GERONIMO – The Taylor Ducks varsity
basketball team opened the Navarro Tournament with a strong 2-0 showing on Thursday, Dec. 11, earning a 68-51 win over Hallettsville and a 53-42 victory over Geronimo Navarro.
HALLETTSVILLE
Sophomore guard Markell Fitzgerald powered the Ducks in their opening game, scoring 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting in a 68-51 win over the Brahmas.
Fitzgerald set the tone early, knocking down a 3-pointer for a 3-0 lead before sparking an 8-2 run with a fast-break layup that pushed the advantage to 11-2.
Taylor continued its first-quarter dominance with an 11-0 stretch as its defense held Hallettsville scoreless, building a commanding 22-2 lead.
The Brahmas battled back in the second quarter, trimming the margin to 28-15, but a steal and breakaway finish from Fitzgerald pushed the lead back to 32-15.
Hallettsville later cut the deficit to 47-38 in the third, but Kadrien Deary answered with a 3-pointer to halt the momentum and extend the lead to 50-38. Fitzgerald added another triple and Deary followed with a layup to help Taylor pull away for good at 55-38.
Deary finished with eight points, while senior guard Braylon Rivers delivered an efficient 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The Ducks shot 48% from the floor.
NAVARRO
Fitzgerald again led the Ducks in their second game, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting in a 53-42 win over Navarro.
Taylor jumped out to a 7-0 lead following a Fitzgerald 3-pointer and grabbed its first double-digit advantage, 15-5, on a fast-break finish from Rivers. The Ducks kept control with a 10-5 run to take a 25-10 lead in the second quarter.
Navarro mounted a push in the third, cutting the deficit to 27-19, but defensive stops from Rivers and freshman Elijah Efenkhena helped Taylor maintain a comfortable margin.
The Ducks closed the quarter on a key run to go up 41-29 and held steady the rest of the way.
Rivers and junior forward Landon Coulter each scored 11 points, and Taylor shot 35% from the field. The Ducks improved to 8-3 overall and will wrap up tournament play this weekend before returning home to face Bastrop at 6:30 p.m. at Taylor High School.
