Emotions ran high at Western Brown High School on Tuesday, Feb. 12. It was Senior Night for the Broncos as they hosted Clinton-Massie for a Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference American Division battle.

The Senior Night ceremony was held just prior to the start of the varsity boys’ basketball game, and for Western Brown’s senior guard Josh Taylor, Senior Night was even more special than originally expected.

Josh Taylor’s father, Pastor James Taylor, is fighting a tough fight against cancer, and the Western Brown senior was unaware that his father would be making it out to the WBHS gymnasium to join his son on Senior Night. Many of those in attendance struggled to keep their emotions at bay as they saw the look on Josh Taylor’s face when his father came through the gymnasium door.

“It meant the absolute world to me that he was able to make it tonight,” Josh Taylor said in a social media post following Tuesday’s Senior Night at Western Brown.

Before tip-off, Josh Taylor and his teammates decided they would win this one for Pastor James Taylor. The Broncos knew topping Clinton-Massie would be no easy task after suffering a 66-46 loss at Clinton-Massie High School earlier in the season. But there was more to motivate the Broncos the second time around with the Taylors in their thoughts and prayers.

Clinton-Massie held an 8-1 league record entering Tuesday’s game as the leader in the SBAAC American Division while the Broncos entered the contest at 5-4 in a tight battle for second place in league standings.

It was a battle that saw the two teams tied at 41 at the end of the third quarter, but it was the Broncos pulling away in the fourth quarter to capture a 69-60 win.

“It was a very emotional night,” said Western Brown head coach Greg Foster. “They wanted to play for James (Taylor), and it was a good feeling.”

Clinton-Massie held a 15-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, but it was Josh Taylor heating up in the second period to keep his team close when the Broncos weren’t getting the shots they wanted and struggling to take care of the basketball. Taylor buried a three-pointer to kick off scoring in the second period, cutting the Clinton-Massie lead to 15-14.

A bucket by Clinton-Massie senior Daulton Wolfe left the Broncos trailing by three, but it was another three-pointer by Taylor that tied the game at 17 with just over six-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half.

Clinton-Massie answered with a three-pointer by senior Zach Chowning to take a 20-17 lead, but Western Brown sophomore Zyon Tull rifled in a three-pointer and was fouled on the shot, venturing to the charity stripe to finish off the four-point play and put the Broncos on top 21-20.

Brendan Lamb scored on a drive to the hoop to put Clinton-Massie on top 22-21, but it was another three-pointer by Taylor that lifted the Broncos to a 24-22 advantage with 2:34 to go in the second quarter.

The Broncos upped their lead to 25-22 as senior Vince Whitaker sank one-of-two attempts from the foul line after being fouled on a shot attempt.

Tull buried a shot on a drive to the hoop to expand the Bronco lead to 27-22 late in the first half.

Clinton-Massie rallied late in the first half, and it was a set of hit free throws followed by a field goal from senior Drew Settlemyre that sliced the Bronco lead to just one, 27-26.

Chowning drained a three-pointer just before the buzzer to end the first half, and heading into halftime break it was Clinton-Massie leading 29-27.

Whitaker sank a pair of free throws to start scoring in the third quarter, tying the score at 29 apiece.

A hit free throw by Clinton-Massie’s Griffin Laake left the Broncos trailing 30-29, but it was a three-pointer by Taylor that gave the Broncos a 32-30 lead.

Clinton-Massie took a 41-39 lead late in the third quarter as Lamb buried a floater, but it was Western Brown’s junior forward Yani Williams sinking a pair of free throws after he was fouled on a shot attempt to tie the game at 41.

Whitaker came through with a score in the paint to lift the Broncos to a 43-41 lead in the third quarter, but Clinton-Massie quickly tied the game at 43 as Lamb scored on a drive to the hoop.

A three-pointer by Wolfe put Clinton-Massie up 46-43, but it was Whitaker sinking a three-pointer to knot the score at 46.

An assist by Whitaker for a three-pointer by Ian Shaffer lifted the Broncos to a 49-46 advantage.

It was Western Brown senior Liam Keller coming through with a field goal from close range to expand the Broncos’ lead to 51-46.

Patience on offense paid off for the Broncos near the midway point in the fourth quarter, as good ball movement led to a three-pointer by Tull to put the Broncos up 54-46.

Following a pair of hit free throws by Wolfe, another three-pointer by Tull put the Broncos up 57-48.

Clinton-Massie battled back late in the fourth quarter to trim the Western Brown lead to just four points, but the momentum would once again shift in the Broncos’ favor.

It was Tull taking an in-bounds pass and dishing it off to Shaffer as he cut to the basket for an easy lay-up, putting the Broncos up 60-53.

The Broncos were able to sink some key free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the victory, leading 67-57 with 40.7 seconds to go after a pair of hit free throws by senior Ty Crall.

Taylor sank one-of-two attempts from the foul line with just over 23 seconds remaining to end scoring for the night, putting a cap on the nine-point Bronco victory.

“The first half we played hard, but we weren’t playing very smart. We took a lot of bad shots and had some turnovers we didn’t want. The second half was a different story,” Foster said of Tuesday’s win. “Everybody did a great job against a tough group, especially in the second half. The effort the second time around was a lot better than it was the first time we played them.

It was Taylor and his senior teammates that helped provide the Broncos with the spark they needed to pull off a victory over Clinton-Massie who still leads in SBAAC American Division standings at 8-2.

“Once he got going, everybody else kind of fed off that,” Foster said of Taylor’s performance.

There were five Broncos to reach double figures in scoring in Tuesday’s win.

Taylor led the way with 14 points, sinking four three-pointers and two free throws.

Whitaker finished with 13 points.

Tull contributed 12 points to the Broncos’ side of the scoreboard, while Shaffer and Keller ended the night with 11 points each.

Chowning led Clinton-Massie in scoring with 20 points.

The Broncos stood at a 6-4 league record following Tuesday’s win, in a tie with Goshen for second in league standings.

The Broncos rose to a 14-7 overall record with their win over Clinton-Massie in what many thought would be a rebuilding year for the Western Brown varsity boys’ basketball team that graduated a skilled crew of seniors since last season.

“Some people probably thought we couldn’t do what we have done this season,” said Foster. “We knew we would have our ‘ups and downs’, but this is a great group of guys. They feed off each other. They’re not necessarily the most talented, but they bring a lot of energy and they play for each other.”

Western Brown senior Josh Taylor buries a three-pointer in the Broncos’ win over Clinton-Massie.
https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_josh-taylor-user.jpgWestern Brown senior Josh Taylor buries a three-pointer in the Broncos’ win over Clinton-Massie.
Western Brown boys win one for senior’s father who is battling cancer

By Wade Linville

wlinville@browncountypress.com