The Miller Buccaneers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 67-59 defeat to Gregory-Portland. While losing is never fun, Miller can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 651st, while Gregory-Portland is ranked 180th).
Miller's loss came despite strong showings from Jaedyn Brown and George Simmons. Brown scored 15 points, while Simmons scored 14 points along with six steals and five rebounds. The contest was Simmons' fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Alex Zamora, who scored seven points along with four steals.
It was another big night for Shawn Williams, who dropped a double-double on 37 points and 15 rebounds for Gregory-Portland. That makes it five consecutive games in which Williams has scored at least 25% of Gregory-Portland's points. Trevor Jones was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Miller's loss dropped their record down to 11-9. As for Gregory-Portland, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 21-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Miller will take on Victoria East at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Victoria East is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games. As for Gregory-Portland, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Ray at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Ray is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
