The Taylor Ducks varsity basketball team took a tough 45-37 loss to the McCallum Knights on Friday, Dec. 6. The Ducks fell to 2-2 overall, while the Knights improved to 8-3.
Taylor’s offense started the game hot, building a 10-2 lead. The Ducks’ offense stalled as the Knights went on a 5-0 run, cutting the lead to 10-7 late in the first quarter. Junior guard Kadrien Deary gave the Ducks a 24-17 lead at halftime, hitting two 3-pointers. Defensively, Taylor stifled McCallum’s offense in the first two quarters, but that was not the case the rest of the way as the Knights outscored the Ducks 28-13 in the second half.
The key to the game was Taylor’s shooting struggles, as the Ducks shot 33% from the field — a season low. Deary led Taylor in scoring with 12 points, shooting 5-for-12. Senior forward Eli Laurence was second in scoring with 11 points and led the Ducks in rebounds with 10. Junior guard Braylen Rivers added 9 points.
Despite the loss, this was Taylor’s most competitive game against McCallum, as the Ducks had lost the previous two matchups by at least 19 points. The Ducks will look to bounce back when they face Waco on Dec. 10 before entering the Cameron Yoe Tournament on Dec. 12-14.
