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You just had to be there! The tension, the excitement, the biting of lips, the screaming and yelling, the roar of the fans was unbelievable as the Richland Springs Coyotes defeated the Paint Rock Indians 71 to 69 in the THIRD overtime Friday night, January 29, in the packed Coyote gymnasium in Richland Springs.

Early on the Coyotes took an eight point lead, only to quickly work themselves into a deficit of four points, giving the Paint Rock Indians the encouragement they needed to keep attacking. The Indians were fighting to win a spot in the District Play-off berth, and their team played with heart and determination. They had traveled to Richland Springs to win. Coyote players referred to the Indians as "persistent, determined, hustlers, courageous, accurate shooters, and a team that never gave up." As Coyote Basketball Coach Shawn Rogers stated, "Our kids stepped up and showed that they, too, could play with grit and heart." Indeed, they did. Their shooting may have been a little off as the basketballs danced around the rim of the goal and often fell to the outside of the net, but the Coyotes never gave up. They were determined to wear this band of Indians down, and that they did, but it took three overtime sessions. With only seconds remaining in the third overtime, Stephen Fowler sunk the winning shot as the fans exploded in cheers. The Coyotes remain undefeated in District play with a 7 – 0 record.

Stephen Fowler, #32, led the Coyote scoring with 16 points while Brennen McGinty, # 35, and Tra Williams, #14, were close behind him with 14 points each. Haustin Burkhart, #5, did his part to keep the perfect district record with the 13 points that he scored. Randy Couch, #5 and Elbert Thomas, #3 helped the Coyotes out with eight and six points respectively. Other members of the team are Chance Bush, Bryan Torres, and Thomas Fowler.

The Coyotes are an exciting team to watch. If you haven’t had a chance to see these young men in action, come on out to the Coyote gym this Friday night when the Coyotes face Lohn. The Lady Coyotes play at 6:30 with the Coyotes playing immediately after that game.