Mustangs are close to playoffs after 37-31 win

Getting a win isn’t always pretty. And Sweetwater’s 37-31 win over Snyder in the teams’ 5-4A boys basketball game Friday was a perfect example of that, especially in the first half.
But a win — even in a game where neither team hit a field goal in the second quarter — is still a win, and it improved Sweetwater to 3-3 in district and the brink of clinching a playoff berth.
Sweetwater needs a win or a loss by Big Spring (1-5) in its last two games to make the playoffs a reality.
Friday was the last home game for the Mustangs and they badly needed to beat Snyder (2-4) after a loss to Big Spring three days earlier that dropped them out of a three-way tie with both Brownwood and Snyder for second place. Sweetwater is now in third place but has two road games left, at first-place Wylie (5-0) on Tuesday and the following Tuesday when it ends the regular season by traveling to Brownwood.
After going up 2-0, the Mustangs went without a field goal until late in the first quarter. Then it got worse, at least offensively.
Down 13-5 after one period, Sweetwater trailed 16-8 at halftime after a quarter in which the teams each made three free throws — and that’s it. But Kobe Clark cut Snyder’s lead to 16-10 with a field goal in the third period that got Sweetwater untracked, starting a 14-3 run for a 24-19 advantage.
After that run Sweetwater trailed only once, 27-26, until two Clark free throws put the Mustangs ahead for good and sent them on a game-ending 11-4 surge.
The win was secured by J.L. Solis’ two free throws with 9.5 seconds to play.
Sweetwater has just 78 total points in its last two wins over Brownwood and Snyder. Solis led Sweetwater with 12 points, while Clark had seven, Tristan Morrow six, Ky Hoover five, Kiante McCoy four and Tristan Longoria three for the Mustangs.

Photo caption: Tristan Morrow of Sweetwater shows off his form on a three-point attempt in Friday's game. Morrow hit a pair of treys in the Mustangs' 37-31 win over Snyder.
Photo by Betsy Howe