San Marcos led early, but could not hold on after senior guard Cash Good left with an injury as the Rattlers fell 61-52 against East Central on Tuesday night.
“I thought we showed fight to the end, and that was good,” said San Marcos head coach Dan Miller. “But that flurry of, probably the first five minutes of play when he (Good) was out they just made such a big run.”
The Rattlers got out to an early lead in the first thanks to quality defense, and second chance points.
After a three-pointer from Donovan Riddick and a free throw from Josiah Hollmon, San Marcos led 11-5.
East Central tightened their grip with a full-court press defense, but San Marcos led 13-10 after the first quarter.
The Hornets came out hot in the second quarter, forcing turnovers and taking the ball to the rim for transition baskets. A 9-0 run gave East Central a 19-15 lead.
The Rattlers did not blink, as they settled in offensively to work their way back. Donovan Riddick accounted for nine of the Rattlers 16 second quarter points, and San Marcos took a 29-24 lead to halftime.
Riddick finished the game with 23 points, and a double-double.
“His scoring punch really helped us, especially in that first half,” said Miller.
The Rattlers opened the third with back-to-back scores from Josiah Hollmon, and Sergio Gutierrez to extend the lead to 33-24. After East Central connected on a three-pointer to make it 33-27, senior point guard Cash Good went down holding his ankle and had to leave the game.
Without their primary ball handler, San Marcos struggled to break through East Central’s relentless trapping defense. The Hornets went on a 22-3 run for the remainder of the third quarter, they led 49-36 entering the fourth.
San Marcos fought hard in the fourth to bring the game back to single digits, but it was not enough to overcome the lead that East Central had built. The Rattlers suffered their 16th loss of the season, 61-52 at the hands of the Hornets.
With three games remaining on the schedule, the 16-16 Rattlers hope to win at least two to end the season with a winning record.
They travel to play Judson on the road on Friday night.
