On to round three

Bearcats advance on to 1-A football quarterfinals
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BASILE – In a rematch from last year’s Class 1-A playoffs, the Basile Bearcats battled the Montgomery Tigers in a game between two different styles of offense.
Montgomery led 22-6 early in the second period, but Basile rallied in the second half to grab a 63-40 win.
The No. 6 Bearcats now advance to the quarterfinals and travel to No. 3 Kentwood after the Kangaroos earned a 34-6 win over No. 19 Merryville.
It only took two plays for Montgomery to grab an early lead as Tiger quarterback Logan Graves connected with J.T. Turner for a 45-yard scoring strike.
The two-point conversion failed as Montgomery held a 6-0 lead early in the first period.
Basile couldn’t move the ball on its first possession, but after a short Tiger punt the Bearcats took over deep in Montgomery territory.
It took just one play for Basile to take advantage of the short field as Dawson Ashford connected with Isaiah Ceaser for a 28-yard scoring strike.
The PAT failed, but the game was tied 6-6 midway through the second period.
The Tigers responded with a 10-play, 68-yard scoring drive, as Graves led Montgomery down the field passing and running the ball.
Graves connected with Derrein O’Conn for a 10-yard touchdown.
Graves passed for the two-point conversion as Montgomery grabbed a 14-6 lead with 3:32 left in the first period.
After forcing the Bearcats to punt, the Tigers then went 67 yards in seven plays, sparked by several key runs by Graves.
On the third play of the second quarter, Graves found Kyland Nash open for a 15-yard touchdown.
Graves also threw for the two-point conversion as the Tigers led 22-6 with 11:03 left before intermission.
Basile answered with a nine-play drive, 63 yard drive, aided by several strong runs by Andre Reed, Jay Pitre and Isaiah Ceaser.
Isaiah Ceaser broke loose for a 16-yarder and Logan David followed with a 17-yard run.
Ashford capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown and Ashford ran in the two-point conversion to close the gap to 22-14 with 7:05 left in the second period.
Isaiah Ceaser then intercepted a Graves pass to give the Bearcats the ball right back near midfield.
On the fourth play of the drive, Ashford connected with Pitre for a key 19-yard pass play.
Ashford later ran 19 yards before Reed scored on a two-yard touchdown run.
Ashford ran in the two-point conversion as Basile tied the game, 22-22 with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter.
Montgomery then had its longest drive of the half as the Tigers moved 66 yards on 11 plays as Graves took over again.
With several key pass plays combined with a couple of runs, the Tigers moved to the Basile 5 where Graves connected with Ashton Randall for the touchdown.
The two-point conversion run failed but the Tigers led 28-22 with 22 seconds left in the half.
Basile came out of the locker room and quickly moved 73 yards in just two plays to tie the game.
Isaiah Ceaser broke loose for a 20-yarder and Reed followed with a 46-yard run to move the ball to the Tiger 1.
Ashford then scored on a 1-yard run. The two-point conversion failed but the Bearcats tied the game 28-28 with 11:02 left in the third period.
One of the key plays by the Basile defense came when the Bearcats stopped Montgomery on fourth down near midfield.
David then broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown through the middle of the Tiger defense. Jose Palacios’ PAT gave Basile a 35-28 advantage with 8:10 left in the third period.
The Bearcat defense stood tall with a quarterback sack and then Pitre intercepted a Graves pass and rumbled nine yards to the end zone.
The PAT failed, but Basile led 41-28 with 6:18 remaining in the quarter.
The potent Tiger offense responded in just three plays after an impressive kick return and horse collar penalty moved the ball to the Basile 15.
Graves completed the series when heconnected with Derrein O’Conn for a 10-yard touchdown.
The two-point conversion failed and Basile still led 41-34 with 6:18 remaining in the third frame.
Basile continued to run time off the clock as the Bearcat rushing attack led by Reed, Ceaser and David along wth a pass from Ashford to Pitre moved the ball into Tiger territory late in the third period.
The 11-play, 87-yard drive was completed when David ran 13 yards and Reed raced the final 20 yards for the touchdown.
The PAT failed, but the Bearcats led 47-34 with 11:30 left in the game.
It took the Tigers just one play to respond when Graves hit Turner for a 75-yard scoring strike.
The two-point conversion failed, but Montgomery closed the gap to 47-40 with 11:06 remaining.
The Bearcats answered with 10 running plays as Reed scored on a 20-yarder to finish the 69-yard drive.
Cesaer scored on the two-point conversion to push Basile ahead, 55-40 with 6:21 left in the contest.
Montgomery would not go away quietly, aided by two Basile pass interference calls.
But on fourth down, Isaiah Ceaser picked off a Graves pass to stop the Tiger drive.
Basile slammed the door on the Tigers when Ceaser then scored on a 75-yard touchdown run.
Reed added the two-point conversion as the Bearcats moved ahead, 63-40 with 3:11 left in the game.
The Basile defense then sealed the win as Pitre recovered a Tiger fumble at the Bearcat 26 in the closing seconds.
Basile opened the 2018 playoffs with a 56-8 win over No. 27 Tensas.
After a 14-8 win over Montgomery last season, the Bearcats lost 34-6 to Oak Grove in the 2017 quarterfinals.