The Taylor Ducks varsity boys basketball team fell 53-49 to the Lampasas Badgers on Friday, Jan. 9.
Sophomore guard Markell Fitzgerald led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 8 of 19 from the field. Fitzgerald pulled the Ducks within two late in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to make it 51-49, but Lampasas sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds.
The game was tightly contested throughout. Fitzgerald opened the scoring for Taylor with a 3-pointer to make it 4-3, and senior guard Kadrien Deary gave the Ducks an early 5-4 lead with a fast-break layup.
Both offenses struggled to find rhythm the rest of the first quarter, as Lampasas took a slim 12-9 lead into the second.
Taylor started the period strong with two fast-break layups to regain a 13-12 advantage, but the Badgers responded with a 21-9 run to build a 33-22 lead. Taylor mounted a late comeback in the fourth quarter. Deary knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 46-40, but Lampasas answered with a 5-3 run to extend the lead to 51-43.
The Ducks responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Deary and Fitzgerald, but were forced to foul down the stretch, and the Badgers converted at the free-throw line to close out the game.
Deary finished second on the team with 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting. Taylor struggled offensively overall, shooting just 29% from the field.
Taylor fell to 13-8 overall and 1-1 in district play.
The Ducks faced Gateway Preparatory before returning to action against Burnet on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Burnet High School.
