Tyler Legacy Basketball (copy)

FORNEY — For the first time since 2007, the Tyler Legacy Red Raiders are advancing in the high school boys basketball playoffs.

Senior Ja’Corian Oes, who was just four months old the last time the Red Raiders won a postseason game, posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 59-48 victory over North Garland in the bi-district round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs.

“It feels great,” Oes said. “We got off to a sluggish start, hit two threes and got a few layups but then we let them get back in the game. But then I just turned up in the second half for us to get it started.”

Oes had just two points in the first 16 minutes of action.

“We felt like we weren’t getting the quality of shot we wanted in the first half,” Tyler Legacy head boys basketball coach Kyle Smith said. “Some of them were wide open, and they bait you into it. It’s hard not to take it. You don’t want them not having confidence.

“But we really made an emphasis in the second half to throw the ball into Oes right from the get go. We didn’t do a good enough job of getting him the ball in the first half. I felt like he worked a little hard in the second half trying to get open and demanding the ball. He’s just a force when he does that.”

With the score tied at 21 at halftime, Legacy came out in the second half and put up an outside shot that was tipped in by Oes to give the Red Raiders the lead. Next possession, the Red Raiders pounded the ball inside to Oes, who went to work through traffic and put it in for two more. The next time down, the ball wnet to Oes again, and he drew a foul.

Oes made 10 free throws in the second half. His offensive rebound and two free throws with 1:21 left in the third quarter were part of a 10-2 Legacy run the helped the Red Raiders lead 35-27 after the third quarter.

After North Garland made the score 36-29, Oes made his only 3-point attempt of the night to put the Red Raiders up 10, 39-29, with 6:15 on the clock. Legacy was still up 10 with 3:59 to play, 45-35.

North Garland stormed back as Stipano Yosia and Holton Casco hit threes to cut the score to 45-41 with 3:11 remaining.

Legacy responded with a 6-1 run that included a Jayden Jones dunk. After a three by Ashton “Juju” Minor for North Garland, Legacy got two free throws from Oes and another dunk by Jones to put the game away in the final minute.

Zyere Ceasar had 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, and Jones had 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.

This marks the second straight year the Red Raiders are in the playoffs. After going in 2015, the program went without a playoff appearance until 2021. The Red Raiders went 7-54 overall and 2-22 in district in 2022 and 2023 before reaching the postseason in Smith’s first year in 2024, falling to Wylie 43-42 in the final seconds of bi-district.

On Tuesday, the Red Raiders used a strong second-half performance to secure a double-digit victory, their first in the playoffs in 18 years.

“What these guys have been through, it’s just so special,” Smith said. “Taking that first step last year getting into the playoffs and then this year, being able to win a district championship and get a playoff win is huge. We want to keep this going as long as possible.”

Legacy (23-12) has now won 10 straight games and will face No. 21 Mesquite Horn at 8 p.m. Friday in Athens. The Red Raiders defeated Horn 61-58 on Dec. 28.

Legacy jumped out to an 8-2 lead but then trailed 11-10 afte the first quarter. The Red Raiders led 21-18 late in the half after a Jones dunk, but a three-point play from Chris Hampton tied the score at halftime.

Minor and Yosia led North Garland (13-15) with 13 points each. Hampton had 10 points. Casco scored 5. Kahalis Sloan had 4 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Gavin Johnson added 3 points.

North Garland was 6 of 25 on 3-point attempts, while Legacy was 5 of 12 from downtown.

Other scorers for the Red Raiders were JP Rainer 7; Gage Nuckolls 6; Josh Hall 2; and KJ Cyres 1. Hall had two of the Red Raiders’ eight blocked shots. Rainer had six rebounds and three assists, and Nuckolls had six assists. North Garland had just five assists as a team.