The Prosper Eagles took on Sulphur Springs Wildcats at Princeton High School last night and gave it everything they had on the court. The result was one of the biggest wins in school history.
The Eagles were neck and neck with the Wildcats throughout the game, ending the first quarter trailing 11-16. The continued to stay behind those same 5 points until midway through the second quarter. That’s when the Eagles finally went ahead 18-17 with a basket from Kyle Jessen. By the end of the second quarter, the Eagles led 21-20 with a finish by Zach Wrightsil.
After the half, the Wildcats continued to pounce and Kyle Jessen was able to shoot a deep 3-pointer to tie the game 24-24 with 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Sulphur Springs managed to rally back and were leading 32-26 with 3 minutes left in the third when Josh Davis went 2-2 from the charity stripe to bring Prosper within reach at 30-32. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were down 33-35.
The momentum remained strong on the court during the fourth quarter. The Eagles and Wildcats went back to back on shots, and Prosper trailed 36-41 with only 5 minutes left in the final quarter. A play by Zach Wrightsil tied the score at 41. Then Josh Davis made 1 of his 2 free throws. The Eagles were down 43-46. Davis then takes to the basket with only 8 seconds left and brings the score to 46-45. The heat was on and with 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Josh Davis headed to the free throw line again and tied up the score 46-46, sending the game into OVERTIME.
The intensity was extremely high and the ball did not stop as the two teams battled it out. As the first overtime ended, the score was tied at 54, sending the game into DOUBLE OVERTIME. The Eagles led for a brief time at 58-55, but were tied up again 58-58 with 2 minutes left on the clock. The Eagles kept beating the buzzer, and with a score of 60-60, the game went into TRIPLE OVERTIME!
Triple overtime led Grant Shaw to the line and brought the Eagles ahead 62-60 with 3 minutes left. Sulphur Springs brought back their driving force and tied up the board at 64. With less than 60 seconds left in the game, Jerry McElory headed to the free throw line and took the Eagles ahead 67-64. With little time left to play, Zach Wrightsil took the assist from Kyle Jessen, which resulted in a stellar slam dunk play, moving Prosper ahead 69-64. The Wildcats had no answer, and the Eagles finished the game 69-64. This is the furthest that Prosper has advanced into the playoffs, and was a clear picture of how the men gave it all they had on the court and would not take no for an answer.
“I’m so proud of the fight in our guys tonight. Their perseverance was the difference in the game! They always believe in themselves and their teammates.” – Coach John Ellis
“Everybody doubted us and we came out here and showed everyone what we can do!” – Senior, Zach Wrightsil
The team will head to the Garland Culwell Center on Friday at 6:00pm to take on the Midlothian Panthers in the Regional Semifinals. The Panthers have defeated Cleburne, Wilson and Mansfield Timberview thus far in the playoffs. Let’s get out to the Culwell Center on Friday evening to support our Eagles!
View full gallery of pics from the game HERE
