The last time San Marcos played Buda Hays, chants of “just like football” from the opposing crowd bounced off the walls inside the Snake Pit following the game.
While there weren’t any chants after the Rattlers’ 68-41 rout of their cross-county rival on Tuesday, it was “just like football'' for the purple and white — ending the game scoring over 60 points and walking out with a win.
.@RattlerMBB head coach Dan Miller on his team’s 68-41 victory to kick off district against Buda Hays. ?⬇️
— Jude McClaren (@judemcclaren) December 22, 2021
Part 1:@smdrsports pic.twitter.com/LdJ9gsnZMA
“I was really pleased with our focus right from the start of the game. I thought we had a good practice yesterday, and the guys were focused on district play starting and we got off to a good start in the first quarter and we were able to hang on,” head coach Dan Miller said. “The guys did a really good job of just focusing. We said, it's not really (about) who we play. It's about us (and) attention to detail.”
The Rattlers started the game off on a 19-5 run and never looked back. They were able to extend their lead to 30 in the second half before bringing their starters off the floor in a dominant performance.
San Marcos pressured the Hawks on defense throughout the game, forcing turnovers leading to multiple high-flying dunks in transition by four-star junior forward Malik Presley, who ended the night with 21 points. Junior forward Mateus Perkins also stood out in the paint, tallying up 15 points with some dunks of his own.
.@RattlerMBB G Abel Trevino (@abe1t2evino) and F @MateusPerkins talk tonight’s 68-41 win over Buda Hays. ?⬇️@smdrsports pic.twitter.com/i7BlisywEm
— Jude McClaren (@judemcclaren) December 22, 2021
“I've just learned to be tougher. You know, when I was a freshman I obviously didn't play as well as I am right now. So I'm just learning to play my role better, you know, be tough with the ball and score whenever I need to,” Perkins said. “(Playing with Presley and junior guard Kaden Gumbs) makes it so much easier. Having them be able to score at will and having Caleb on the wing being the best shooter in the district, it just opens the floor a lot so we can get me and Abel some open looks.”
In blowout victories, it’s not always easy to find something to improve on or ways to get better, but Miller continues to see areas where his team can improve.
“There were some breakdowns I thought defensively, a couple of our coverages, we weren't all on the same page. And that's the stuff that (we’ve preached), that Baylor talk, talking to each other. We gotta be a little bit more locked in (with) a little more synergy,” Miller said. “And just a few possessions where they got an offensive putback (where) we have to go get that ball. Like we’re good at the 50-50 balls and (we’re a) rebounding team. And tonight, just a few times, we could have had it. So lessons learned in a win. I like to learn lessons in a win, especially going into Christmas for the guys.”
While there’s tons of holiday cheer around San Marcos High School’s campus after a varsity program sweep of their cross-county rival, the work is far from done for the purple and white. The Rattlers head to Round Rock for the William Roberts Memorial Tournament on Dec. 28, before heading up to Austin High on Jan. 4 to hop back into district play.
“It's going to be a really good tournament. (Round Rock) put together a really good field, so I like that we can come right out of Christmas and instead of jumping right back into district play, (we can) play four games against non-district teams and all 6A, good teams,” Miller said. “We won our last tournament. We would love to have two tournament trophies, but like I always tell them you can't win the championship game without winning the first game. So we need a good practice on Dec. 27 when we get back together, and then go up there on the 28th and get that thing started.”
Highlights from @RattlerMBB’s 68-41 win against Buda Hays. ??
— Jude McClaren (@judemcclaren) December 22, 2021
Part 1:@smdrsports pic.twitter.com/pLGUhgFMhD
