Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Kemp’s Daltyn Irvin (right) prepares to hand off the ball to Jose Morales as Mabank’s Jayden Colin defends.

Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Mabank’s Ty Perkins looks for a pass as Kemp head coach Mark Driskell directs defense Jan. 11.

Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Mabank’s Daylon Gibbs keeps control of the ball as Kemp’s Payten Stevenson guards during Jan. 11 action.

Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Jose Morales of Kemp (right) faces off with the Panthers’ Luke Carter during the Jan. 11 game in Mabank.

Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Josiah Young of Kemp fights off Mabank’s Carter Sims as he moves the ball around the perimeter Jan. 11.

Monitor Photo/Amber Curtis
Mabank’s Kaden Penland (from left) and Carter Sims defend Kemp’s Payten Stevenson and Josiah Young.

MABANK–Jan. 11, the Mabank Panthers took a second-half lead (and kept it) after breaking a halftime tie to defeat their 15-4A mates, the Kemp Yellowjackets, by 72-68 to improve the Panthers to 3-1 in District play and hand Kemp their third District loss.
Early in the game, Kemp (who Jan. 3 had defeated Brownsboro on the road, 67-62, for their first District win) took a 5-0 lead behind a Jose Morales bucket and a Justin McCool 3-pointer. Daylon Gibbs made two Mabank free throws to cut Kemp’s lead to 5-2, but later, a Morales 3-pointer and Daltyn Irvin layup extended the Yellowjacket lead to 12-6. Kemp was in front 20-13 at the end of the first period after the Yellowjackets answered a 3-pointer by Mabank’s Carter Sims.
Josiah Young added to Kemp’s scoring advantage in the second period with a bucket, then Morales made an acrobatic layup to hand the Yellowjackets an 11-point lead. Gibbs hit a Mabank 3-pointer to close the gap, then Jayden Colin added another Mabank 3-pointer to cut Kemp’s margin to 5 points.
Later in the second period, Mabank tied the game at 29-29. Kaysen Stevenson of Kemp sunk two free throws to give Kemp a 33-31 lead, then Mabank hit a foul shot to get within one point. Kemp added another bucket to take a 35-32 lead, then Carter Sims made a Mabank 3-pointer to tie the game at halftime, 35-35.
In the third period, Luke Carter’s 3-pointer gave Mabank a 41-38 advantage, but Kemp responded with another 3-pointer to tie the game once more. Gibbs of Mabank put the Panthers ahead 42-41 with a single free throw, after which Ty Perkins scored a 3-point play to give Mabank a 45-41 advantage.
Mabank led 58-51 entering the final period. In that final period, Mabank built a 64-55 lead, which Kemp reduced to 69-67 with 1:51 left in the game. Sims added a Mabank free throw to extend the Panthers’ lead to 70-67. Mabank’s Luke Carter added two free throws to increase the Panthers’ margin to 72-67. Kemp made one free throw to get within 72-68 before time ran out.
Sims led Mabank with 26 points, followed by Gibbs’ 15 points. Luke Carter had 12 Mabank points, Colin scored 8 Mabank points, Perkins contributed 6 Panther points, Rev Neighbors tallied 4 points for Mabank and Kaden Penland added a free throw to the Panthers’ scoring total.
Morales led the Yellowjackets with 30 points, which included six 3-pointers. Young had 14 Kemp points, McCool had 8 Yellowjacket points, Irvin added 5 Kemp points, Kaysen Stevenson and Payten Stevenson each totaled 4 points for the Yellowjackets and Aiden Fitzhugh added 3 points for Kemp.