Flatonia Surges to Fourth Round
Playoff Run Ties ‘99 Team as Longest Ever For Bulldogs Hoops
Tuesday was a perfect example of how a good team can beat a great player.
In front of a standingroom- only crowd in Giddings, the Flatonia boys beat Milano 62-50 in a third round basketball playoff game as the balanced Bulldogs squad overcame an amazing night by Eagle senior Jayce Todd.
Todd scored 42 points, and was the only Milano player to score at all over the final three quarters.
But Flatonia’s depth shined through with three players in double figures. Holden Kloesel scored 19, Keyshaun Green had 17 and Jaidyn Guyton had 13.
Tuesday’s win vaults Flatonia (32-4) into Friday’s regional semifinals versus Port Aransas (28-9) at 6 p.m. at Buda Johnson High School. This ties the longest playoff run in Bulldog basketball history, along with the 1999 team.
“This means a lot,” said head coach Chris Sodek. “Flatonia is known for football and baseball ... Maybe people will appreciate little Flatonia basketball now.”
Tuesday’s victory was a matter of revenge for Flatonia, which had lost to these Eagles in this same round of the playoff last season.
Kloesel was injured in that playoff game last year and didn’t play, but he was a difference-maker Tuesday.
After a cold start shooting the ball, he really fueled Flatonia late.
“We got cut short by these guys last year, and I didn’t play. We knew this year was going to be different. We gave it everything we’ve got,” said Kloesel, one of seven Bulldog seniors. “This is what we’ve been dreaming of for the past four years.”
Tuesday’s game couldn’t have started any worse for Flatonia.
Milano jumped out to a 10-0 in the game’s first three minutes against a shocked Bulldogs’ team and their huge crowd.
“I didn’t expect that at all,” Sodek said. “I knew they were good but I thought we had a really good defensive game plan.”
But a pair of early threepointers by Keyshaun Green injected new life into Flatonia.
“We had to get something going. We stuck to what we knew and made a great run,” Green said, whose neon green shoes lit up the gym like he was lighting up the scoreboard.
“I’ve only worn them a couple of games. These are special occasion shoes – Mellos,” Green said. “Everybody knows I like to be different, so I got some neon green shoes. They worked today.”
Before the first quarter was over Flatonia had tied the score at 10-10.
“We had a better defensive game this year against them,” Green said. “Last year we didn’t control a lot of things. Against a good shooting team like Milano, you have to play great defense.”
By halftime the Bulldogs were up 26-20 and they never looked back – even as the 6-foot-5 Todd continued to light up the scoreboard.
“All year long Jayce Todd has been really good. I think sometimes people approach it the wrong way,” Sodek said. “We didn’t want to just let him go score but our plan for him was not so much to limit Jayce Todd, but the way they win is when people just try to take away Jayce Todd and then the other players beat you. Tonight it worked, he scored 42 but they scored 50. The plan worked.”
Now the Bulldogs turn their attention to Port Aransas, a team they beat by 12 points at their home tournament back in December. The winner of Friday’s game plays the Thorndale/Stockdale victor for the regional title and state berth. No matter what happens this weekend at the regional tournament, however, these Bulldogs have made history.
“When I moved to Flatonia, this is something I wanted to get done, said Sodek, a Fayetteville native, who coached Mumford to a state basketball title before coming to Flatonia in 2014. “It’s taken a little longer than I thought, but it’s good to take Flatonia to somewhere it hasn’t been in 24 years.”
2/28/23
Flatonia 62, Milano 50 Flatonia 12 14 17 19 – 62 Milano 13 7 11 19 – 50 Flatonia scoring: Keyshaun Green 17, Duke Sodek 5, Holden Kloesel 19, Keegan Green 3, Luke Law 4, Jaidyn Guyton 13, Camden Bosl 2.
Milano scoring: Jayce Todd 42, Anthony Valadez 3, Gael Alcala 3, Greg Storey 2.