By Brandon C. Williams
The Post Newspaper Editor
A valiant effort by Hitchcock fell short on Thursday as the Bulldogs boys’ basketball team lost to San Antonio Cole 53-49 in the Class 3A state semifinal at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Bulldogs fell behind 16-0 in the opening minutes of the contest, going scoreless for the first four minutes of the game before Damien McDaniel’s 3-pointer put them on the board. Hitchcock found its gear in the second quarter and trailed 28-13 at intermission before the state-ranked Bulldogs really got going and closed within 43-40 late in the fourth quarter after Christian Dorsey and Lloyd Jones III combined for nine points to get them within striking range for a monumental comeback.
A three-point play from Dorsey, who scored 12 points, brought Hitchcock closer at 49-47 with :09 left before Cole finally put the game away with four free throws.
Jones also scored 12 points for Hitchcock, while McDaniel added 11 points.
Cole advanced to the state championship game, where they faced Dallas Madison, the state’s top-ranked team, on Saturday morning.
Coach Chris Jordan’s squad finishes its remarkable season at 31-6. While the Bulldogs do lose Dorsey, Jones III returns for his sophomore year, while McDaniel enters the 2022-23 season as only a junior. Hitchcock will have seven returning players on its roster and will come into next season as a solid contender to return to San Antonio.
