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Home | Sports | Prep Sports
Taylor has it all, and does it all
The point guard with the Jordanesque name scored 43 points to lead Benilde-St. Margaret's to victory against Como Park.
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Benilde-St. Margaret's point guard Jordan Taylor has it all. The shoes, the name, the number. And there's this: His middle name is Michael.
So after scoring 43 points in the Red Knights' 76-62 victory against Como Park on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament, the question had to be asked.
"Everybody's a Jordan fan,'' Taylor said in response. "You gotta love Michael. We talk at school about his latest shoe. He's Michael, he's the greatest ever.''
Chances are the talk at school today would be all about Taylor's performance, but as he noted, there weren't many Benilde students in the crowd due to spring break.
"Most of them are down in Cabo [San Lucas] partying it up,'' Taylor said. "I guess we had to stay here and make our own fun.''
No. 23 did it by being very Jordan-like. If the defense backed off he hit one of his five three-pointers. When someone tried to play him tight, Taylor, a well-put-together 6-1, took the ball to the basket with authority.
Como Park's Jordan Jackson fouled out trying to guard him. Rico Phillips was saddled with four when he went to the bench late in the game.
Benilde, the top seed, opened an early 11-point lead but Como Park battled back to a 26-26 tie in the closing seconds of the first half. A three-pointer by Matt Thomas at the buzzer allowed the Red Knights to take a lead into the locker room.
The rest of the game belonged to Taylor. He scored 17 points in the first five minutes, 27 seconds of the second half as the Red Knights' lead grew to 15 points.
"When we started the second half it was important we play solid the first five minutes,'' Benilde coach John Moore said. "I guess [Taylor] he took it as a call for him to do it.''
The 43 points are a career-high for Taylor, who has played for the Red Knights for four years. He doesn't consider himself a score-first point guard, but sometimes the game dictates otherwise. And Taylor has the goods to turn "otherwise" into victories.
"He does a great job of trying to find the balance of when he needs to step it up and when he needs to distribute it,'' Moore said. "That's the toughest role of a point guard.
"He's got all the other skills too, but that's probably what he has improved on and learned the most about this year. His judgment and understanding of the game, that's where he has developed the most.''
Said Benilde senior Armond Battle, who contributed 21 points: "Jordan is our point guard and our leader. He leads us in every possible way.''
Taylor will play his basketball at Wisconsin next season, where he will pursue a degree in marketing. While he admits to having fun with people concerning his name, his first name has nothing to do with the Bulls' legend and his middle name is the name of his dad's brother.
But if Theismann can suddenly rhyme with Heisman, imagine what Jordan Michael can come with after a couple marketing classes in Madison.
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