(New Buffalo, MI) - The boys’ basketball team from New Buffalo High School led at halftime but lost in the first round of the regionals Tuesday night.

 

The Bison were defeated by Colon High School 50-43 at Marcellus.

 

Colon with three players at well over six feet in height focused on stopping the leading scorer for New Buffalo, senior center Lucas Forker, who was held to just 12 points.  Forker had 25 points when the Bison won the District 4 title over Eau Claire by six points on February 28.

 

The Bison also had problems with turnovers and giving Colon second chance points at critical moments in the second half from offensive rebounds.

 

New Buffalo Head Coach Nate Tripp said the loss had more to do with his players beating themselves from lack of execution on both sides of the court especially in the third quarter when Colon outscored the Bison 16 to 8.  He also felt his players never regained their composure after Colon came back from an eight point second quarter deficit to trail by two points at halftime.

 

“We just kind of panicked and freaked out. We’ve never shown this whole year that we can play with poise and it really cost us,” he said.

 

The Bison trailing by six points at the start of the fourth quarter pulled to within three points with about three minutes left on the clock on a jump shot from the corner by sophomore Colten Lijewski.  However, New Buffalo could not get any closer.

 

Senior Trevor James led the Bison with 17 points.  Lijewski added 10 points while senior Sam Tripp contributed five points.  

 

Colon improved to 21-4 while New Buffalo, winners in 12 of their last 15 games, finished 16-9 on the season.