Bearcat hoops head coach, JD Robinson has stressed the past two seasons how thin the margin of error is each game for his team. The difference between the 2022-23 season, in which Aledo missed the postseason by a single game, and this season has largely been the Bearcats’ ability to come out on the plus side of one-possession games the way they did on Tuesday, Feb. 6, winning 46-44 against Granbury.
The victory secured a postseason berth this season for the Bearcats (17-11, 4-4 in District 5-5A). With two district games left on the schedule, Aledo can do no worse than the No. 4 seed. If they win the final two games of the regular season, they may find themselves taking hold of the No. 3 seed heading into the bi-district round of the playoffs. In fact, they have a shot at moving into a tie for second, depending on what happens with Saginaw and Northwest on Friday.
After leading nearly the entire game, and by as much as 12 points at one point, the Bearcats found themselves in an all-too-familiar position of being locked in a one-possession game with time running out.
With the game tied a 44-all and the threat of overtime looming, the Bearcats put the ball in the hands of Joaquin Pacheco. Pacheco took the inbounds pass with 10 seconds left on the clock. Working his way around the top of the key, teammate Jack Sawyer threw a pick on a Pirate defender, creating just enough space for Pacheco to get a clean look at the basket for a split second.
That was all he needed, as Pacheco buried a jumper from the free-throw line, lifting the Bearcats to victory, cementing a playoff berth in the process.
“The second the ball touched my hands, I got excited,” Pacheco recalled after the game. “I wanted the last shot. I brought it up the middle and Jack had a screen. I saw was cheating. I just made a move, Jack closed him off, and gave me a perfect shot. He couldn’t have done his job any better for me to get a wide-open, game-winning shot.”
Aledo started off fast in the first quarter, utilizing ball movement to get the Pirate defense out of position. Jackson Todd put the Bearcats on the board with an early three-point bucket right in front of the visitor’s bench. That shot set the tone for Aledo’s offense in the first half as they jumped out to a 14-9 lead after one quarter, and a 22-15 lead at halftime.
In the second half Granbury began to find their way. Aided by the Bearcats struggling to keep possession of the basketball, while simultaneously becoming foul prone, the Pirates cut the lead to 35-30 at the end of the third.
With Owen Peterson already in foul trouble before the end of the third, Jackson Todd quickly found himself in foul trouble as well early in the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, Granbury found their rhythm as Daylon Webb tied the game at 37-37 with 5:51 remaining following a huge three-pointer near his bench.
A back-and-forth battle ensued until Todd fouled out with just a minute left on the clock as Aledo led 44-42. Kensington Colston forced a turnover before tying the game up at 44-all with a layup at the other end of the floor leading to the dramatic finish moments later.
Aledo will host Wichita Falls Rider in their final home game of the season as they celebrate Senior Night on Friday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 pm. They close out the regular season on the road against Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 13, as they take on the Texans at 7:30 p.m.
If the Bearcats remain the No. 4 seed they will likely face District 6-5A top seed Fort Worth Arlington Heights in bi-district. If they move up to third they would likely face Fort Worth Southwest or Everman.
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