Baylor senior Al Peciulis took a pass on the left elbow from Evan Haynie and knew exactly what he was going to do with the basketball.
The 6-foot-6 playmaker backed down his defender in the post, then faked a pass out to the perimeter before spinning around and making a beautiful jumper, stretching the Red Raiders’ third-quarter lead to 15 over reigning TSSAA Division II-AA state champion Montgomery Bell Academy.
Peciulis was masterful on the court in front of his home crowd Saturday night as he scored 28 points to lead the Red Raiders to a 72-57 victory. The talented stretch forward even picked apart the visitors while playing point guard during the second half, when he showcased his running floater and his ability to get to the foul line, where he shot 12-of-14.
“The key is to have composure,” Peciulis said. “Our team really has played with that lately in the last several games against a really tough schedule. This is my senior season, and I want to leave it all out there. I really want to help this team make a run for a state championship in my final high school year.”
Baylor fourth-year coach Mark Price was thrilled watching the skilled senior lead the way against an opponent led by Marcel Reed, who had 25 points and five 3-pointers – some of them from NBA range.