(above photo) Trey Lofton (23) jams it home for Glenn to tie the score at 31-31 with 1:04 left in the first half.

The Glenn Bobcats ended their season on Monday night with a tough road loss to Southwest Guilford in the first round of the state playoffs. The ten point spread is not indicative of how this ball game was played. It was a nip and tuck battle for most of the game with neither team able to put any distance between themselves and the other team on the scoreboard.

The Bobcats started out a little slow on offense, scoring their first points of the game halfway through the first quarter. But once they settled in they were able to stay with the Cowboys.

Glenn tied the score at 31-31 with just over one minute to play in the first half on a break away one hand dunk by Trey Lofton. With 3.6 seconds on the first half clock, the Bobcats took their first lead of the night, 35-33, when Lofton drained a short jumper from the left side. This ball game was far from over.

Both teams came out of the locker room to start the third quarter ready to battle for the win. With the up tempo style being played by both teams, no one was going to back down. The third quarter ended with the Bobcats clinging to a one point lead 52-51.

Just when it looked like the Bobcats would finally get a “W” on this floor, the Southwest gremlins showed up to ruin the party. Glenn’s offensive production fell off, while the Cowboys cranked it up a notch. The Bobcats could only score 10 points in the final eight minutes of play, committing unforced errors with errant passes that limited their chances to score. It was as if they were trying too hard at times in the fourth quarter.

The effort was there, but the execution was a little rugged down the stretch. But they still had a chance to win this ball game. It was a four point game with 25 seconds to play, but Glenn was forced to foul to stop the clock and the Cowboys hit their free throws to put the game away.

It was Trey Lofton leading the way for Glenn with 21 points, and Devontae Miller added 14. Miller also pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the team in that category. Point guard Matt Hodges led the Bobcats in assists with 8.

The Cowboys were led by Brandon Clyburn, as the big man put 25 points in the book. Jordan Hanner tallied 21 points for Southwest, hitting 7 of 8 from the foul line.

“We had some turnovers down the stretch and we didn’t take care of the ball that well,” said Bobcat head coach Monty Gray, “but we did play hard and I’m proud of the guys, we just came up a little short.” “It was a great season and I enjoyed it, these guys made believers out of all of us,” Gray added.

With this loss the Bobcats close the book on the 2011-12 season. They had a great year overall, winning a share of the regular season conference championship, with an impressive 9-3 record in a very tough Piedmont Triad 4A Conference. Through the middle part of the season the Bobcats put together a seven game winning streak, turning some heads in the local basketball scene.

Congratulations to Coach Gray, his staff, and his players on a terrific year, you should all be proud of the way you represented Glenn High School this basketball season!

GO BOBCATS!!!