Breckenridge Texan

By Alex Kielar/Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Buckaroos (19-14, 10-4) battled through an early deficit while trading punches with one of the region’s top teams, pushing the Holliday Eagles (28-4, 11-1) to the final seconds of Monday night’s basketball bi-district playoff matchup at Bowie High School. But a late surge, missed opportunities for the Bucks and a 37-point performance from Eagles guard Jason Luke proved to be the difference in a 53-49 loss.

Douglas White dribbles past a Holliday player in the bi-district playoff game Monday night, Feb. 23. White was the top scorer for the Buckaroos with 16 points. (Photo by Alex Kielar)

The Buckaroos finished the season in third place in District 7-3A, on the strength of a 19-14 campaign, including a 10-4 district record and a late-season surge. Behind a balanced scoring core and a hard-nosed defense that kept them in nearly every game, the Bucks won key matchups in the stretch run to secure the bi-district berth – including against Millsap, Comanche and Tolar. Their growth over the final month of the regular season, most notably in tight, physical games, set the stage for the showdown against Holliday, who entered the playoffs as the fifth-ranked team in Division 3A.

“We fought hard all the way through. It was close the whole night, and our kids played as hard as they could. Honestly, that’s probably one of the best games we’ve played all year,” head coach Brent Lucas said. “We just didn’t have an answer for No. 0 (Luke). I don’t know that many people do. That was a super game he played.”

Breckenridge opened the game in a 6-0 hole before settling in behind Douglas White, who scored back-to-back buckets to get the Bucks on the board. Ryan Waller later followed that up with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 9-7, and the de facto away team trailed just 11-7 after the first quarter.

Finding more rhythm in the second quarter, the Bucks tied the game at 13 apiece when Waller buried another three, then Jaime Cruz had a strong finish inside to give them their first lead at 15-14.

Buckaroo Conor Salazar scored 6 points in the game against Holliday. The bi-district playoff game was played at Bowie High School. (Photo by Alex Kielar)

White answered a Holliday basket with another jumper to make it 17-17, and Conor Salazar drove it in for a layup to put the Bucks ahead 19-17. The two teams continued to trade blows in what turned into a heavyweight fight – a preview of what is to come in the 2026-2028 district alignment.

Waller added two more baskets before half, first to make it 21-17 and the second make for a 23-20 advantage. Holliday went on to tie the game at 23-all in the final minute, before snatching the lead back at the horn with a buzzer-beating three for the 26-23 lead.

The Bucks came out of the locker room with energy and poise. White scored in transition to make it 26-25, and Waller followed with a jump shot in the paint for the 27-26 lead.

The back-and-forth scoring would continue for a while. After Holliday briefly regained control, Christian Flores scored inside to cut the deficit to 30-29.

Breckenridge High School junior Hudson Woodward scored 6 points in Monday night’s bi-district playoff against the Holliday Eagles. (Photo by Alex Kielar)

Moments later, Hudson Woodward knocked down a corner three-pointer at the 2:41 mark to give the Bucks a brief 32-30 lead. Waller forced a turnover on the next Holliday possession, diving on the floor to secure possession before the Bucks called a timeout.

The Eagles tied the game at 32 and regained the lead on a late putback, but the Bucks refused to let that score hold. Flores crashed the boards and beat the buzzer with a putback, tying the game at 34 entering the fourth quarter.

Holliday opened the final quarter with a turnaround jumper, but the Bucks kept answering. Waller hit one of two free throws to make it 36-35, and after an Eagles’ layup, White scored inside to pull Breckenridge back within one. A hook shot from White moments later briefly gave the Bucks the lead again, but Luke responded with a three to put Holliday up 41-39.

Woodward delivered again after a timeout, answering with another three-pointer for the 42-41 lead at 3:44 remaining. Holliday recorded two free throws on their next possession to retake the lead, but White answered right back with a layup. Luke struck again from deep to take a 46-44 lead for the Eagles with 3:36 remaining.

After a timeout, Conor Salazar forced a backcourt violation at the two-minute mark, giving the Bucks a chance to get right back into it. Breckenridge was unable to fully capitalize, though, as missed free throws and shot opportunities late did them in.

BHS senior Jaime Cruz’s score put the Buckaroos ahead for the first time in the bi-district playoff Monday night. (Photo by Alex Kielar)

Holliday forced a turnover with 1:10 remaining, with their lead sitting at 47-45 before being increased to 49-45 shortly later. Salazar answered with a layup with 34 seconds left to cut it to 49-47, but the Eagles buried two free throws on the next trip and added two more after securing a defensive rebound, stretching their lead to 53-47.

Woodward scored with 13 seconds left, but it was too little, too late as the Bucks missed two free throws in the final seconds. Salazar added a layup at the horn for the 53-49 final.

“It’s a tough one in the locker room. We were right there. We were in the fight, and now our kids know what our district is going to be like. It’s going to be a fight every night,” Lucas said. “We’ve got some dudes coming back. We are losing a lot of guys, but man, we played with our hearts tonight. I’m so proud of our kids. Everybody who got in there got after it, and the guys who didn’t were yelling and screaming for their teammates. I was proud of all of them.”

The Bucks matched the Eagles’ physicality, execution and pace for most of the night as they responded to nearly every scoring run, never letting Holliday pull away. But Luke’s 37 points and a 2-for-10 night at the free throw line for Breckenridge were the difference in the game, as well as Holliday’s clutch shooting from the charity stripe late

“We had our chances. They just separated a little bit late. We didn’t have any bad quarters,” Lucas said. “Offensively, I thought we did pretty well. I wish we could’ve made a few more layups and a few more free throws – those were key – but that’s playoff basketball. That’s how it happens. That’s the game.”

Scoring-wise in the game, White led the Bucks with 16 points, followed by Waller with 13, Woodward, Flores and Salazar with six each and Cruz with two. On the Holliday side, Luke scored nearly 70% of their points with 37, with the rest of the team scoring 16 combined.

The Buckaroo cheerleaders and other fans traveled to Bowie on Monday to support the Breckenridge High School boys basketball team as they took on the Holliday Eagles in the bi-district playoff game. (Photo by Alex Kielar)

Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo Ryan Waller scored 13 points in Monday night’s game against the Holliday Eagles. The Buckaroos came up short, 53-49, in the bi-district playoff game at Bowie High School. (Photo by Alex Kielar)