Second half sends Stallions to loss
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Jayshawn Thomas tries to shoot over the hands of an Edison defender to score two of his game-high 24 points in Friday’s loss.
The Madera South Stallions boys basketball team kept pace with the Edison-Fresno Tigers, trailing by seven at the half. However, the Tigers scored 52 points in the second half for a runaway victory.
Using the momentum of a questionable buzzer-beater at the half, the Tigers outscored the Stallions by 22 in the second half for an 83-53 victory Friday at Madera South.
“They just started making shots,” head coach Jody Sharp said. “The game changed there. We couldn’t get anything to fall. They just got on a roll. That just took over.”
Jayshawn Thomas led the Stallions with a game-high 24 points to go with five rebounds and four steals. Although nine other players scored, no one scored more than six points.
Meanwhile, the Tigers had four players score in double figures and also hit 10 3-pointers compared to Madera South’s three.
“I was real happy with how we played in the first half,” Sharp said. “I was upset about that last shot in the first half. That should have never counted. We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half. We got shots, but we didn’t make it. We couldn’t stop them in the third quarter and that was the difference in the game.”
Thomas led the Stallions to a 5-4 lead with a pair of acrobatic layups and a free throw. A Julian Galvan reverse layup and a Lucas Samaniego rainbow 3-pointer gave the Stallions a 10-5 lead.
The Tigers scored five straight points before another wild Thomas layup. The Tigers slammed the ball down to tie the score heading into the second quarter.
The Tigers scored the first four points, but a layup from Thomas and a steal and layup from Daniel Valdez tied the score.
Jacob Hernandez answered an Edison 3-pointer with one of his own. The Tigers scored the next four points before a bucket from Jessie Ford cut the lead to 23-21.
After an Edison bucket, Thomas came down with a rebound and went the length of the court for a layup to keep the Stallions within one.
The Tigers then converted a 3-point play and got a questionable bucket to count at the halftime buzzer for a 30-23 lead.
Ford hit a short jumper for the first points of the second, but the Tigers scored eight straight points, including two on offensive putbacks, to open a 38-25 lead.
Thomas and Valdez made layups to get the lead inside double-figures.
The Tigers made a layup, but Thomas added one of his own with a bank shot high off the glass. After an Edison 3-pointer, Thomas hit a 10-foot jumper to stay within 10. Two free throws from Jared Guglielmana cut the Tigers’ lead to eight.
However, Edison went on a roll and scored nine straight points to get the lead to 17.
Jeremiah Gonzalez stopped the run with a layup off an assist from Hernandez. Edison hit a short jumper to take a 54-37 lead into the fourth quarter.
Edison hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter scoring to open the lead to 20.
Galvan made a layup, but Edison made another. After four Edison points, Galvan made a layup. Thomas converted a 3-point play to answer an Edison 3-pointer.
The Tigers then started to connect from long range, hitting three straight 3-pointer during an 11-point run.
Guglielmana made a pair of free throws and Daniel Alberto hit a 3-pointer. Edison hit another for an 81-51 lead.
Alexis Rodriguez closed out the Stallions’ scoring with two free throws.
