On Feb. 27, Odessa completed a trifecta against Excelsior Springs in varsity boys basketball. That night, Excelsior Springs fell 6543 to Odessa in the Class 4 District 15 Tournament at Oak Grove, the host for the single-elimination postseason tournament. The Tigers’ season-ending loss followed two regular-season losses to the Bulldogs – both in December 2023 – one of them by four points, the other by 12 points. Early, the Tigers (2-22) threatened to break their string of losses to Odessa, jumping out to a 5-0 lead, courtesy of a layup by junior Easton Ryan and junior Carson Gholson’s two foul shots. The Bulldogs, however, erased that lead, staging a 15-4 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter to lead 15-9 at quarter’s end. Odessa outscored Excelsior Springs 16-11 the second quarter to lead 3120 at halftime. The Bulldogs kept the momentum with a 20-point third quarter and then sealed it by edging the Tigers 1411 the fourth quarter. Junior Jake Zapata led the Tigers…