Surging Stangs topple Magnolia

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Surging Stangs topple Magnolia

Mon, 01/11/2021 - 10:49
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The Madisonville men’s basketball team stayed hot in non-district play with three wins last week, including a 59-57 victory over Magnolia Thursday at MHS.

“That was our best game all year,” said head coach Brad Taylor on Thursday’s win. “We played well all four quarters and put a whole game together. (Magnolia) was a well-prepared and well-coached team that played good defense and shot the ball really well. That was a good test for us, especially going into (district play) next week.”

5A Magnolia had already begun their district play before taking a hiatus to travel to Madisonville for the nonleague bout Thursday. They were 2-0 in district at the time of this writing with wins over Waller and A&M Consolidated.

“A lot of teams (Magnolia) has been playing are bigger schools, including a bunch of 6A powerhouses,” said Taylor. “Beating them was a big deal for us and a big confidence booster.”

Casey Holiday logged a double-double in the win with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists. Jeramiah Burns added nine points in the win while Armando Juarez and Rodney Brooks tallied eight and seven points, respectively. Xzavier Whaley also scored seven points to go along with five boards.

The Mustangs also picked up victories over Snook Dec. 29 by a score of 54-51 and Elkhart Saturday by a score of 78-34 to improve to 9-5 on the non-district season. Despite the wins, Taylor highlighted the team’s slow starts as an area that needs instant improvement.

“(The Snook game) was very frustrating because we started slow, as usual, and let them get out to a fast start,” said Taylor. “We had to fight our way back into the game.”

The Mustangs trailed by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before a late surge sent the contest into overtime.

“We locked down on defense and hit some key free throws late in the game,” said Taylor. “I was pleased with the way we overcame adversity.”

Holiday led the team in scoring and rebounds with 17 and eight. Whaley added 12 points to the total while Burns and Juarez posted seven and six, respectively.

Burns would post a double-double in Saturday’s lopsided victory over Elkhart Saturday with 19 points and 10 boards. Despite the 44-point decision, the Mustangs got off to another slow start in the road matchup.

“We finally picked it up (in the second half) and put a lot of pressure on them,” said Taylor. “But we started out real slow again in the first half and gave those guys confidence that they could play with us.

“That is the one thing I want to get into these kids’ heads: no matter who the opponent is, we need to come out and put our best foot forward every time. We cannot afford to come out and start slow.”

Taylor stated this problem can be solved by finding consistency in the work leading up to the matchups.

“The way we come out in practice everyday is going to translate into the game,” said Taylor. “At the end of the day, I think  we have a chance to make a lot of noise in this district. We just got to continue to do what we’ve been doing and get better with the things we’ve been struggling with.”

The Mustangs enjoyed a scheduled offday Tuesday and will host Navasota Friday in their final non-district matchup of the season. District play opens Tuesday at MHS against Robinson at 6:30 p.m.