Bulldogs advance to quarterfinals

GOWER, Mo -- A third consecutive playoff game on its home floor served East Buchanan boys basketball well on Monday, as the Bulldogs are headed to the Class 3 quarterfinals following a 73-56 win over Lexington in sectionals.

Off the heels of a 17-point third quarter comeback last Friday against rival Mid-Buchanan in the Class 3 District 15 championship, East Buch was able to put the emotions which they felt in that moment, and ready themselves for a worthy opponent in Lexington, a team that had made a living as a road warrior heading into Monday’s sectional matchup in Gower.

East Buchanan got out to a 6-0 lead in the contest before Lexington finally settled in with its first bucket with under six minutes left in the first quarter. From there, neither team would offer an inch to the other, going toe-to-toe with one another and offering several lead changes up until a pivotal sequence with under two minutes left in the second quarter. 

East Buchanan senior Dylan Davidson drove from right to left and finished with his left hand to extend East Buchanan’s lead to 35-32. Off the ensuing inbounds, the Minutemen did as they had throughout the contest, pushing the ball up the floor against East Buchanan. But the next time up the floor would be short lived as Davidson would get a steal on a swing pass, find his senior teammate Isaiah Watkins up the floor, who then kicked out to another senior in Aidan Smith. Smith, who didn’t have the best shooting performance on the night and did not start the second half, knocked down the three pointer from the corner. The sequence acted as a foreshadow of what was to come in the second half. 

East Buchanan would at one point hold a lead greater than 20 in the fourth quarter, and cruise to the finish line while getting even contributions from its upperclassmen.

Five players would score in double figures on the night. Senior Seth Spencer led the Bulldogs with 14 points and junior Clark Scott added 12 points.

East Buch will move on to the Class 3 quarterfinal round to play KIPP KC Legacy on Friday.