The Taylorville boys basketball team hit the road Friday night looking to rebound after a tough loss to Rochester earlier in the week, traveling to Mahomet to take on a physical and well-rounded Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs squad.
Mahomet provided a playoff-like atmosphere before tip-off, with a packed gymnasium, player signings, food, and pregame events setting the stage for a big Apollo Conference showdown. From the opening minutes, the Bulldogs fed off the energy of the crowd.
Mahomet’s Jackson Bohm wasted no time making his presence felt, putting together a dominant first half. Bohm attacked the basket and knocked down shots from the perimeter, pouring in 23 points before halftime and establishing himself as a top-tier scoring threat. Taylorville stayed competitive behind Brock Brown, who broke out of a recent scoring slump with a strong offensive night, leading the Tornadoes with 19 points.
Despite the effort, Taylorville headed into halftime trailing by 11, searching for answers on the defensive end.
Those answers came in the second half as the Tornadoes made defensive adjustments, locking down Bohm and limiting his scoring opportunities. However, the focus on Bohm opened the floor for Mahomet’s other shooters, who stepped up and spread the offense effectively. The Bulldogs capitalized on the openings, hitting timely shots and maintaining control down the stretch.
Taylorville battled until the final buzzer, but Mahomet-Seymour held on to secure a 69–60 Apollo Conference victory.
The Tornadoes will look to regroup quickly and bounce back as they return home Saturday to face Lincoln, aiming to turn lessons learned on the road into a much-needed win.
Malique Pearse with the dime to Maddex Havera