Taylorville boys’ basketball came up just short in their home opener Friday night, falling 44–42 to Mahomet-Seymour in a physical Apollo Conference battle at Dolph Stanley Court.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 8–0 lead before the Tornadoes settled in and rallied to tie the game 8–8 by the end of the first quarter. Taylorville grabbed the momentum in the second, building a 12–8 lead and taking a 25–22 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter proved costly for the Tornadoes. Taylorville managed just four points in the frame—three of them on a Brock Brown three-pointer—while Mahomet-Seymour outscored them 12–4 to take a 34–29 lead into the fourth.

Taylorville made a late push in the final quarter, but the comeback fell just short. Brown laid in a bucket at the buzzer to bring the Tornadoes within two, but Mahomet-Seymour held on for the 44–42 win.

It was a rugged game throughout, with multiple technical fouls and several players fouling out. Taylorville drops to 0–2 on the season and 0–1 in Apollo play, while Mahomet-Seymour improves to 3–1 and 1–0 in the conference.

Brock Brown led Taylorville with 13 points, while Malique Pearse added 11 before fouling out. Pearse was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. Maddex Havera chipped in 8 points for the Tornadoes.

Taylorville is back in action Saturday at the Capital City Showcase at the BOS Center in Springfield. Tipoff is set for noon.

Mahomet: Malachi Nichols 10 pts, Nolan Franz 2, Parker Henry 2, Paxson O' Malley 9, Jackson Bohm 13, Ryan Pruitt 3, Eli Dyer 3, Jack Stelle 2. Taylorville: Maddyx Owens 5, Maddex Havera 8, Blake Ladage 1, Patrick Curtin 4, Malique Pearse 11, Brock Brown 13.

                          1           2           3           4             T
Taylorville        8         17           4         13           42
Mahomet         8         14          12       10            44