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Wylie East senior Mikiyas Abiy (23) dunks during the first half against Wylie on Friday at Montgomery Center. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media

By David Wolman

sports@csmediatexas.com

Although the Wylie East boys basketball team never trailed during the first three quarters of last Friday night’s home game against Wylie, Raiders head coach Kortney Smith knew that the Pirates had one more run left in them.

The Pirates opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, cutting the deficit to 43-38 on a layup by senior Darian Romano with 4:18 remaining.

However, Wylie East closed the game strong. A steal and layup by junior Preston Samuels with 1:10 remaining pushed the Raiders’ lead to 50-40 and helped seal an eventual 55-47 win at the Montgomery Center.

Wylie East consistently made the right pass at the right time to set up teammates for open looks. A 3-pointer from sophomore Brayden Doolan just 31 seconds into the game gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead, pacing Wylie East in a wire-to-wire road win over Wylie.

Junior Josiah Ward also had the hot hand early. He knocked down a 3-pointer on a find by senior Praise Olufemi as Wylie East extended its lead to 17-10.

Ward finished with seven points. Doolan led all Raiders with 15 points. Senior Mikiyas Abiy added 11 points. Olufemi scored 10, followed by nine from junior point guard Preston Samuels.

Romano capped an 8-0 Wylie run to close the half with a 3-pointer off an assist from senior Chase Hughes, trimming the deficit to 26-24 at the break.

Wylie East regrouped at halftime and built a 41-30 lead with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. Samuels found senior Ayden Biscarro-Davila open beyond the arc, and Biscarro-Davila buried the 3-pointer.

Wylie had one final push left. The Pirates opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, cutting the deficit to 43-38 on Romano’s layup.

Romano finished with five points. Senior Theo Allen led Wylie with 12 points, followed by 11 from Hughes.

However, Wylie East closed the game strong.

The win capped off a much-needed week for the Raiders, one in which Wylie East entered the week with a 1-4 district record but improved to 3-4 following wins over Garland and Wylie. The Pirates fell to 5-1 in District 9-6A.