Fast start propels No. 7 Garden City past No. 20 Munday in region basketball semifinals
SNYDER – Garden City didn’t take long to deliver the knockout punch against Munday. The Bearkats scored the game’s first 15 points and led by 22 early in the second quarter.
By the time the Moguls recovered, after being down 30 at halftime, it was too late.
Julio Talimantes and Texas Brinkley scored 17 points each as No. 7 Garden City blasted No. 20 Munday 54-34 in a Region II-1A semifinal basketball game Friday at The Coliseum.
Garden City (26-6), a state semifinalist in 2007, plays No. 19 Benjamin (20-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday for the region title at The Coliseum. The winner advances to the state tournament March 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“You can’t go down 20 in the first quarter against the No. 7 team in the state,” Munday coach Adrian Daniel said. “I felt like we rushed some shots and got in panic mode when we got down. We’re used to being up. Those guys hit shot after shot. I thought they did a really good job of stopping us from penetrating lanes. They’re long in the passing lanes. “
Talamantes and Brinkley were terrific, especially in the first half. They combined to hit five 3s and scored 11 points each in the opening half.
“They answered every run we made with big shots,” Daniel said. “No. 10, that Texas kid, he was big. He made tough shots. I thought it was their night. They had a kid run and throw up a shot. I guess he thought it was a buzzer beater. It went in. That’s just kind of their night. We were 1-of-11 from 3, which isn’t very good. I thought they were just better than we were.”
Munday didn’t give up. The Moguls scored the first six points of the second half and outscored the Bearkats 26-16 in the final two quarters. But trying to overcome a 30-point halftime deficit was too much.
“I thought we really played well the second half,” Daniel said. “… I thought we played hard. They challenged us in ways we haven’t been challenged this year. Their perimeter shooting was phenomenal. … We got a bad start, and we couldn’t come back from that. Down 30 at half is a big task for any team. For us, it was big.”
Bryson Wilson led Munday (29-5) with 16 points, and Christopher Garcia followed with seven. Both are seniors.
Munday was playing in the region tournament for the first time since 2013. The Moguls have one state appearance (1985).
“I was proud of our boys,” said Daniel, who loses six seniors. “It’s a big accomplishment this year – 29-5, regional tournament. We’ve got work to do if we’re going to be back the next couple of years with our young guys. I’m happy to be here, and I’m grateful for all the support from our community.
REGION II-1A SEMIFINALS
Garden City 54, Munday 34
Munday … 2 … 6 … 17 … 9 – 34
Garden City … 20 … 18 … 10 … 6 – 54
MUNDAY (29-5) – Darrius McDaniel 1 0-0 2, Jaxon Bowman 0 0-0 0, Christopher Garcia 2 3-4 7, Bryson Wilson 6 3-3 16, Keon Taylor 2 0-0 4, Ethan Flye 0 0-0 0, Talan Collins 0 0-0 0, Carson Breedlove 0 0-0 0, Connor Willison 0 0-0 0, AJ Diaz 0 0-0 0, Kayton Shahan 0 0-0 0, Mance Phillips 1 0-0 2, Aiden Lopez 1 1-2 3. Totals 13 7-9 34.
GARDEN CITY (26-6) – John Lopez 4 0-0 8, Blain Walts 1 0-0 2, Kamdyn Roe 1 0-0 2, Logan Seidenberger 0 0-0 0, Julio Talamantes 6 1-1 17, Texas Brinkley 7 0-0 17, Presley Jost 0 0-0 0, Walton Marshall 0 0-0 0, Skyler Garcia 0 0-0 0, Mason Walker 4 0-0 8, Nathan Balcazar 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 1-1 54.
3-Point Goals – Munday 1 (Wilson), GC 7 (Talamantes 4, Brinkley 3). Total Fouls – Munday 6, GC 13. Fouled Out – None. Technical Fouls – None.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Garden City races past Munday in Region II-1A boys basketball semis
