Slidell guard Mayson Taylor flies through the lane on a layup attempt in the Hounds’ 66-51 2A Division II bi-district win against Honey Grove Tuesday at Howe High School. Taylor led Slidell’s offense with 22 points in the victory. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
After witnessing the Hounds’ early exit from the playoffs in an overtime loss to Honey Grove last year, Slidell’s tandem of junior guard Mayson Taylor and sophomore forward Cash Noday were determined to lift their team to the next round in the teams’ bi-district rematch Tuesday night.
Taylor and Noday combined for 42 points, as the Hounds sparked a 39-27 second-half run to extract revenge against the Warriors in a 66-51 victory at Howe High School.
“Half of our team is made up of guys who played last year but didn’t play well, and the other half are guys that have never played in any game like this,” Slidell coach Casey Pierce said. “We really didn’t have anyone returning this year that’s had much success in the first round. We were dialed in during the first quarter, but showed our inexperience in the second and third quarters when we struggled to find guys [and] got into foul trouble. It turned into more a transition game in the fourth quarter, which benefits us, and allowed us to settle in and play with a little more confidence.”
Taylor lit the fuse of Slidell’s offense early, scoring the Hounds’ first nine points and finishing with 11 on the team’s 14-7 opening drive. He added five points in the second quarter, while teaming up with sophomore guard Carter Pierce to net all of Slidell’s 13 second-quarter points to give the Hounds a 3-point advantage at the break, 27-24.
“Last year, I sat the bench the whole game,” Taylor said. “Our mindset coming into tonight was to get revenge, but I knew I had to calm myself down since this is my first playoff game. I just focused on keeping it together and hitting shots whenever I could. It feels good to get this one, for sure.”
Leading the Hounds with 22 points on the night, Taylor said his performance was a result of the Hounds’ offensive rhythm throughout the season.
“I have a lot of confidence in my shot, and I’m going to shoot it if I’m open,” Taylor said. “A lot of our offense works off of drive-and-kicks, so Carter was driving downhill and kept getting me the ball in the corner.”
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Noday took the reins of the Hounds’ offense in the second half. Held scoreless in the first two quarters, he dropped 20 points in the final 16 minutes — including 16 in the fourth quarter to help the Hounds close out the win on a 26-14 run.
“The revenge factor definitely came into play for me in the fourth quarter,” Noday said. “When I would drive in, they would collapse, which allowed me to either kick it out our finish it over them. They also left me open at the 3-point line. It feels great to help my team, but it feels even better knowing we got a big win like that.”
Along with Taylor and Noday’s efforts, the Hounds’ remaining starters also contributed to the win. Carter Pierce pitched in 14 points, while senior post Austin Zuniga and junior guard Ryder Kolar registered eight and two, respectively.
Slidell will move on to face North Hopkins in a 2AII area battle later this week. Game information was not available as of story publication.
The Panthers (29-5) claimed an unblemished District 15-2A title with a 14-0 run, and eliminated Simms Bowie 44-40 in a bi-district matchup Tuesday.
“North Hopkins is going to be a more fundamental and disciplined team that’s more straight basketball kids,” Coach Pierce said. “They’re going to look a lot like us, but we’ll have to play a lot more like them. We’re going to have to cut down our turnovers. If we can play four quarters with the defense we had in the first quarter and the offense and confidence we had in the fourth quarter tonight, I think we’ll have a shot to win.”
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