GIDDINGS – The Taylor Ducks boys varsity basketball team posted a 3-1 record at the Giddings Tournament on Dec. 29-30.
Taylor opened the tournament with back-to-back victories, defeating Cuero 55-54 and host Giddings 52-47, before falling to Lexington 55-45. The Ducks closed the tournament with a 71-67 win over Sealy.
Cuero
Taylor senior guard Braylen Rivers sealed a narrow victory over the Gobblers with a fast-break layup late in the game to secure the 55-54 win.
The Ducks relied on strong early defense as freshman forward Elijah Afenkhena, sophomore Markell Fitzgerald and Rivers each recorded a steal while Taylor took a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.
Fitzgerald knocked down a 3-pointer in the second quarter to give Taylor a 28-21 advantage. Cuero answered with four quick points, but senior guard Kadrien Deary responded with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 31-25.
Cuero went on an 11-1 run in the third quarter to take a 36-32 lead. Senior forward Landon Coulter kept Taylor within striking distance with a 3-pointer to make it 36-35, and Deary later tied the game at 38 with another shot from beyond the arc.
Coulter tied the game again at 44 with a 3-pointer, setting up Rivers’ game-clinching fast-break layup.
Taylor shot 40% from the field while recording 14 steals and 34 rebounds.
Giddings
Taylor got off to a slow start against the Buffaloes, falling behind 7-2 in the first quarter.
The Ducks responded with a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead following a 3-pointer from Rivers. Deary added another 3-pointer in the second quarter to give Taylor a 14-10 advantage.
Giddings regained control with a 5-0 run to go up 15-14 and followed with a 12-4 stretch to build a 27-18 lead. Fitzgerald ended the run with a fastbreak layup to cut the deficit to 27-20.
The Buffaloes pushed their lead to a game-high 38-22 in the third quarter, but Taylor began its comeback in the fourth. Deary hit a 3-pointer to make it 39-31 and followed with another to trim the margin to 41-36.
Taylor completed the comeback by outscoring Giddings 16-6 down the stretch behind strong performances from Deary, Rivers and Fitzgerald.
The Ducks shot 43% from the field and finished with 24 rebounds.
Final day
Taylor closed the tournament with a 55-45 loss to Lexington, struggling to keep pace with the Eagles’ offense. The Ducks rebounded later in the day with an impressive 71-67 victory over Sealy in a high-scoring contest.
Taylor improved to 12-7 overall and will open district play against Jarrell on Friday. The Ducks return home to host Lampasas on Friday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
