Sam Taylor scored six big points when it mattered most -- in overtime -- and Cass inaugurated its new gymnasium with a thrilling win against a region opponent Saturday evening.

The Colonels, playing in their first game at the new Cass High, took the measure of Lambert, 50-46.

"It's great to get a win anywhere, anytime," head coach Greg Scott said. "But to get it today with all our guests and the ceremony we had between games, it was special."

Cass honored its long tradition of basketball play with a ceremony held between its girls and boys games that recognized its boys and girls top scorers, its winningest boys and girls basketball coaches and former Colonel and National Basketball Association player Eddie Lee Wilkins.

The win by the Colonels (11-4, 4-1 in Region 7-AAAA) was in doubt until almost the last shot as Cass had to persuade a determined bunch of Longhorns (7-6, 2-2) it was worthy of the victory.

Those Longhorns did not believe most of the game and kept clawing their way back into the game. Their last lead -- at 42-40 -- came with 58 seconds remaining in the final regulation period.

A deuce by Jay Stephens 12 seconds later knotted the score at 42-all and both teams missed their two final shots of the game.

"Our kids are pretty resilient," Scott said. "There were two or three times where Lambert was up and we could have given up, but we didn't.

"We just dug in and gave ourselves a victory."

Cass controlled the opening tipoff but didn't make its initial bucket of the game until two and a half minutes into the affair, after Lambert had put five points on the scoreboard. The Colonels' scores came courtesy of an old fashioned 3-point play by Stephens and a layup he made almost a minute later, making the score 5-all.

Taylor added two points a minute later, aided by a Tarris Batiste steal and Cass had its first lead of the night, at 7-5. Lambert responded with a 6-2 run to take a 11-9 lead to close out the first quarter.

The Colonels reclaimed it 11 seconds into the next frame when Tony Mitchell made a three-point play, also the old fashioned way, and Cass was up 12-11. Lambert went on a 7-2 run for an 18-14 differential.

The Colonels answered with a 5-2 run and went to the break down 20-19.

Cass opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Batiste, part of a 9-3 run, for its widest lead of the night, at 28-23. Batiste was a key part of that run as he dished out two assists, sandwiched around one of several steals he made on the night.

Lambert didn't quit, though, and was down just 32-31 at the end of the third quarter.

Cass tried to shake the visitors in the final period with buckets by Batiste and Jozelle Payne, to go up 38-33.

Lambert answered with a 3-pointer and three quick deuces, as it found itself up 42-40. That's when Stephens hit his pressure-packed two-pointer and sent the game into overtime.

Lambert scored first in overtime but Payne answered.

Taylor sank a 3-pointer with 1:24 showing on the clock and Cass appeared to have control when Lambert's Nick Biumi fouled out with almost a minute remaining.

The Longhorns, however, found a way to add a bucket and closed to 47-46. They then stole an inbound pass from Cass but then couldn't get a shot off against Cass' defense.

Taylor didn't have that problem and sank a 2-pointer and added a free-throw shot to give the Colonels a 50-46 win.

Stephens led Cass scorers with 14 points, followed by Taylor's 13 and Batiste's 11. Payne dropped in eight big ones and Ian Clay and Trey Walker added a bucket each.

Cass is to play Rome Tuesday if weather permits.