With the naming of a new head coach, a new district and two returning seniors, preparations for the 2026-27 basketball year are underway for the Taylor High School Lady Ducks.
The Lady Ducks named Jay Reed as the head coach in June, though he is no stranger to Taylor athletics.
Reed was the assistant coach for the Lady Duck basketball program for eight years and served as the head golf coach for one year, before departing from the programs in 2024 to serve as the head girls basketball coach in Gary, TX.
“I’m excited to be back but I’m just really focused on trying to figure out how we can be the best version of us,” said Reed. “In the offseason, we competed in a fall league and it was good. We were without some of our key players, which was exciting and we showed up for sure.” In the 2025-26 season the Lady Ducks accumulated a 7-22 overall record and 1-9 in district, finishing sixth overall.
This season Taylor will play in 4A Region IV District 26, with the Elgin Wildcats and Jarrell Lady Cougars being the lone returning competitors from last season.
There are five returning Lady Ducks this season, two of which are seniors that have played all four years at Taylor.
“I’m feeling really good about this season,” said Lady Duck returning senior Danica Carter. “I think our team has really good chemistry, so I know we’ll be great on the court. It’s just the little things we can improve on to make us better now.”
The season will open at the Comal Canyon Lake scrimmage on Tuesday, Nov. 3., with the time still to be announced. The Lady Ducks will compete against the Canyon Lake Lady Hawks, Johnson City Lady Eagles and the Navarro Lady Vikings.
Taylor will host its first home game on Friday, Nov. 6 at 5:15 p.m., playing against Navarro.
District play will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 8 against the Travis Lady Rebels at home at 7 p.m.
