The seventh-ranked Mexia Blackcats basketball team moved to 4-0 in District 20-3A, Region 3 on Tuesday, Jan 7. They defeated the visiting Teague Lions 69-41 at The Dungeon. Meanwhile, Teague remains winless in district play at 0-3.
Teague led in the early moments of the ballgame. A three-pointer from Clifford Coleman from the wing gave the Lions the opening basket of the game. Teague led 9-8 when Mexia’s Billy Hicks tied things up at 9-9 after splitting a pair of free throws. Later on in the quarter, a transition layup from Kyran Bedford gave Mexia its first lead of the game at 14-13 with just over 90 seconds to go. At the end of the first, the Blackcats held a slight lead at 15-13.
Mexia controlled the tempo of the game in the second period and got out in transition for numerous easy baskets. By comparison, Teague struggled to keep up with the run-and-gun pace and committed several turnovers. A Kelan Collins layup off a Teague turnover gave Mexia its first double-digit lead of the game at 26-16 with just over three minutes left in the half.
Mexia led by as many as 15 and took a 32-19 advantage into the break. The Blackcats outscored the Lions 17-6 in the period and Teague’s offense accounted for just one field goal during that span. Mexia applied more pressure to start the third quarter and got off to a 10-2 run. With 4:03 to go in the period, Teague took a 30-second time out and trailed on the scoreboard 42-21.
The Blackcats led 54-30 after three quarters and cruised to a 69-41 victory. Collins led all scorers with 24 points for the Blackcats. Bedford and Altrie Farris chipped in with 14 and 12 points respectively for Mexia. After the game, Collins was acknowledged for surpassing the 1,500-point plateau while Farris was recognized for collecting 1,000 rebounds at the varsity level.
For Teague, Coleman led the way offensively with 16 points. Brayden Leija contributed 11 points in the loss for the Lions. Up next for both clubs, Mexia plans to travel to Buffalo for a Friday night contest starting at 7. Teague will host Elkhart Friday night at 7.
