The Shepherd Pirates opened the week with a hard-fought home battle against the always-tough Madisonville Mustangs, a program known for its speed, depth, and disciplined play.
For much of the first half, Shepherd controlled the tempo and looked poised to pull off an early-season upset, but it wasn’t enough and the Mustangs pulled off a 61-48 win.
Shepherd controlled much of the first half and had Mustang fans sweating early. But Madisonville found their rhythm after halftime, pulling ahead in the final stretch and taking the win 61–48.
The Pirates came out firing, playing with confidence and execution that had the Mustang crowd silent early. Shepherd took a narrow lead into halftime, but Madisonville responded like a seasoned program. The Mustangs erupted for 24 points in the second quarter, cutting into Shepherd’s cushion and shifting the momentum.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point, as Madisonville’s fast-paced attack produced 12 points while the Pirates were held to 6. Shepherd fought hard to stay in striking distance, but 15 team fouls gave the Mustangs too many opportunities to extend the lead at the line.
Junior standout Brayden White delivered an electric performance, torching the Mustangs’ defense for 23 points. White was equally sharp at the stripe, knocking down 5 of 6 free throws and carrying the Pirates’ offense through long stretches of the game.
Senior Rogelio Covarrubias added 8 points, shooting 3-for-4 at the line, while fellow senior Jamal Horton contributed 7 points and went 1-for-2 from the stripe. Junior Benjamin Coyle finished the night with 5 points, including a perfect 1-for-1 at the line.
During the West Orange-Stark Tournament over the weekend, Shepherd went 2-4.
On Thursday, the Pirates lost 78-37 to Dunbar and 61-42 to Pineywoods Community Academy. White had the hot hand on that day, tossing up 29 points and pulling down 20 rebounds between the games.
On Friday, Shepherd lost to Lumberton 48-39 but won over Ehrhart School 71-26. Against Lumberton, White scored 21 with 11 rebounds; against Ehrhart, White put up 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Bryson Goodman added 11 points in the win.
Then on Saturday, Shepherd downed county rival Coldspring 59-46, but fell to Jasper 59-56.
The Trojans lost five straight last week, falling 97-19 to Hargrave on Dec. 2 and losing four at the West Orange-Stark Tournament over the weekend — 84-40 to Kelly Catholic and 78-47 to Jasper on Thursday, 68-40 to La Marque on Friday and 59-46 to Shepherd on Saturday.
