The Taylor Ducks start district with an 0-1 record after losing to the La Grange Leopards Tuesday afternoon.
The Leopards capitalized on a slow starting Duck offense and carried that momentum to a 55-39 win.
After the tough loss, Ducks head coach Stephen Gibson said he asked his team a very important question.
“I had them close their eyes and I closed mine as well and I asked them to just think about the question, ‘What can I do to make this team better?’” Gibson said. “We have to break these bad habits.”
Gibson said it is a motivational tactic to help his team think about how to get better even though they are entering the holiday break.
The Ducks slow start saw them only score two points in the first quarter while the Leopards scored 11. The Ducks offense woke up in the second quarter, however, and outscored the Leopards 13-12 but still trailed 23-15 heading into halftime.
The Ducks strong second quarter gave the team some optimism heading into the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Leopards responded to the Ducks with a 16-point run to extend their lead.
A late push by the Ducks in the fourth saw them have several opportunities to get back in the game, some of which from the free throw line. But the Ducks did not capitalize on their opportunities and the Leopards claimed their victory.
“That’s part of the little things we need to work on. We have to hit those free throws,” Gibson said. “We missed 14 free throws and God knows how many easy layups, but we are going to get it fixed and we are going to figure it out.”
Gibson is still very optimistic with his team and for good reason. He said knows how good his team is they just have to believe and know they are a good team themselves.
“I am not giving up and I know they aren’t giving up either,” Gibson said. “We are going to continue to work everyday to get back on track this season because I know we can, and I know we will get back to winning.”
The Ducks will get a break for the Christmas holiday before they are back in action Wednesday, Dec. 28, taking on the Travis Rebels (Austin) in a non-district matchup at the Duck Pond.
