Bison fall to Woodlawn in Regional play

Feb 28, 2020
Feb 28, 2020 Updated Feb 28, 2020

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Brayden Hatcher takes an off-balance jump shot in transition, catching his defender off-guard as the Bison take on Woodlawn Monday night.

Photo by Tricia Cunningham.

Valerio L’Abbate goes up strong near the rim against Woodlawn.

Photo by Tricia Cunningham.

Parker Burton attempts to get around a Norris City defender as they fight for position to nab a rebound.

Photo by Tricia Cunningham.

For the Grayville Bison Basketball unit, a poor draw led to an early end to their postseason hopes.

The Bison were pitted against one-seed Woodlawn in the opening round of Regional play Monday night in Albion. The Bison lost that bout, 71–43.

For their coach, however, the final score wasn’t indicative of how his team played against the Midland Trail power and top-seeded team in the Edwards County Regional.

“Our boys left everything on the court for their final game,” said Bison Head Coach Torin Lee. “I didn’t have a single negative thing to say postgame.”

Cole Neeley paced the Bison offense with 11 points, followed by the duo of Kenneth Funkhouser and Valerio L’Abbate with eight points apiece. Brayden Hatcher netted seven points on the evening, while Parker Burton came away with four.

Kameron Worley registered three points, with Lance Collins accounting for two.

With the team’s season coming to an end, Lee also took a moment to reflect on his players during his first year at the helm of a high school basketball program.

“It was an honor to have a group like this for my first season as a head coach,” he stated. “Our record doesn’t reflect the growth that these boys showed both on the court and off the court.

“The brotherhood that this group had likely won’t be matched.”

Lee also took a moment to express his appreciation to the Bison seniors.

“I’m very proud of what our seniors – Cole Neeley, Kenneth Funkhouser, Valerio L’Abbate, Cameron Finch, Kaleb Funkhouser and Alex Sanchez – were able to accomplish this year,” he said. “They are a great group of soon-to-be adults.”