Posted: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:23 AM - 11,130 Readers

By: Danny Davis

David Eads walked to the Lake Travis bench with 12.1 seconds remaining on the scoreboard, a bloody scratch on his right cheek and a bandage wrapped around his elbow serving as reminders of what could have been.

Missed opportunities and an unlucky bounce doomed Lake Travis to a 64-56 overtime loss to Lancaster in a Class 4A state basketball semifinal at the Erwin Center. The underdog Cavaliers opened the fourth quarter with a 41-30 lead, but Lake Travis made only three field goals in the game's final 13 minutes and 4 seconds.

"I think going into the game, maybe 2 percent picked Lake Travis. Lancaster was the favorite. We were supposed to get run out of the gym," Eads said. "I think we played well. To lose on something like this, it's tough."

Playing in its first UIL state tournament , Lake Travis appeared destined for an appearance in Saturday's championship game. The Cavaliers, who had led nearly the entire way , began the final quarter with a healthy double-digit lead.

But Lancaster, which had shot a miserable 23.4 percent from the field over the first three quarters, made four of its first five shots in the fourth quarter to cut Lake Travis' lead to 43-40 with 5:40 to go in the game.

Behind a handful of free throws, Lake Travis was able to hold off Lancaster until Trey Lynch hit two free throws with 54 seconds remaining, giving the Tigers a 51-50 lead.

Lake Travis rallied on its next trip down the court, and a three-pointer by Cole Vucurevich with 15 seconds to play gave the Cavaliers a 53-51 lead.

But Lancaster pushed the ball upcourt without a timeout, and Lynch launched a three-pointer that bounced high off the back of the rim and dropped into the basket with seven seconds left.

Following a couple of timeouts, Lake Travis had a chance to win after Vucurevich was fouled on the inbound pass. But Vucurevich was able to make only one of two free throws, and the game went into overtime with the score tied at 54.

"The first shot was a little iffy, and the second one, I just knew I had to hit it or my high school career was over," Vucurevich said.

Lancaster rolled past the Cavaliers in overtime . The Tigers (36-2) held Lake Travis scoreless until reserve Trent Kan scored with two seconds to play.

"Our guys refused to lose," Lancaster coach Ferrin Douglas said. "We had some bounces go our way. It was an awesome game."

Lake Travis (33-6) was done in by 22 turnovers and an offense that was unable to produce in crunch time. The Cavaliers, who missed four free throws and attempted only five field goals in the fourth quarter, missed their first 10 shots in overtime.

"The game is ebb and flow, and we just kind of had a shooting slump. We turned the ball over a ton," Vucurevich said. "When that happens, we're not going to score too many points."

Lynch finished with 27 points to lead Lancaster while John Bohannon added 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks.

Chris Dash had a team-high 14 points for Lake Travis.

*  Story Contributed by: Danny Davis