On Friday night, the Thorndale Bulldog and the Milano Eagle basketball teams were both crowned as area champions with wins propelling them to regional quarterfinal games on Tuesday after press time.
In Rockdale, the ’Dawgs got o ff t o a s low s tart w ith District 26-2A champion Mumford, leading 9-5 at the close of the first quarter. However, the second was a different story as the Bulldogs ramped up production on both sides of the court. Senior Clason Beasley scored six of the team’s 14 points during the quarter while holding the Mustangs to only three field goals. This gave them a 23-12 lead at the half.
Mor e of t he s ame occurred in the game’s final two quarters, as they continued to drive to the basket and hit threes. Thorndale won 52-35, defeating Mumford for the third time this season.
For head coach Michael Williams, having a strong presence on defense was vital to advancing past the Robertson County team.
“All week, we talked about having to stay in front of (Mumford),” Williams said. “We saw late in the game that they were able to get in there and draw some fouls.
“We just said we have to stay in front of them and make them kick the ball back out and close out. We did an excellent job of that in the first half and in the second h alf w e d id a w ell enough job to hang on.”
Beasley led the team in scoring with 22, while his classmate Blake Roberts put up 13.
The Bulldogs traveled to Madisonville to face Big Sandy in the Region IV quarterfi nals on Tuesday after press time.
M ILANO— At Br yan High School, the Eagles went from district champs to area champs with a 60-49 win over Somerville.
Like the Bulldogs, Milano also faced their opponent earlier in the season. MHS beat the Yeguas 74-49 on Nov. 22., in a game where senior Jayce Todd scored 52 points.
The Eagles faced Flatonia in Giddings on Tuesday after press time with a chance to punch their second straight ticket to the regional tournament. MHS beat Flatonia last year to advance past the quarterfinals.
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