The Belton Tigers and Copperas Cove Bulldawgs rivalry has been hotly contested over the years.
The on-and-off district rivals renewed the rivalry at Tiger Gym on Tuesday night.
Belton scored 12 of the game’s first 13 points inside the opening 2:56, used excellent team defense to get past the Bulldawgs, 65-42.
“I was really proud of the way the team played,” Belton Head Coach Phil McCaslin said. “We held a solid Copperas Cove team under 20 points in the first half. Teams with the makeup of Cove will be a great deal of what we will see out of teams from our district.
Prior to the game, the Belton basketball program honored Noah Childers for breaking the career 1,000-point mark at the Kaufman Tournament.
Belton’s offensive attack was on full display in the opening eight minutes. Jay’dn Loggin hit the Tigers’ first shot of the game 15 seconds in. Belton forced a turnover; Ty Johnson drained a three-pointer from the top of the key and was fouled in the process. After Johnson converted the free-throw, the Tigers led 6-0 just 38 seconds in.
Eden Carter put Cove on the board 1:06 into the game, as he converted the back end of a two-shot foul.
The Tigers answered with a 7-0 run, as Loggins scored four points and Johnson added a three-pointer to give Belton a 13-1 lead with 3:32 to play in the opening period.
Cove momentarily slowed the run on field goals by Michael Watson and Idris Carter. However, the Tigers were not deterred, as they closed the quarter on a 5-0 run and led at the end of the first quarter, 23-7.
Belton continued the defensive pressure throughout the second quarter and boosted the advantage out to 24 points. The Tigers led at the halftime break, 39-18.
The Tigers continued to pressure the Bulldawgs into contested, low-percentage shots. Childers' cannonading block at the third quarter horn wowed the crowd, as Belton maintained a 22-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, 55-33.
Belton's lead grew to 30 points, thanks to an 8-0 run to start the final stanza. Johnson, Loggins, and Daniel Briscoe combined for the eight points.
Cove continued to battle against the Belton reserves in the fourth quarter and pared the margin to 23 points at the end of the night.
The Tigers were 11-of-17 at the free-throw line and converted eight three-pointers. Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, having drained five three-pointers and all three free throws. Loggins added 12 points for Belton.
K’Veion Jones and Matthew Ziegler led Copperas Cove with ten points each.
The Tigers will travel to Waco on Friday to take on Connally High School and will start District 16-5A action on Tuesday at Killeen Chaparral.
The Bulldawgs start District 12-6A play Friday as they host Waco Midway.
