With the best defensive effort head coach Brian English has seen at Nederland, the Bulldogs beat Beaumont Central 51-34 Tuesday at the Dog Dome to stay undefeated in District 20-4A play.

Nederland (19-5, 4-0) gave up just 13 points to the Jaguars and held Central to 1 for 13 shooting in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

“Best defensive game maybe since I’ve been here,” English said. “The kids did a great job locking down on defense playing man to man. They really took it as a challenge and it was a great team effort on the defensive end tonight. The kids really did a great job. I can’t say enough about them.”

It was not a game where Nederland could breathe easy until the final minutes, as Central’s defense and cold shooting made the game close until the fourth.

Nederland jumped out to a 15-3 lead to open the game, thanks to its 3-point shot. The Bulldogs hit 4 of 9 from behind the arc in the opening quarter, including their first three but made just 2 of 14 treys after that.

Part of the problem was in the second quarter, when Nederland had a lull that’s becoming familiar in its past few games.

“We had a big lull there in the second quarter, ” English said. “We couldn’t score and couldn’t make a shot. Then we turnd it over a little bit. At halftime, we talked about that we had the lead and if we don’t let them score again, we’re going to win. The kids are really starting to believe on the defensive end. It makes a big difference and it’s starting to show.”

Nederland had an 18-10 lead after the first quarter, but Central stormed back on the heels of a 14-3 run that started in the first stanza to tie the game at 21-21.

With the first half winding down, Nederland’s Jared Lorimier dribbled outside the 3-point line and was tied up with a Central defender. He came free with under 3 seconds left in the half and heaved a shot from at least 25 feet out. His shot buried itself in the bottom of the net and marked the first shot Nederland had made in its last 10 attempts.

After that point, both teams traded baskets, with the lead changing multiple times as the third quarter got underway. With Nederland up 32-29 near the end of the third quarter, Central’s Andre Morris was called for a technical foul on a rebound after teammate Kristain Smith’s free throw attempt.

Nederland’s Zach English made 1 of the 2 free throws, making it 33-29, but more importantly, the technical foul seemed to deflate the Jags, who didn’t make another shot until Jacory Guillory hit a 3-pointer with under a minute to play.

Nederland’s run in the fourth quarter was keyed by guard Jamiere Rogers, who slashed through the lane to draw two fouls, grabbed four rebounds with an assist and a steal during the frame.

Rogers finished with 4 points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist. He also helped cap Nederland’s run and gave them a double-digit lead when he found Jayson Lubera open from behind the arc. Lubera hit his first trey of the game to give Nederland a 40-29 lead.

“Jamiere did a great job and he might have been the player of the game,” English said. “Defensively, (Jamiere) had to guard their best kid. When he hits his second wind, he can really get it going on offense too, attacking gaps and making plays. He makes good decisions too. But, he gets tired and he makes bad decisions, so we really have to watch our conditioning.”

Sophomore Colton Weisbrod and junior Brian English each had a game-high 13 points. Weisbrod added 12 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. English had two assists and two rebounds.

Weisbrod went through his own lull in the second quarter, posting no points in the frame. However, the sophomore’s game is diverse enough that he can help the team in many different ways.

“You can tell he got a little fatigued tonight,” English said. “He wasn’t as active as he has been in the past. He stepped it up, got that second wind and helped us out. He’s got such a high basketball I.Q. for a sophomore.”

Central was led by Kristain Smith, who had 10 points, two assists and three steals.

With the victory, Nederland sits alone atop the 20-4A standings, ahead of both Central and Beaumont Ozen, who both now have one district loss. The Bulldogs will travel to Lumberton at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Nederland 51, Beaumont Central 34

Central    10    11    8    5    —    34

Ned    18    6    9    18    —    51

CENTRAL: Jacory Guillory 3, Kristain Smith 10, Andrew Wells 3, Garrison Mitchell 7, Tobias Traylor 4, Chris Ellis 4, Ja’keal Lockett 3.

NED: Zach English 13, Jared Lorimier 11, Kirby Hanley 2, Colton Kimler 2, Colton Weisbrod 13, DeShawn Washington 2, Jamiere Rogers 4, Jayson Lubera 4.

Statistics — Rebounding: Nederland 35, Central 27. Turnovers: Nederland 11, Central 12. Fouls: Nederland 12, Central 17.

Records: Nederland (19-5, 4-0), Central (12-8, 3-1).

Memorial girls cruise past Sterling

The Port Arthur Memorial girls basketball team picked up its first 21-5A victory of the season, beating Baytown Sterling 54-25 Tuesday at Memorial Gym.

Memorial (13-7, 1-1) was led by Pauletta Powell with 11 points and Dorceive Davis with 10.

The Lady Titans will host North Shore Friday at 7 p.m.

Port Arthur Memorial 54, Baytown Sterling 25

Sterling    4    4    7    10    —    25

PAM    14    19    15    16    —    54

Indians fall to Ozen

The Port Neches-Groves boys basketball team couldn’t overcome Beaumont Ozen’s early lead, losing 67-54 in District 20-4A action.

PN-G (5-16, 1-3) cut a 20-point Ozen lead down to 7 in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers rallied for the victory. Ozen’s David Green had 30 points, including six 3-pointers.

Justin Heisner led the Indians with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. A.J. Smith added 14 points while Brandon Pham had 10.

PN-G will play at Little Cypress-Mauriceville Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Beaumont Ozen 67, Port Neches-Groves 54

Ozen    19    20    16    12    —    67

PN-G    7    12    17    18    —    54