Taylor Jablonski gets ready to go up for a lay-up against the Wray Eagles here last week. Jablonski hit four 3-pointers in the Longhorns’ win at St. Pat’s Friday. (Johnson Publications photo)
Kass Cochran is about to draw the foul on this breakaway against Wray last week. Cochran went to the line, dropping both. (Johnson Publications photo)
Longhorns add two more wins to record
Notching another two wins last week put the Longhorn boys basketball team within one game of .500.
After putting away Wray by 20 points Jan. 30, the Longhorns traveled to North Platte Friday where they got their second win of the season over the St. Pat’s Irish.
The two wins improved the Longhorns’ record to 9-10 after being 1-8 following the Dundy County loss Jan. 2. Since then, they have gone 8-2, including an SPVA championship.
They will get the chance to even their record when 13-6 Cambridge comes to town Friday. Like the Longhorns, the Trojans are coming off a conference championship, winning the RPAC tournament.
Second win over the Irish
The Longhorns won a nail-biter over St. Pat’s in the finals of SPVA, 43-41.
Coach Chris Bartels said his team knew they had their work cut out for them since the Irish would be gunning for them after the SPVA loss.
Plus, the Irish had home-court advantage. It’s always tough to win at St. Pat’s, Bartels added.
“We knew after SPVA that St. Pat’s wanted to get us back,” Bartels said.
They had plenty of time to prepare, Bartels noted, playing just one game in between SPVA and the rematch.
Bartels said his team executed well on defense, allowing the Longhorns to control the tempo of the game.
It didn’t hurt that the Longhorns shot 44 percent from the floor, going 8-18 both inside and outside the three-point arc.
With the Irish also shooting 44 percent from the floor, free throws proved huge in the win.
The Longhorns went a perfect 6-6 in the second and third quarters and finished 11-15 while the Irish were just 3-15 at the line.
Both teams got off to a slow start. When Cedric Maxwell scored the Longohrns’ first basket midway in the quarter, they only trailed 2-4.
By the quarter’s end, the Longhorns built a 13-6 lead, aided by a trio of 3-pointers, the last one coming from Parker Dillan as the first quarter ended.
A 3-pointer by Taylor Jablonski near the end of the half put the Longhorns up 22-16 going into the locker room.
The Longhorns saw that six-point lead evaporate, with the Irish knotting the game up 31-31 at the 3:34 mark. They had the chance at the line to take the lead but missed.
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