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The start was terrible, but there was a window when the sun came through, or maybe the moon, and Llano made a remarkable comeback. Burnet, though, closed that window, not requiring the cool night air, and it offered its own cold shoulder and whipped the Jackets 55-31, January 26.

“They’re real big,” head coach Shannon Taylor said. “They’re maybe one of the larger teams we’ve played, and it’s possible we were intimidated. We emphasized that size during practice, and we may have over-coached that situation. I’ll take responsibility for that.”

Ben Cardozo, 6’5”, scored five points in the opening quarter and assisted to 6-5 Chaston Hall for two, and the visitors constructed an 11-1 lead after the initial segment. 6-3 Stewart Berg stole the ball and got two points to make it 14-1. When a scrappy, hustling Vance Bauer scored with 6:17 remaining in the half, Llano had its first field goal.

The Bulldogs’ advantage reached 22-6, and what do you think happened then?

“…Francis from the left side….it’s off the glass and in for three!! Oh, my goodness was that big!....Left side, Bauer for three….it’s good, it’s good!!”

The Jackets produced a 10-0 run to trail 22-16 at the half. “Our defense was really a big reason we made that rally,” Taylor declared.

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“…Up top, the ball goes to Francis…he shoots a three….it’s good again!! I’m telling you I don’t believe it…!!”

“I have to hit threes,” Aaron Francis, the sophomore, stated. “I was fortunate to make ‘em.” Fortunate to have the talent to make ‘em. He had three in the game and a team-high 11 points. He had the same numbers at Liberty Hill, January 15.

Llano had pulled to within 24-21. It was a better comeback than the Republicans in Massachusetts. “There was a lot of hope at this time,” Sterling Jameson noted. “Aaron put life into the team.”

Alas, Burnet had life, too. No surprise for a bunch winning for the 19th time this season. The Bulldogs went on a 13-0 run. One of the hoops was a small-size version of the alley oop: Kory Everts to Berg, as he glided to the glass. There was no dunk involved, originating from six feet above the rim, but the basket totaled the same number of points. Berg wound up with 20.

“Everything they put up seemed to go in,” Jameson observed, “and we got into foul trouble.”

“Consistency seems to be our main problem,” Taylor lamented. “We need to stick to what we’re doing, and we can’t be erratic as we come down the floor. Basketball is so much about tempo and flow. We must have more confidence in our own abilities.

“I think we’re doing the right things; we see flashes of success, but now we have to repeat it possession after possession.”

Burnet vs. Liberty Hill: Francis thinks the Panthers are faster. Jameson says the Bulldogs aren’t as complete a team as Liberty Hill. One bit of evidence in Hill’s favor: a 72-62 win over the Bulldogs, January 22.

Jameson on Llano: “We’re discouraged, but we can still make the playoffs. We’ll come back strong.”

Taylor on Burnet: “Roy Kiser is a good man; he teaches excellent principles to his guys, and he does a good job as coach. It helps us to play a team like this, because we can learn from their actions on the court. Maybe that’ll make us better.”

Taylor on Llano: We have to keep believing in what we’re doing, and we all have to come together.”