The Class 5A semifinals will be played at the Erwin Center in Austin on Friday at 3:30 PM and 8:30 PM. Houston-area teams will be featured in both.
Because these are the big schools from the big cities with big-time media coverage, there's no point in trying to re-write things that have already been well written. So, here are some of the things being written and said about the 5A semifinalists...
HOUSTON CY-FAIR (34-1, Region II) vs CEDAR HILL (27-6, Region I)
Cy-Fair is in Cypress, a northwestern suburban Houston community; Cedar Hill is a southwestern suburban Dallas community.
Cy-Fair is returning to the tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Jenny Dial of the Houston Chronicle recapped their Region II championship game win over Bryan that sent them on the way.
She also previewed the weekend for both Cy-Fair and Hightower.
As reported here by the Cy-Fair Sun, the Lady Bobcats' performance has earned them national attention.
Mark Dent of the Dallas Morning News offers this preview of the match-up.
Cy-Fair's recent tournament experience, combined with the formidable presence of Chiney Ogwumike in the middle, should pay off in the semifinal.
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FORT BEND HIGHTOWER (34-2, Region III) vs NORTHSIDE JAY (35-4, Region IV)
Hightower, from the Fort Bend ISD, is in Sugar Land, a southwestern suburban Houston community; Jay, from the Northside ISD, is on the north side of metropolitan San Antonio.
Cory Roepken of the Fort Bend Sun recaps the Hightower win in the Region III championship.
Chad Peters of the San Antonio Express-News provides this story on Jay.
Hightower makes their second tournament appearance (the first since 2003) and Jay is making the school's first appearance. This game could come down to which team best controls the nerves that come with playing on a big stage.
Friday, March 5, 2010
UIL Girls' Basketball Tournament Preview: Class 2A
Editorial note: Class 2A semifinals are actually the morning session for Friday. All the 'clever' stuff from the beginning of my previous post? Pretend I said '2A'...
Here's a look at the 2A match-ups on Friday...
BROCK (35-2, Region II) vs JEWETT LEON (25-6, Region III)
Brock is approximately 15 miles southwest of Weatherford (and approximately 50 miles west-southwest of Fort Worth), off of I-20 on FM 1189; Jewett is roughly 15 miles northwest of Centerville (10 miles southwest of Buffalo) on US Hwy 79, just west of I-45.
Brock is making its sixteenth tournament appearance. The Lady Eagles are such a regular fixture in the tournament, it almost seems as if its Brock basketball's birthright to be there.
Brock, champions of District 9-2A, is a dominant program in its classification. This season, their only two losses came at the hands of 5A schools Weatherford and Georgetown. The Lady Eagles' average margin of victory was 26.4 points. They allow an average of just over 30 points per game.
In short, Brock will be stiff competition for any team they face.
Welcome to your first-ever state tournament, Leon.
The Cougars finished as the runner-up in District 20-2A behind Marlin. They knocked off a pair of district champs (Daingerfield and Trinity) in the regional playoffs before defeating another Cinderella, New Waverly, in the championship game.
Leon averages 55.4 points per game and allows 45.8.
If there is a way to beat Brock, Peaster may have given Leon a glimpse of it last weekend in the Region II championship game. Peaster let the air out of the ball and basically played a four-corner offense the entire game to keep Brock from running away with the game.
Peaster took the Lady Eagles to overtime before losing, 27-25. If Leon was paying attention, perhaps the second time is the charm.
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WALL (34-3, Region I) vs POTH (28-5, Region IV)
Wall is approximately 15 miles southeast of San Angelo; Poth is 8 miles south-southeast of Floresville (and roughly 40 miles southeast of San Antonio) on US Hwy 179.
This is a match up of two solid 2A programs. Wall makes its fifth tournament appearance and Poth makes its tenth. But both schools were absent last year and Wall is making its first return trip since the 2006 season. So the current squads may not be familiar with the tournament experience.
Like Brock, Wall's three losses this season have been to larger-classification schools (Lubbock Coronado, 3A semifinalist Abilene Wylie and Canyon). In the process, they picked up several wins over bigger schools too.
