The Dewar Dragons are holding onto the postseason after being named runners-up at the Class A Area II, District 3 battle. Demolishing the South Coffeyville Lions in the first round, the Dragons went up against the Glencoe Panthers in the District Championship game Saturday night. South Coffeyville put up little to no fight in the first half, but came back in the second half, catching up to the Dragons. Dewar pulled ahead with a 21-point scoring streak, which protected them in the fourth quarter and solidified their first postseason win, 61-38.

The Panthers were a tougher opponent, earning two 20-point quarters in the District Championship. Dewar was able to stay close, but faltered in the second half and fell in a 10-point loss, 67-57. Despite the loss, the Dragons still have a chance to resurrect their postseason in the consolation bracket on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Going up against the South Coffeyville Lions, Dewar sophomore guards Thomas Brownfield and Kaelem Carter reached 14 points and assisted in gathering an impenetrable lead for the Dragons in the first half.

Leading the Dragons to their first double digit score, Carter shot down a trio of 2’s and Brownfield busted out his first 2-pointer and 3-pointer. The Dragons also had sharpshooters James Brison, junior guard, and Joey Fowler, junior guard, to hit the top of the key hard in the first quarter. Both Brison and Fowler posted up for one 3-point bucket. Dragons Duke Arnett and Tryton Mack pushed past the Lion defense for a layup. The Dragons busted out 21 points, while the Lions only made it to the basket for four points. South Coffeyville’s Maddox Rogers was the only one to connect with a basket, shooting down a 3-point shot and one of two free throws.

With their opponents locked down, the Dragons were able to earn a 21-4 lead in the first quarter. Carter and Fowler held onto the same energy the Dragons had in the first quarter. After scoring one 3-point shot, Fowler opened the quarter with back-to-back 2-pointers to garner the Dragons a total of 25 points. Carter and Mack were right behind him with Carter adding a pair of 2’s to the scoreboard, while Mack was able to score his second 2-pointer. Dewar junior post Baylor Selby and Brownfield also chimed in with a 2-pointer, bringing the Dragons to a 16-point scoring streak.

The Lions were still struggling to compose their offense in the second quarter and only made it to the basket for eight points. Though they doubled their first-quarter score, Rogers was still the only Lion shooting down baskets. He completed a pair of 3’s and earned another two points from the free-throw line. Rogers’ sole efforts were met by a plethora of Dragon shooters, leaving the Dragons in possession of a 37-12 advantage.

The Dragons were now ahead by 25-points and were able to add 18 points to the scoreboard in the third quarter. Brownfield was at the helm of the scoring barrage with a pair of 2’s and a 3-pointer, but he also had backup from Carter and Fowler. Both Dragons scored a pair of 2’s and Arnett secured his second 2-pointer.

South Coffeyville had resurrected their offense in the third quarter, but it was too late for them to overturn the Dragons’ double digit lead. The Lions posted up for 15 points with Rogers securing another pair of 3’s and two free throws. He had help from his teammates who added a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer to their 15-point scoring streak.

Their opponents barely touched the Dragons’ advantage with them tapping into a 55-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. Missed free throws left the Dragons with just six points in the fourth quarter. However, their 28-point lead was untouchable with the Lions only earning 11 points. Dewar freshman forward Jaden Maxwell earned a 2-pointer and Arnett posted up for his third bucket.

The Lions scored a pair of 2’s, a 3-pointer and had a four-point boost from the free-throw line. Dewar’s six points kept them in the lead and secured a 61-38 victory in the first round of the Class A District Tournament.

The Dragons went up against the Glencoe Panthers next to fight for the District Championship crown. Fowler and Brownfield still reached double digits but the Dragons faced a more experienced defense that shut down some of their shooters. Busting out 17 points, Fowler kept the Dragons active with four 2’s and one 3-pointer. Brownfield was close behind with 15 points from three 2’s and 3’s, but the Dragons had a dip in energy that resulted in their 67-57 loss to the Glencoe Panthers.

Brison was the leader of the Dragons’ first-quarter 13-point scoring streak. Hitting a trio of 2’s, he was able to help lead the Dragons to a 3-point lead. Brownfield assisted with 3-point and a 2-point buckets and Selby earned a layup.

The Panthers focused on getting to the paint and shot down five 2’s in the first quarter. Brownfield’s 3-point shot at the start of the quarter allowed the Dragons to claim a 13-10 advantage.

Dewar revved up their offense in the second quarter and rallied behind Fowler, who took over Brison’s spot and scored a trio of 2’s. Fowler had help under the basket with Mack, Carter, Selby and Brownfield also securing 2-pointers.

Though the Dragons maintained their energy for a second double digit boost, the Panthers released their top shooters in the second quarter. Leading a 24-point revival, Glencoe pushed Dewar out of power and obtained a 35-27 lead at the end of the first half.

Facing a seven-point deficit, the Dragons struggled to pull ahead of the Panthers in the third quarter. Their opponents matched them at every turn and managed to score 12 points, the same as the Dragons. Brownfield and Fowler hit a 3-point shot to start the 12-point scoring streak. Brison chimed in with a 2-pointer but Fowler earned the rest of the double digit barrage from the free-throw line. He scored four of four free throw shots, which wasn’t enough to overturn the Panthers’ lead.

Glencoe kept their lead and added 12 points to the scoreboard, claiming a 46-39 lead. With the same uphill battle in front of them, the Dragons fumbled offensively in the fourth quarter. The energy they had in the first half had dissipated and left them with another 12-point quarter.

The Panthers went on a 21-point scoring tear to claim a 67-57 win over the Dragons. As runners-up at the District 3 Tournament, Dewar boys’ are scheduled to compete in the consolation bracket on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. The Depew Hornets are set to be the Dragons opponents and currently have an overall 11-14 record. After their district showdown, the Dragons now have a 13-9 record.