After a string of four wins, the Diboll Lumberjacks's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 69-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of Shepherd. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Diboll came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 324th, while Shepherd is ranked 1138th).
Diboll lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jadarian Kennerew, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 rebounds. Kennerew is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Zach Mitchell was another key contributor, scoring 21 points along with five steals.
Shepherd's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Payton Burton led the charge by scoring 21 points along with five rebounds. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for Burton. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden White, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and three blocks.
Diboll's defeat dropped their record down to 4-1. As for Shepherd, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 7-8.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Diboll will be home for the holidays to greet Central Heights at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Central Heights is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses. Shepherd will be home for the holidays to greet Onalaska at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Onalaska knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three contests -- so hopefully Shepherd likes a good challenge.
