BEEVILLE — The visiting Calallen Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to start the third quarter and it was an uphill battle for the Trojans from there to the final buzzer in Tuesday night’s varsity basketball contest.

The Wildcats hung on for a 51-47 victory over the Trojans.

“The kids played their hearts out last night; too bad so many people missed such a great sporting event. It was very intense both physically and mentally,” said Trojan head coach Mike Luce.

“The kids got down but kept on battling back and overcame adversity time and time again.”

The game was highly competitive, as the teams were evenly matched. The Wildcats took a slim 15-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Trojans led for most of the period, but a late basket nudged the Wildcats in front by one.

Both teams hit for 10 points in the second period to make it a 25-24 tilt at halftime with the Calallen boys taking their one-point lead.

The Wildcats came out of the break and produced a 13-2 run to seemingly take charge of the contest, leading 39-26 midway through the third period. The Trojans had different thoughts, however.

The Beeville boys kept playing defense and finished the final few minutes of the third period by outscoring the Wildcats 9-5 to creep back into the contest. It was 44-35 with one period remaining.

The Wildcats tried to slow things down in the final eight minutes, using the clock to their advantage. A few turnovers got the Trojans closer and with over two minutes left in the tilt, the hosts were within one point at 48-47.

The Wildcats were fortunate though, as every Beeville shot the rest of the way was off the mark. The Trojans were forced to foul, and the Wildcats closed the game with three free throws to capture a hard-fought victory.

Brent Reyna was the top scorer for the Trojans with 16 points, including two treys. Post Cameron Kremers hit for 14 markers, and Cody Vasquez was also in double figures with 11 on the strength of three treys on the night. Hunter Hardy contributed four second half points and Lucas Glew had two.

“These are the kind of games that makes it tough to sleep at night. Hopefully, we can continue to play at that level for the rest of the season,” Luce said.

The Trojans were at Tuloso-Midway on Friday night to tangle with the Warriors, and then on Tuesday night, the Beeville boys will travel to Gregory-Portland to meet the Wildcats.