Third quarter surge propels Grand Lake past Crowley

It was so close they could taste it.
The Crowley Gents kept pace with the Grand Lake Hornets Thursday and trailed by just one 27-26) at the half of their contest in the Midland Holiday Spectacular .
And then things soured for the Gents.
The Hornets (4-1) went on a 28-6 run behind 20 points from Louis Hernandez and never looked back in a 63-46 victory.
“We were right there at the half,” said CHS coach Jason Lewis, whose team fell to 2-11 with the loss. “We talked about adjustments we needed to make and the fact that we had to match their (Grand Lake) energy because this was an opportunity to win a ballgame. We didn’t match that energy in the second half and that’s what hurt us.
“Those second-chance points, those hustle points, those guys beating us to the boards and those points.... That was the difference in the third quarter.”
After trading baskets with the Gents to start the second half, the Hornets reeled off seven unanswered points.
The Gents halted the run with a free throw to get within seven (36-29) but the Hornets scored nine straight after that.
In all, the Gents turned the ball over eight times and were outscored 28-6 in the frame.
Hernandez hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 20 of his game-high 23 points during the outburst.
“We kind of gave that kid life and he hit a couple shots, which gave him energy,” said Lewis of Hernandez. “He felt comfortable, he shot with confidence and he was able to get the job done for his team.”
In the final frame, the Gents were able to slow the Hornets down, but they couldn’t get enough offense to overcome the hole they had dug themselves one quarter prior.
Cam’Ron Scott scored five points and Travonte Ben had four over the final eight minutes and the Gents outscored the Hornets 14-13.
“We just weren’t aggressive enough and we didn’t hustle enough tonight,” said Lewis. “We played decently for three of the four quarters, but in that third period we just couldn’t get anything going.”
The Gents trailed by just five (13-8) after the first quarter and tied it up twice in the second frame.
The Gents outscored the Hornets 18-14 in the frame and Ben’s shot in the lane just before the half sent Crowley into the locker room down just one at 27-26.
The Gents didn’t do themselves any favors by committing 22 turnovers in the loss, the bulk of which occurred in the third quarter.
They also went just 7-for-15 from the free throw line.
Ben paced the Gents with 13 points and Floyd Flugence added 10. Chris George followed with seven points, Cam’Ron Scott and James Collins each scored six and Dustin Walters finished with two.
Hernandez’s 23-point performance led all scorers. He was joined in double figures by teammates Blayne Cooper and Ashton Hamilton with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
The Gents return to action on Dec. 28 for a road contest at Port Barre.