and with five seconds left on the clock were within 3 points. In the last possession Kearney’s Brennan Watkins pushed the ball up the court and shot from behind the 3-point line right before the buzzer in attempt to force the game into overtime. The last second shot bounced off the rim and fell away, which gave Blue Springs a 61-58 victory.

As noted by Bulldog Radio Network Kelly Gentry and Dan Hermon, the two teams met with a similar end in the semifinals of the William Jewell Holiday Classic last month and Blue Springs escaped with a 62-59 win in overtime.

The Wildcats (9-2) had a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Kearney (8-4) never gave up, slowly chipping away at the deficit. Brennan Watkins, who scored 25 points, became the go-to-man for the Bulldogs down the stretch, scoring 13 in the fourth and twice pulling Kearney within three points. Ashton Holloway came away with 21 points. Watkins and Holloway were also selected for the all-tournament team.

The Boy’s will face the Smithville Warriors at home on Tuesday night. You can hear all the play-by-play action on your radio home of Kearney athletics on 102.7FM KPGZ. Pre-game starts at 6:45 with the tipoff at 7:00.

KPGZ Sports – Brian Watts contributed to this story