The Kearney Bulldog boys basketball team traveled to Smithville, Missouri for round one of the Class 5 District 8 Tournament on Saturday. Despite an outstanding performance, they came up short in a double overtime thriller ending in a 59-52 loss to the Smithville Warriors.

Both teams started strong defensively with the Bulldogs scoring only 12 points in the first half. Davin Hannah scored 6 points on two 3-pointers in the first quarter and Ashton Holloway added 6 points in the second quarter.

The Bulldog defense held the Warriors to 10 points and went into halftime with a 12-10 lead.

Braxton breedlove (2) shoots for three as Ashton Holloway (44) positions under the basket. (file photo)

The second half was an offensive explosion by the Bulldogs. Five players scored 23 points which gave Kearney a commanding 35-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Holloway lead the offensive charge with 7 points, followed by Hanna who had 6.

Kearney’s offense cooled down as the defense faltered, allowing the Warriors back into the game. The Bulldogs were held to 9 points during a Warriors late surge in the final five minutes of the game. By the end of the fourth period, the Warriors put up 19 points tying the game at 44.

The first overtime ended with a 49-49 tie at the buzzer. Bulldog senior players, Ashton Holloway and Braxton Breedlove fouled out of the game in the second overtime, forcing Kearney to finish with mostly sophomore players. In the end, Kearney’s 3 points weren’t enough as the Warriors pulled away with the 59-52 win.

The Kearney Bulldogs ended the season at 8-18 overall and 4-8 in the conference. Ashton Holloway led the team in overall scoring with 335 points followed by Davin Hanna (182), Braxton Page (153), Braxton Breedlove (145), and Manny Linthacum (139).

KPGZ Sports - Jim Dickerson and Mike Davis contributed to this story