MESQUITE -- A single-digit margin grew thanks to a flurry of early third-quarter turnovers for Tyler Lee, which couldn't recover from the miscues in a 56-43 District 12-5A loss at league-leading Mesquite on Friday night.

The win pushed Mesquite to 7-1 in district play, while Lee fell to 14-9 overall and 3-5 in league competition.

After Mesquite built a 12-point first-half lead, a 9-0 second-quarter run pulled Lee within three points, 25-22, with 1:39 until halftime. Mesquite's Jamarquez Scott drove to the bucket in the final 10 seconds of the period for a 27-22 lead at intermission, and that play wound up serving as a harbinger of what came in the third quarter.

Lee opened the second half with three consecutive turnovers and giveaways on four of the Red Raiders' first six possessions, which led to Mesquite regaining its double-digit lead three minutes into the third on an 8-2 run capped by Bryson Robinson's layup.

Robinson scored a team-high 16 points, while Scott followed with 15 points. Scott staved off what looked to be Lee's second run to get back within striking distance when he drilled a pullup three-pointer with three seconds left in the third for a 42-30 advantage heading to the final period.

Lee guard Jack Calhoun scored a game-high 17 points, while teammate Caleb Johnston added 14 points. Mesquite post Josh Nzeakor was a consistent interior presence with 10 points and a strong effort on the glass.

Mesquite's lead grew to 17 points, 50-33, as Robinson and Codarius Vault each hit three-pointers in the first half of the fourth quarter to follow Scott's late-third triple as part of an 11-3 spurt that put the game away. Lee trimmed the lead to 50-37 with 2:39 left and fouled on six consecutive Mesquite possessions in an attempt to preserve the clock, but the Skeeters hit 8 of 12 free-throw attempts and never led by fewer than 12 points in the closing minutes.

Lee hosts Longview (17-11, 5-3), which got 39 points from big man Cadell Williams in Friday's 95-76 home win vs. Rockwall-Heath, at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Mesquite takes a bye Tuesday evening.

 

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