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Basketball,
FRONT PAGE
By MIKE MONTFORT
Better late than never.
Transportation issues delayed the start of Saturday's game by two hours, but didn't stall Navarro's effort or winning gameplan Saturday as the Bulldogs defeated Panola 70-65.
As a result, Navarro became East Zone runners-up and, via tiebreaker, earned the No. 3 seed for the Region XIV Tournament at Shreveport, La., next week.
With the tournament's third seed in hand, Navarro (18-12/12-7) draws a first-round bye and advances into a Thursday quarterfinal matchup against the Kilgore-Lee winner.
Five players hit double figures as head coach Grant McMillan's club completed a season sweep of Panola by defeating the Ponies at Arthur Johnson Gym in Carthage.
Akol Mawein led the way with 15 points, while German Kasanzi came off the bench to contribute 14. Ed Manuel produced 13 points and eight rebounds, while Brian Washington fashioned his sixth double-double of the season.
Washington's line was 10 points from 4-of-8 shooting, with 13 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a blocked shot.
The Bulldogs led 37-26 at halftime, but coach Aaron Smith's Ponies barreled back to take a 58-56 lead during the final 20 minutes.
Panola hit only 33 percent from the floor, including 9-of-34 three-pointers.
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SCORE BY HALVES:
Navarro...
