DEARBORN — After falling in their regular season opener at home against Dearborn Heights Robichaud on Tuesday, the Taylor High boys’ basketball team returned to game action on Thursday as they visited Dearborn Advanced Tech.
Taylor head coach Chris Simons said that his team simply needed to commit to all four quarters following that loss to the Bulldogs two days prior.
“We gave up in the fourth quarter (against Robichaud),” Simons said. “We were in the game and we just kind of gave it away. Our kids wanted to play their game insted of a team game and that can be a problem when you bring new kids into the program.”
That commitment was on display at various moments throughout the game for the Griffins, who had to fend out a furious rally from the host Lakers to squeeze out a hard-fought 65-59 victory.
PHOTO GALLERY: Boys Basketball – Taylor High vs Dearborn Advanced Tech
“You always have to play hard for all four quarters,” Simons said. “You try to put in a couple plays before the regular season hits. That’s when you know where you need to work the most. But our kids were strong tonight.”
It was a close game in the early parts of this one. Taylor maintained a lead throughout much of the first half and took a 29-23 lead into the halftime break.
But to Simons’ point about being more aggressive, the Griffins began to assert themselves and create some separation from Tech. A extended run upped the lead for the visitors to nearly 20 points in the later stages of the third quarter.
“They were being aggressive and trusting each other,” Simons said. “We’re trying to do this together and you can’t be selfish.”
Tech, however, was able to respond in a big way and give Taylor a taste of their own medicine. Highlighted by some pressure defense, the Lakers were able to create some turnovers and turn those into baskets on the other end.
All of a sudden, the hosts found themselves within a couple of possessions, trailing by just five heading into the final period.
“I think they just started believing in themselves,” Tech head coach Isiah Beauchamp said. “That was the guys saying, ‘we’re not going to hang our heads down, or tuck our tails in and run. We’re going to fight.’ One shot after another, the confidence started building.”
Tech continued to hang around and chip away at the Taylor lead. It eventually became a tie game with just over a minute to go and the Lakers owning possession.
But the Griffins were able to get a stop and force a turnover. That turned into Aaron Mayfield breakaway layup the other way, breaking the 59-all tie and putting Taylor in front for good.
Tech had a few chances to tie or even take the lead on their final few possessions but came up empty. Taylor meanwhile was able to cash in on two more trips down the floor, one more from Mayfield and another from Ahmad Hill.
“We’re a real young team,” Beauchamp said. “I think at the end there, it came down to experience. The game could have went either way there, we miss a layup and then we put guys in to foul and (Taylor) gets an and-one. But the guys never quit and they were scrappy.
“I was proud of what I saw.”
Adam Barnett led Taylor in scoring with 15 points with three of his five made field goals coming from behind the three-point line. The junior was one of four Griffins to reach double-figures in scoring.
MarSean Massenburg finished with 14 points, 12 of which came in the second and third quarters combined. The aforementioned Mayfield and freshman Javontay Smith each finished with 11 points, the former scoring nine of his in the fourth quarter.
Taylor certainly had chances to put away Tech sooner but left plenty of points at the free throw line. The Griffins went 14-for-38 from the stripe on Thursday, two days after going just 8-for-24 in that department in the loss to Robichaud.
Tech got a game-high 24 points from Amir McGee, who was one of just two Lakers to hit double-figures in scoring. Latrell Mason added 12 points on the night including a pair of triples in the fourth quarter to help the hosts climb back into it.
Tech as a team finised 6-for-8 in their freebie attempts.
Mason is one of nine sophomores on this year’s Tech squad for the new head coach Beauchamp, who comes over after spending the last two seasons at Garden City.
Beauchamp talked about some of the early-season adjustments and gelling that will ensue between him and what is a very young Lakers squad that at times had five sophomores on the floor on Tuesday.
“There’s been a lot thrown at them in the beginning,” Beauchamp said. “We haven’t been able to get enough reps in quite yet. So for what we saw out there (tonight) was impressive to me because they were listening and they executed.”
Taylor meanwhile has some inexperience with upside in their own ways. While they have 11 upperclassmen including five seniors, a lot of players for the Griffins are taking on new roles and workloads, if not experiencing varsity basketball for the first time altogether.
Simons pointed to two key seniors that are extensions of the staff on the floor.
“Those two guys are helping me mature these kids,” Simons said of Massenburg and Nick Clements. “They got a lot of pressure on them. They’re not only playing but they’re sort of like my assistant coaches.”
“They’re young and have a lot of immaturity still,” Simons said if his team overall. “You have to learn the game before you can play it,” Simons added. “We’re still at that learning stage.”
UP NEXT
Both teams will return to game action next week.
Taylor (1-1) has a stretch of three games in four days, starting with a home tilt against Garden City on December 4. The Griffins will then open up Downriver League play the next day when they welcome in Allen Park before continuing DRL play with a trip to Wyandotte Roosevelt on Dec 7.
Advanced Tech (0-1) meanwhile will visit Detroit Voyageur Prep on Dec 5 before beginning Detroit Metro Athletic Conference play on the road against Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy on Dec 8.
The Lakers’ next home game is tabbed for Dec 12 against another DMAC foe in Hope of Detroit Academy.
