LONGVIEW, Texas — The Longview Lobos have reached heights this season that they haven't seen in 32 years.
The Lobos claimed the District 15-5A title over Tyler High earlier this season, for the first time since 2004 and on Tuesday they claimed a 1-point win over Crandall to secure their spot in the regional quarterfinal.
Davis Justice scored 24 of the 50 points the Lobos put up against Crandall.
For a team full of seniors, Justice said they're playing for a different purpose.
"We're actually playing for something, last year we fell short. I want to see how far we can really go so we're all playing for something, can't lose," Justice said.
A year ago, Justice was face to face with death, when he was accidentally shot in the face by a friend. Even with the close-call with death, Justice wanted to come back to basketball.
Longview head coach Sam Weaver said he was nervous about Justice coming back to play because he didn't want to see him get hurt.
"I'm happy for him and the progress he's made, more than that I'm happy he's still here with us," Weaver said.
Davis received a new perspective on life when he recovered.
"I wondered why, so I'm trying to do everything right, maybe I did something wrong," Justice said. "Everything happens for a reason whether good or bad."
Longview faced off against The Colony on Friday night. They fell 60-58 in the regional quarterfinal.