San Marcos Rattlers Fall Short to Samuel Clemens Buffaloes (1/ 24/ 25)

By Mikah Lusby

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Samuel Clemens clinched a win against San Marcos in a non-district away game. 

The Buffaloes started with a 5-0 run with a three ball and fast break slam dunk. It didn’t take long for the Rattlers to begin responding. Grabbing boards on both sides of the court made San Marcos gain the advantage during the first quarter. Multiple “thread the needle” passes gave them easy point opportunities in the paint. 

Rattler forward Donavan Riddic had a stellar first half. He contributed 22 points, which was half of the Rattlers points scored. He found success all over the court, putting up shots from beyond the arch, mid range, and in the paint. His dominance ended the first half with a score of 44-35. 

Riddic ended the game with a double double and a career high of 37 points. 

As the game progressed, the tension did as well. The third quarter was a roller coaster for everyone on the court, even the coaches. Both teams were upset at some of the fouls called which resulted in more body contact and trash talk. 

An altercation between the refs and Clemens coach resulted in a technical foul, sending starter Cash Good to the line where he secured both shots. History repeated itself, with another tech called on Clemens, followed by another call on Rattler head coach Dan Miller. 

The fourth quarter was where the Buffs began to gain traction. After a set of free throws, Clemens found themselves in the lead since the first minutes of the game. The game stayed stagnant after two sets of full charge timeouts at the 1:30 mark. When the game resumed, the game of inches turned in the Buffaloes favor. 

Good found himself in foul trouble towards the end of the game. While removing himself through a heated moment, the fourth technical of the game was called and put him on the bench for the remainder of the match. 

The game ended in a final score of 82-86. The Rattlers will play again at home on New Years Eve against Davenport at 12:30pm. San Marcos now sits at a 14-10 record and will resume conference play on January 3rd against Davenport.