For the second time in the last four games, the Ryan Raiders had an opportunity to topple one of the top two teams in District 4-4A. Each time, the Raiders held a fourth-quarter lead and were in position to win, only to let that lead painfully slip away.
On senior night at Ryan, Little Elm came back from a seven-point deficit to defeat the Raiders 56-54 in overtime Tuesday night.
All four of Ryan's district losses have come against Little Elm and The Colony, the top two teams in 4-4A.
"We've got to finish," Ryan head coach Bryce Overstreet said. "We lost the game in the last two minutes."
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Ryan (17-11, 7-4) appeared to have the game wrapped up. Ryan senior guard Trey Mohair spun through the middle of the paint, drew a foul from Little Elm's Biron Joseph and hit a right-handed layup. The basket put Ryan ahead 44-37 and fouled out Joseph. Joseph, who had carried the Lobos (24-6, 9-0) to that point, trudged to the bench and watched the remainder of the game with a towel draped around his neck.
Little Elm, ranked 18th by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, scored four straight points in the final 34.6 seconds to send the game into overtime. Ryan was called for a five-second violation with 24.3 seconds left, and Little Elm's Devante Pullum hit a running one-handed layup with 12.5 seconds left to tie the game at 49.
Pullum scored 17 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Ryan missed five free throws in the fourth quarter.
"We missed some free throws, we turned the ball over, and that's the game," Overstreet said.
In overtime, Mohair nailed a 3-pointer that put Ryan ahead by two, but Little Elm answered with four straight points.
Mohair went to the free throw line with 22 seconds left with a chance to tie the game. As Little Elm fans heckled the senior guard, Mohair's first free throw bounced off the rim. Mohair slowly leaned over and slapped the hardwood in front of him. He made the next free throw.
With seven seconds left in the game, Little Elm's Anthony Egwu went to the free-throw line as the Lobos led by one point. Egwu missed his free throw, and Ryan's Marcus Holcomb stretched out on the floor and grabbed the ball and rolled it along the court in hopes of passing it to a teammate. The ball - and Ryan's hopes for a last-second victory - trickled out of bounds.
Holcomb, Mohair and Sam Johnson all lay on the court as the ball went back to Little Elm.
Mohair's 3-pointer from midcourt sailed wide left as the clock expired. Pullum gingerly limped off the court, with a victory and first place in hand.
Girls
Ryan 55, Little Elm 49
Since Ryan clinched its second consecutive District 4-4A championship on Friday, the Lady Raiders didn't have anything on the line against Little Elm (11-18, 5-7).
The battle on the court was much smaller than the war being waged in the district standings. Little Elm and Denton - the only team to beat Ryan in district - came into the final night of the regular season tied for the final playoff berth in 4-4A.
The Lady Raiders played without much energy through the first three quarters. Then, up by five points with 4:33 remaining, Rahsheeba Walker and Brittany Buckhanan each knocked down big shots to push Ryan's lead to 10 and ended any hopes of a Little Elm comeback.
Ryan head coach Monesha Allen said her team was well aware of the outcome's implications.
"I always want to win," Allen said. "That's just the competitor in me. It's in the kids, but that thought was there. They knew, and I didn't have to tell them about it. That alone worried me. We had a bug, a glitch in our system tonight, and I'm not sure what it was."
The Lady Raiders (21-9, 11-1) came into the contest ranked 22nd in the state by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
Teana Ogden led Ryan with 18 points. Walker scored 13, while Jeffreyonna Holley had nine points. Walker, Buckhanan and Paula Smith were honored on senior night. Smith started the game but did not score.
"I'm so proud of this senior class," Allen said. "We've had some girls that worked hard. We bounced back from so many situations, and they just showed a lot of character. You just have to commend them for that."
BEN BABY can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is bbaby@dentonrc.com .
Boys
LITTLE ELM 56, RYAN 54
Little Elm
10
10
10
19
7 - 56
Ryan
14
8
14
13
5 - 54
Little Elm (24-6, 10-0 District 4-4A) - Biron Joseph 11, Devante Pullum 19, Kewan Slater 3, Michael Blanchette 3, Bryan Owen 8, Lamont West 12.
Ryan (17-11, 7-4) - Trey Mohair 25, Marcus Holcomb 11, Sam Johnson 8, Trey Cook 5, Quincy Jones 5.
Girls
RYAN 55, LITTLE ELM 49
Little Elm
6
10
15
18 - 49
Ryan
11
14
18
12 - 55
Little Elm (11-18, 5-7) - Kaytlin Adams, Jazz Savage, Jada Whitfiled, Chelsea Savage, Taylor Martinez, Lizzie Salerno, Sarah Jameson, Krystal Gomez, Jennifer Hargis, T'Keeyah Rush, Hollie Nealy.
Ryan (21-9, 11-1) - Brittany Buckhanan 6, Jeffreyonna Holley 9, Mariah Young 5, Rahsheeba Walker 13, Teana Ogden 18, Danielle Richardson 4.
