STEPHENVILLE — Something had to give when Ponder faced Edgewood, two teams with a combined 50-game winning streak, in the Class 2A Region II finals.

The difference emerged from Ponder senior Nathan McPherson.

For the Denton Record-Chronicle/Byron Taylor

Ponder’s Scott Gregg, right, goes up for a shot during an overtime win over Edgewood in the Class 2A Region II final Saturday in Stephenville.

McPherson scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the final 12 minutes to give Ponder a 45-42 overtime win Saturday at Tarleton State’s Wisdom Gym.

“I just told him to keep his poise and keep fighting,” Ponder head coach Doug Boxell said of McPherson. “He made some big plays for us down the stretch.”

Ponder advances to the Class 2A state tournament in Austin for the second time in the last three years.

Edgewood trimmed away a 10-point deficit after the first quarter as Ponder’s offense stalled in the second and third periods. The two teams combined to score just 10 points in the second quarter.

“I wanted us to be able to attack a little bit more,” Boxell said. “We were a little apprehensive and not able to get the ball where we wanted to all the time.”

The Ponder defense limited Edgewood’s leading scorer, Weston Jameson, to just two points in the first three quarters. Ponder guard Jesus Lujan had the tough assignment of guarding Jameson, who shot just 1-of-6 through the first three quarters.

“Lujan is a great defensive player,” Boxell said. “He did a great job and some other kids helped out.”

Jameson finally found his mark, however, to open the fourth quarter. The 6-foot junior scored eight points in the final quarter, including a mid-range jumper that gave Edgewood a 33-32 lead with 2:24 remaining in the game.

The fourth quarter featured six lead changes with a majority of the scoring coming from McPher-son and Jameson. McPherson scored Ponder’s first nine points of the final period, and then he added the team’s first four points in overtime. 

“It was a great game,” Boxell said. “Edgewood came out in the second half and controlled the ball game. Our kids found a way to fight back and make it happen. They gave us a chance to win.”

Edgewood point guard Chase Sage nailed a 3-pointer with one minute remaining in overtime to bring the Bulldogs to within a point at 43-42.

After Isaiah Boxell hit two free throws to extend Ponder’s lead to three points at 45-42, Edgewood had a chance to tie the game with an inbound pass near half-court with 5.5 seconds remaining. But the Ponder defense didn’t allow Edgewood to get a shot off before the buzzer.

The win was perhaps the closest game Ponder has played in the midst of its current 24-game winning streak. Ponder had won its previous 23 games by an average victory margin of 24.5 points.

Ponder will play its state semifinal game Friday morning at the Erwin Center against Tuscola Jim Ned, which defeated Floydada in the Region I final on Saturday.

“They’ve been dreaming about Austin,” Doug Boxell said.

Ponder advanced to the state tournament in 2006 but lost to Arp in the finals.

BRAD McDONNELL can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is  bmcdonnell@dentonrc.com .

Ponder 45, Edgewood 42 (OT)

Ponder (37-2) – Isaiah Boxell 13, Nathan McPherson 18, Calvin Redfearn 2, Joel Garza 4, Scott Gregg 8.

Edgewood (32-6) – Chase Sage 10, Justin King 10, Trey Prater 3, Weston Jameson 10, Darrius Rogers 6, Colton Humphries 3.