It took overtime to get it done, but the Bogalusa Lumberjacks (11-5) won their district opener against the Independence Tigers (10-9) on Friday, 62-58. The victory stretched the win streak for the Jacks to nine games, and according to Bogalusa coach Ken Martin, was one of the most important wins of the streak.

“Our district schedule is like a brand new season,” he said. “We want to win our district so we can get the highest possible seed in the playoffs. Independence will be a challenger to us in the district, and that’s why this was a big win.”

Early on it looked like the Lumberjacks would win big. They were able to gain a 12-2 advantage in the first three minutes of the game and went on to dominate the first quarter, leading 20-6 going into the second.

Independence head coach Kevin Mccabe acknowledged his team’s struggles in the opening quarter.

“I don’t think we were ready for the kind of pressure Bogalusa brought early on. We had to make adjustments, and I think we did that pretty well,” he said.

Early in the second the Lumberjack lead grew to 19 points, but Independence settled in and started to have some success against the half-court trap they were facing. The Tigers went on a 14-6 run to get within 11 after a 3-point play by Ashton Spears with 2 minutes remaining before the half. At halftime Bogalusa led, 36-24.

In the third quarter the offense for the Lumberjacks started to slow while Independence continued to catch up. A 13-2 run by the Tigers, capped off by a four-point play by Spears, cut the lead to 43-39.

The momentum continued to be with Independence in the fourth quarter. The Tigers seized their first lead of the night, 50-49, on a three-point play by J. Day with 3:18 left. Day led Independence with 15 points.

Bogalusa was able to regain the lead on a pair of free throws by Brian Williams, but a 3-pointer by the Tigers with 1:40 left to go made it a 53-51 game. The Lumberjacks tied it up at 53 with just under a minute to go with a layup by Cordero Brown, and Independence was unable to score on its final possession, sending the game to overtime.

Senior Donnel Magee made some key plays for the Jacks in the extra session. Magee scored the first four points for Bogalusa in overtime, and with just over a minute to play and the score tied at 57, he made a steal and then an assist to senior Trevonne Mingo. The Lumberjacks held onto their lead on the way to the 62-58 win.

Leading Bogalusa in scoring on the night was Brian Williams with 14 points. Trevonne Mingo scored eight; Cordero Brown and Matt Melton each scored seven; Magee, Tre Thomas and Chris Lowery each scored six; Rodney Crumedy scored four; and Chris Rivera and Sheddrick Griffin each scored two.

In addition to Day’s 15 points, Independence was led by Ashton Spears with 14 and M. Malone with 13.