The Lady Hawks, District 7-2A winners, have sailed through the playoffs, with an average margin of victory of 24 points. Wall has good size on the front line, with four players 5'11" or taller.
But Poth can match Wall in size, with 6'2" junior Tara Dunn and 6'0" sophomore Jordan Kotara.
Poth survived a scare from District 28 runner-up Nixon-Smiley in the Region IV championship to win, 43-41, and advance.
Here's a look at the 2A match-ups on Friday...
BROCK (35-2, Region II) vs JEWETT LEON (25-6, Region III)
Brock is approximately 15 miles southwest of Weatherford (and approximately 50 miles west-southwest of Fort Worth), off of I-20 on FM 1189; Jewett is roughly 15 miles northwest of Centerville (10 miles southwest of Buffalo) on US Hwy 79, just west of I-45.
Brock is making its sixteenth tournament appearance. The Lady Eagles are such a regular fixture in the tournament, it almost seems as if its Brock basketball's birthright to be there.
Brock, champions of District 9-2A, is a dominant program in its classification. This season, their only two losses came at the hands of 5A schools Weatherford and Georgetown. The Lady Eagles' average margin of victory was 26.4 points. They allow an average of just over 30 points per game.
In short, Brock will be stiff competition for any team they face.
Welcome to your first-ever state tournament, Leon.
The Cougars finished as the runner-up in District 20-2A behind Marlin. They knocked off a pair of district champs (Daingerfield and Trinity) in the regional playoffs before defeating another Cinderella, New Waverly, in the championship game.
Leon averages 55.4 points per game and allows 45.8.
If there is a way to beat Brock, Peaster may have given Leon a glimpse of it last weekend in the Region II championship game. Peaster let the air out of the ball and basically played a four-corner offense the entire game to keep Brock from running away with the game.
Peaster took the Lady Eagles to overtime before losing, 27-25. If Leon was paying attention, perhaps the second time is the charm.
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WALL (34-3, Region I) vs POTH (28-5, Region IV)
Wall is approximately 15 miles southeast of San Angelo; Poth is 8 miles south-southeast of Floresville (and roughly 40 miles southeast of San Antonio) on US Hwy 179.
This is a match up of two solid 2A programs. Wall makes its fifth tournament appearance and Poth makes its tenth. But both schools were absent last year and Wall is making its first return trip since the 2006 season. So the current squads may not be familiar with the tournament experience.
Like Brock, Wall's three losses this season have been to larger-classification schools (Lubbock Coronado, 3A semifinalist Abilene Wylie and Canyon). In the process, they picked up several wins over bigger schools too.
The Lady Hawks, District 7-2A winners, have sailed through the playoffs, with an average margin of victory of 24 points. Wall has good size on the front line, with four players 5'11" or taller.
But Poth can match Wall in size, with 6'2" junior Tara Dunn and 6'0" sophomore Jordan Kotara.
Poth survived a scare from District 28 runner-up Nixon-Smiley in the Region IV championship to win, 43-41, and advance.
Girls UIL Basketball Tournament preview: Class 1A-Division II
As you sit in traffic on Friday morning, the Class 1A-Division II girls' semifinalists will be getting ready to play for a spot in the state championship game on Saturday. The 1A-II semifinals begin at 8:30 AM on Friday.
Here's a sneak peek...
NECHES (35-2, Region III) vs TURKEY VALLEY (26-5, Region II)
Neches is approximately 110 miles southeast of Dallas on US Hwy 175 in northeast Texas (roughly midway between Palestine and Jacksonville on US Hwy 79); Turkey Valley is in Turkey TX, which is in the Panhandle approximately 105 miles northeast of Lubbock, 45 miles west of Childress and 165 miles west of Lawton, OK.
Everything you need to know about Neches is found in a tune-up game they scheduled following the end of their undefeated District 24-1A-II championship season. With a 31-1 record, a 27-game winning streak on the line and the playoffs right around the corner, head coach Andy Snider scheduled a tune-up game against Class 3A Bullard. Not another 1A or even 2A school—a 3A school.
