Although the third quarter had traditionally been the quarter of doom for the Sealy Tiger basketball team, last Friday’s rivalry contest with Bellville served as a flip of that script where Sealy used a 13-1 frame to claim a 45-29 win over the Brahmas.

The Tigers went into the halftime break trailing Bellville by seven and Head Coach Cody Carruthers’ message to the team was to outwork the Brahmas.

Senior Logan Eschenburg did just that and poured in 10 points to help spur the comeback that gave Sealy a lead it would not relinquish again.

“Ten in the third, four-for-four from the free-throw line in the fourth, so eighteen points on the night. He’s certainly one of my best shooters,” Carruthers said after the game. “He’s probably the most improved from a season ago to be able to play at the varsity level and be a starter and key contributor. I am super proud of him and the progress he’s made.”

The 28-5 second half cemented the Tigers’ second district win on the season and kept alive a postseason berth with three games left to play.

Sealy entered this week tied with Royal for fourth place and the Falcons will be the Tigers’ opponent in the regular-season finale Feb. 14 in Brookshire. Since Royal won the teams’ first meeting, it currently owns the tiebreaker.

“We’ve played everyone at least once now so we know what they’ve got, and that does help with the game plan,” Carruthers said. “And it’s hard to beat someone twice. I’ve said this the whole season, the guys are super awesome about giving everything they’ve got. If a team shows up lackadaisical and we’re giving it everything we’ve got, it’d be fun to steal one.”