Harris, Clemens rally past Judson

Clemens’ comeback Tuesday night started with a harmless 3-pointer from Frank Harris. But the sophomore forward kept on scoring until Judson’s lead was down to a point.

Then, Judson’s lead was all gone.

The Buffaloes walked out of Judson Gym with a 78-63 victory and avoided another District 25-6A loss to the Rockets this season. Clemens also moved into a tie with Judson atop the district standings largely because of Harris’ fourth-quarter surge.

He scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the final 4:38 of the game, helping the Buffaloes (23-4, 6-1) erase a 15-point deficit.

“My teammates just kept giving the ball, so I just thought I’d keep shooting,” Harris said. “Luckily, they fell for me.”

Harris received plenty of help down the stretch. Clemens junior guard Sam Kearns tied the game at 68-all with a basket and foul shot with 1:45 left. Kearns scored again on the Buffaloes’ next possession to give them their first lead of the game.

The run started when Harris drew Tristan Clark’s fifth foul of the night, knocking the Judson 6-foot-8 sophomore out of the game. Judson was up by six points after Harris knocked down two free throws.

Judson guard Tony Allen hit two foul shots of his own before the momentum flipped to the crammed bleachers on the visitor’s side. Harris scored seven points in 31 seconds and cut Judson’s lead to one with 3:49 left.

Tuesday’s game looked a lot like the contest between the two teams on Jan. 2. Judson (24-5, 6-1) won that one at Clemens but came close to giving up a 14-point lead at the end of the third quarter. But Rockets coach Mike Wacker said this time around, the Buffaloes’ full-court press caused more late turnovers.

“We handled it for 28 of the 32 minutes,” Wacker said. “It was just that last four minutes, we all of a sudden didn’t handle it. But that’s why you play 32. You have to put it all together.”

Judson couldn’t tie it in the final minute, and Harris added a couple more free throws at the end to salt away a key road victory.

“We really wanted this one,” Harris said. “It was good getting a win.”