Bogalusa played a solid game against Jewel Sumner, but struggled down the stretch in a 61-57 loss in District 7-3A competition at home Wednesday.

“Our calling card all year is we play hard, but it’s obvious that in the late-game situations, we don’t understand, and it’s my job to get us to understand late-game situations,” Bogalusa coach Randall Ginn said. “Early on, we did want to attack the basket and not shoot a three with 20-something seconds (left in the game), then we attack it and then we throw it out of bounds off of a foot. Then the next time, we want to shoot a three and we attack the basket.

“We don’t understand. We gave up three offensive rebounds with less than 30 seconds to go in the game while they were shooting free throws. I just can’t get it all fixed in one year. You think you can. They play hand, but situations, I don’t know.”

Bogalusa took a 54-52 lead with 2:34 left in the game when Braedtrick Whittine made a backcourt steal and converted the layup.

Jewel Sumner’s Carlones Coleman Jr. hit a 3-pointer to put Sumner ahead 55-54. Cameron Lee added two more to make it 57-54. Lee then hit a shot and got fouled with 48.5 seconds left. He missed the free throw, but Jewel Sumner got the offensive board and missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Bogalusa’s Charles Taylor hit a putback after an offensive rebound with 25 seconds left, to close the gap to three points.

Jewel Sumner missed two free throws in the double bonus with 18.3 seconds left. Bogalusa’s DaJuan Powell drove to the bucket and got fouled. He made both free throws, but a lane violation took the second one off the board, keeping it 59-57.

Lee split from the line with 9.7 on the clock, but Sumner pulled down the rebound and Lee went 1-of-2 again with 3.6 seconds left. Lee was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points.

The game was close throughout. The biggest lead for either team was 10 points, when Jewel Sumner jumped out to an 18-8 lead with 1:08 left in the first quarter.

Bogalusa tallied the next six points to close the gap to just four. Taylor hit a layup after Sumner took the 10-point lead and he was on the receiving end of a pass from Powell for a layup with 15 seconds left in the first quarter to make it 18-12 after the first. The Lumberjacks opened the second quarter with possession and Powell made a pair of free throws and the deficit was down to 18-14.

After Jewel Sumner went up 20-14, Bogalusa went on a 9-0 run. Tyrese Rousell hit a jumper, Whittine drove for two and then tied the game, 20-20, with a jumper at the 4:16 mark. Bogalusa missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 3:35 left in the half, but Bogalusa got the offensive board and Chance Turner knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Lumberjacks their first lead of the game at 23-20.
Bogalusa added one more to its advantage before halftime and was up 27-23 at the break.

The Lumberjacks’ biggest lead was eight points at 33-25 with 6:25 left in the third, but Jewel Sumner came back and took a 36-35 lead. Bogalusa rebounded and led 43-40 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was exciting throughout and the game went down to the end, but Bogalusa came up short in the 61-57 loss.

Turner led Bogalusa in points with 17, which included a 3-pointer.

Whittine posted 11 points, three rebounds and a steal.

Powell tallied 10 points that included a pair of 3-pointers to go with two boards and an assist.

Taylor recorded six points and a rebound.

Lenoir put up six points and five boards.

Spikes had four points, one rebound and he blocked a shot.

Rousell posted three points and a rebound.

Raheem Roberts grabbed a rebound and D’Angelo Mark dished out an assist.

Jewel Sumner’s Charles Robertson posted 10 points.

Coleman had nine while Christopher Fox tallied eight, Devonte Moore posted four, Zykerian Bickham totaled three and Miguel Shields and Jaden Armstrong added two each. Coleman and Fox hit a 3-pointer each.