ANDREW SALMI andrew.salmi@granitemedia partners.com
The Taylor High School girls varsity basketball team picked up two home victories this past week as the Lady Ducks handled business Dec. 28 against Burton High School and Dec. 30 versus Lampasas High School.
TAYLOR LADY DUCKS 72, BURTON LADY PANTHERS 39
In a dominant effort, the Lady Ducks got off to a fast start Thursday against the Lady Panthers and did not look back as Taylor took care of business with a 72-39 lopsided win over Burton. Taylor led 17-3 after the first quarter, maintained a comfortable 37-13 lead at halftime and pushed the advantage over Burton to 56-21 by the end of the third quarter.
Lady Ducks sophomore Madyson Mitchell led the way for Taylor as she finished with a game-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, 11 rebounds and three assists. Taylor senior Asia Zachary also scored in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds, while junior Kionayh Rivers did it all on both offense and defense for the Lady Ducks with 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots.
TAYLOR LADY DUCKS 58, LAMPASAS LADY BADGERS 36
It was yet another strong defensive team effort Saturday for Taylor as the Lady Ducks held their own at home versus Lampasas with a 58-36 victory over the Lady Badgers. The Lady Ducks ended the first quarter with a bang as sophomore Aubriana Alderete knocked down a threepointer in the closing seconds and Taylor had a 25-10 lead.
Although Taylor struggled offensively in the second quarter, the defense was able to keep Lampasas at bay with the Lady Ducks up 31-22 at halftime and 41-30 by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Ducks dominated the fourth quarter as they outscored the Lady Badgers 17-6 down the final stretch.
In a balanced scoring attack for the Lady Ducks as a team, Zachary led the way with a team-high 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Rivers had yet another dominant game on both ends of the floor for Taylor as she had 12 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
Mitchell also scored in double figures with 10 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists, Alderete had seven points and the duo of junior Sophia Fisher and freshman Tiana Candee added six points apiece.
Now with an 11-7 overall record and a six-game win streak, the Lady Ducks under Head Coach Lawrence Bailey will continue their quest for a 4A-District 22 championship Friday at 6:15 p.m. as Taylor will hit the road to take on the Lady Buffaloes of Giddings High School.
