NEDERLAND — Through the first half, Nederland was still in position to score another signature victory in its non-district boys basketball slate.

Through the third quarter, it was evident Silsbee was not going to give it to the Bulldogs.

The 4A state champion Tigers (8-4) went on a 28-2 run into the fourth quarter aided by its full-court defense and took a 74-56 win Saturday afternoon from the Dog Dome.

Junior Braelon Bush nailed seven three-point baskets that made up the majority of his 26 points. He made back-to-back threes to put Silsbee on the board and prompt Nederland to call timeout not 1 minute into the game.

“When I hit the two threes, I came down and started falling in love with the three,” Bush said. “It started falling, and it stopped. So, you can’t always fall in love with the three. You have to get the easy shots that bring the three back, and that’s what I did.”

The Bulldogs (14-5) could not recover from the blow despite getting a game-high 30 points from junior Hayden Hefner.

“The third quarter was the big difference,” Bulldogs coach Brian English said. “Our kids didn’t deal with it very well.

Bush hit a trey on three straight possessions in the third quarter that helped Silsbee break open a 35-34 lead and lead 58-36 at period’s end.

Nederland (14-5), which has lost two straight, had trouble inbounding the ball under its own basket thanks to Silsbee’s press during the ill-fated run. When the Bulldogs approached half-court, the Tigers stretched them out and had wide passing lanes from where they could make steals.

“It’s pretty much our fault,” English said. “We’ve got another press break we should have utilized, and didn’t do it. We haven’t seen pressure like that, though. It’s good for the kids to see.”

Silsbee delivered an earlier blow going into the second quarter with an 11-0 run to lead 25-15 and scoring off successful stops in Nederland’s backcourt. But Nederland found shots in the paint with the help of guard Joseph Gipson and forward Tyler Jackson, and the two alternated field goals during a 12-2 rally that evened the score at 29-all by halftime.

“After the half, we made the decision to change what we were doing, because we were playing their tempo [different] than what we thought,” Tigers coach Joe Sigler said. “We changed it, and it helped.”

Silsbee took its largest lead at 63-36 with 7:17 left in the game before Hefner keyed a last-ditch rally with 14 points, including two of his three dunks in the game (two alley-oops).

“Thankfully, we fought, but the game was out of reach by then,” English said.

Landyn Tyler scored 15 points for the Tigers. Devon McCain knocked down 14 and Jordyn Adams had 12 in the win.

Gipson (11 points) was Nederland’s only other double-digit scorer.

Now on a four-game winning streak, Silsbee will start District 22-4A action at home against Bridge City on Tuesday. Nederland will visit Vidor to start 21-5A play before hosting Port Neches-Groves for basketball’s Mid-County Madness.

English’s main concern for district play is whether the Bulldogs can show consistency on the floor.

“We’ve played well, and then we’ve played not so well,” English said. “I think if we can get a little more consistent in district play, we’ll be in good shape.”

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews