Palo Duro starts fast and finishes furiously against Tascosa in boys basketball
The boys basketball game between Tascosa and Palo Duro Friday night was billed as a critical District 3-5A contest. After all, while both have been successful recently, both are also off their best starts in years.
After Friday, Palo Duro's start is a little bit better.
The Dons dominated the first quarter of play and after Tascosa threatened in the second, PD pulled away for the 68-35 victory. PD is now 16-4 on the season while Tascosa is 18-7.
"The first (district game) is when you have to set the tempo and set the tone," PD head coach Marquis Loftis said. "I told (the team) that first one was going to be the hardest. Plus, it's Tascosa, which is not an easy task. Every game from here on out is really important but I think that first one was one we really needed to get."
It was all PD to start the game as it jumped out to a 24-7 edge after just one quarter. Tascosa clawed its way back in, outscoring PD 15-10 in the second and shaved the deficit to 34-22 at the midway point.
The Dons returned to form from there, taking a 57-33 lead into the fourth before closing out the lopsided victory.
"They executed what we worked on in practice (in the first quarter)," Loftis said. "(At halftime we talked about) starting just how we did the first quarter. We've been preaching discipline and poise so that was big."
PD was led by Victor Juarez, who finished with 24 points. Eli Igiranez added 14 and Kordae Brown chipped in 11. Jailyn Sledge led Tascosa with 12.
More: BOYS BASKETBALL: Tascosa vs. Palo Duro
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Palo Duro starts fast and finishes furiously against Tascosa
