By T. Scott Boatright
It’s been a long time since the Simsboro Tigers haven’t reached the quarterfinals round of boys basketball playoff action.
Twelve years to be exact.
But every sports streak eventually comes to an end, and that happened Tuesday night as 15th-seeded Simsboro fell on the road, 70-48, to second-seeded Anacoco in Division V Boys Nonselect School playoff action.
Simsboro closed out their first season under coach Randy Carlisle at 15-18.
That marked the first time the Tigers didn’t reach at least the Class B Boys quarterfinals since March 1, 2011, when Simsboro fell 90-63 to Castor in second-round play.
Since then the Tigers had reached the championship game five times, including taking two straight titles over the past two years — 67-44 over Zwolle last year and 56-53 over Anacoco in 2021.
Simsboro fell 85-85 in overtime to Doyline in the 2020 championship game, but had also won the previous two titles — 59-53 over Zwolle in 2019 and 67-50 over Zwolle in 2018.
The Tigers also reached the 2013 Class B title game in 2013 falling to Madison Prep 53-37, and in 2012, falling to Zwolle 87-65.
In 2017 and 2016 the Tigers fell in the semifinals round — 58-46 to Hathaway in 2017 and 61-38 to Zwolle in 2016.
Simsboro reached the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2014, falling 49-43 to Midland in 2015 and 78-62 to Anacoco in 2014.
Anacoco moves on to this season’s quarterfinals where the Indians will take on seventh-seeded Hornbeck, which defeated Summerfield 59-24 on Tuesday night.
