(Cibolo) — In a tiebreaker game for the District 26-5A fourth and final playoff spot, the Seguin Matadors fell to the Pieper Warriors 72-52 at Cibolo Steele High School on Friday night.
Seguin trailed 17-10 after the first quarter. The Matadors got off to a 5-0 start thanks to a three-pointer from Gabe Hernandez and a Cameron Juarez-Bruns basket, but the Warriors would answer with a 17-2 run. Chase Zuniga would pull Seguin within seven with a trey just before the end of the quarter.
The teams would go back and forth in the second quarter with the Matadors outscoring Pieper 11-10 to make it a six point game at the half. Despite being double and triple teamed most of the first 16 minutes, Matador senior John Jackson finished the half tied with Pieper sophomore Mayson Thomas with a game-high nine points.
The Warriors would come out in the third quarter on fire from deep. Three straight three-point baskets gave Pieper a 36-21 lead forcing Seguin head coach Guy Nowlin to call a timeout. The Warriors would outscore the Mats 26-12 in the quarter to take a 20-point lead into the fourth.
Seguin went on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, but the Warriors were able to weather the storm the rest of the way and keep the lead in double digits to advance to next week’s Bi-District round. Pieper will face Leander Rouse in the first round of the playoffs.
Jackson finished with 27 points in his final game as a Matador. The senior ends his high school career with over 2000 points. The four-year Matador basketball letterman was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and a San Antonio Sports All-Star this season. A standout athlete on the football field as well, Jackson will play college basketball and football at UT-Rio Grande Valley.
Matador senior Noah Lara finished with four points, while fellow seniors Hernandez and Zuniga ended the night with three a piece. Junior Juarez-Bruns dropped in eight points. Warrior senior Tucker Voigt had 21 points including four three-pointers to lead Pieper.
Seguin ends their season with a 16-17 overall record. The Matadors were led by fourth-year head coach Guy Nowlin.