Rattlers Lose in a Nailbiter Against Cavaliers

By Jaysen Collins
Sports Reporter

The San Marcos High School boy’s basketball team (22-6 overall, 5-1 26-6A) lost a close one Tuesday night against the Lake Travis Cavaliers (19-6 overall, 4-1 26-6A) by a final score of 63-59.

Lake Travis started the game clicking on all cylinders as they came out with an 8-2 run within the first two minutes. Coming out of a timeout, Junior forward Malik Pressley scored the next two baskets for the Rattlers, bringing San Marcos within one with a score of 8-7.

A player for the San Marcos Rattlers basketball team is shooting for a shot at the basketball goal while a player for the Lake Travis Cavaliers stands below him on the court. The court is beige with a purple stripe that reads "San Marcos". In the background, the crowd cheers from the purple bleachers. — Point Guard Kaden Gumbs finishes at the rim for the layup. *Photo by Rattlers Athletics*

However, that is as close as the Rattlers would get to winning this game. Every time the Rattlers would claw back into the game, Lake Travis would hit a big three or a couple of easy baskets that would derail all momentum for the Rattlers.

The zone defense of Lake Travis gave the Rattlers fits; they couldn’t catch a rhythm offensively. Furthermore, the Cavalier’s ball movement allowed them to find open shots and not force anything. If they didn’t have a good shot, they continued to run their offense and wait for a defensive lapse from the rattlers.

Lake Travis concluded the third quarter on a 6-0 run, putting them up 47-38 going into the fourth quarter. However, San Marcos clamped down and started to run a press defense on Lake Travis towards the end of the game. Lake Travis couldn’t handle the full-court press, leading to forced turnovers and bad shot choices. San Marcos began chipping away at the lead by capitalizing on Lake Travis’ late-game errors.

Unfortunately for Rattlers fans, San Marcos’ efforts came a little too late as Lake Travis closed the game by making late-game free throws. Again, the final score was 63-59, Lake Travis.

San Marcos will be on the road on Jan. 21 at 8:00 p.m. for a big one against Austin Westlake. The pair met in a tournament earlier in the season; Westlake won 79-47. Friday night will be a chance for San Marcos to bounce back and compete for first place in the district standings.

Featured Image by Khalid Alhareth