The Early Longhorns suffered their first defeat at the TexasBank Holiday Classic Thursday morning, falling to the Class 5A Abilene Wylie Bulldogs by a 56-36 count at the Brownwood Middle School.
Early (9-7), which defeated Brady, 61-45, in its tournament opener Wednesday, trailed Wylie (6-12) just 12-9 after one quarter, but the Bulldogs opened a 33-15 halftime edge that stood at 45-26 through three periods.
The Longhorns received 15 points from Jeremy Brown trailed by John Hill with five, Kaleb Hoffman with four, and Rohyn Price, Dalton Adams, Colton Allen, Kamden Gamblin and Andrew Caten chipped in two points apiece.
For Wylie, Kazion Brown led the way with 12 points followed by Hunter Hood and Martin Marshall with 10 apiece, Mark Fakhoury and Derrick Evans with six each, Quentin Whitted with four, Jalen Whisenhunt and K.J. Long with three each, and Collin Bruning with two points.
The Longhorns will next face the Brownwood Lions at 6:40 p.m. tonight in a game moved to the Brownwood Coliseum.
