After a string of 24 wins, the McLeod Longhorns's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 49-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tom Bean. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as McLeod came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 325th, while Tom Bean is ranked 678th).
Tom Bean was led to victory by Garrett Kelly and Branson Ashlock. Kelly scored 13 points, while Ashlock dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Ashlock has scored at least 25% of Tom Bean's points. Another player making a difference was Maguire Poole, who scored six points along with five rebounds.
McLeod's defeat ended a ten-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 24-1. As for Tom Bean, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season.
McLeod will head out on the road to face off against Hawkins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Hawkins' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four contests. As for Tom Bean, they will be playing at home against Sam Rayburn on Tuesday. Sam Rayburn is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
