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The Rattlers fell 65-63 against the Smithson Valley Rangers in their home opener on Tuesday night. The loss dropped their record to 0-2, with the losses being by a combined five points.
“I’m proud of the guys just for playing hard,” said San Marcos head coach Dan Miller. “We played hard in both games, and unfortunately came up a possession short in both games.”
It was a neck-and-neck first quarter that saw three lead changes. The Rattlers shots were not falling in the first minutes of the game, but stifling defense kept the Rangers from pulling away. A basket from Cash Good put the Rattlers in front 15-13 to close out the quarter.
“We’re playing some good defense, we’re a physical team,” said Miller. “But we’ve just got to get better as the year goes on.”
San Marcos expanded on the lead, thanks to a 6-0 run midway through the second quarter, punctuated by a fastbreak dunk by Josiah Hollmon, and a layup by Donovan Riddick that made it 26-19.
The Rattlers went into halftime with a 32-26 lead.
The Rangers came out hot in the second half, a three-pointer from Wayne Jurica put Smithson Valley in the lead 33-32. Smithson Valley ended the third quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 49-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Rattlers worked to eliminate the lead early in the fourth, riding seven early points by Donovan Riddick to tie the game, 54-54.
Smithson Valley’s effective half-court offense helped them to avoid turnovers against San Marcos’ full-court press as the Rangers surged to a 62-55 lead late in the fourth, their largest lead of the night.
With their backs against the wall, San Marcos fought back. A score from Donovan Riddick, followed by a three-pointer from junior Walter Howard brought the Rattlers to within two points.
With less than a minute to go, Cash Good knocked down a three-pointer that gave San Marcos a 63-62 lead. But another timely three-pointer Smithson Valley’s Wayne Jurica put the Rangers on top 65-63 with nine seconds to play.
In the final seconds, Rattler guard Donovan Riddick drove the ball to the rim but was blocked by Ranger forward Brooks Laye, giving Smithson Valley a thrilling 65-63 win.
The Rattlers will look to regroup against Round Rock on Thursday morning.