Neches wasn’t scared to lay all of that on the line.
It would make a nice story to say that the Lady Tigers beat Bullard and used that as motivation for their playoff run, but they lost, 60-44. But, if they weren’t equal to the task of defeating a 3A team, Neches has certainly proven to be capable of beating any other 1A school they play.
Their only other loss this season was during an opening-weekend tournament to an AAU travel squad disguised as a school called God’s Academy out of the Dallas area.
Maybe they’re too young to comprehend fear. The Neches roster is comprised of a freshman, five sophomores and two seniors. Led by sophomore spark plug point guard Roddrika Patton, the Lady Tigers return to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Last year, as a freshman, Patton put on a show in the state semifinal against Leggett that created a whole new crop of fans in the Erwin Center. She scored 17 points and had 11 steals in a 71-60 win.
Neches lost the championship game to Roby, 44-34, but left the impression they might be back—and soon.
Their return engagement begins Friday morning against surprise Region II winners, Turkey Valley. The Patriots, who were the third place finishers in District 11-1A-II, defeated defending champion Roby last weekend to advance. Neches is the lone district champion among the 1A-Division II semifinalists.
Turkey Valley enters the weekend on a 10-game winning streak. With four seniors and three juniors on the roster, they would appear, on paper, to have the experience edge over Neches. And, their roster is deeper (14 players) and Neches’ (eight players).
But Neches has last year’s tournament experience. Turkey Valley’s last tournament appearance was in 1974.
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MCLEAN (28-4, Region I) vs LEGGETT (26-9, Region IV)
McLean is 75 miles east of Amarillo on I-40 (approximately 185 miles west of Oklahoma City, OK); Leggett is approximately 10 miles north-northeast of Livingston on US Hwy 59 (approximately 85 miles north-northeast of Houston).
The McLean Lady Tigers played in the very first UIL girls’ state championship game in 1951. They haven’t been back to the tournament since, a total of 59 years. Suffice it to say that things are different.
If the 2010 squad is to return to the championship round, they will have to defeat a semifinal opponent that is just 364 days removed from its previous tournament experience.
The Leggett Pirates, like Neches, return for the second consecutive year to the tournament. This season, Leggett was the runner-up in District 25-1A-II behind Goodrich. But the Pirates (26-9) defeated Goodrich, 70-68, in the Region IV championship on Saturday to earn the return trip to Austin.
Four of the seven Leggett players who played in the semifinal loss against Neches returned to this year’s team, including leading scorer Brittney Jefferson, who scored 22 points in last year’s loss.
Leggett is the closest remaining school to the metropolitan Houston area. At 66.5 points per game, they are also the highest-scoring team in the bracket. However, they also allow the most points, 53.6 per game.
McLean (District 4-1A-II runner-up), averaging 56.5 per game and allowing 40.5, likes to play a step slower than Leggett. The lower the score at the end of one quarter, the more likely it is that McLean is controlling the tempo.
Here's a sneak peek...
NECHES (35-2, Region III) vs TURKEY VALLEY (26-5, Region II)
Neches is approximately 110 miles southeast of Dallas on US Hwy 175 in northeast Texas (roughly midway between Palestine and Jacksonville on US Hwy 79); Turkey Valley is in Turkey TX, which is in the Panhandle approximately 105 miles northeast of Lubbock, 45 miles west of Childress and 165 miles west of Lawton, OK.
Everything you need to know about Neches is found in a tune-up game they scheduled following the end of their undefeated District 24-1A-II championship season. With a 31-1 record, a 27-game winning streak on the line and the playoffs right around the corner, head coach Andy Snider scheduled a tune-up game against Class 3A Bullard. Not another 1A or even 2A school—a 3A school.
Neches wasn’t scared to lay all of that on the line.
It would make a nice story to say that the Lady Tigers beat Bullard and used that as motivation for their playoff run, but they lost, 60-44. But, if they weren’t equal to the task of defeating a 3A team, Neches has certainly proven to be capable of beating any other 1A school they play.
Their only other loss this season was during an opening-weekend tournament to an AAU travel squad disguised as a school called God’s Academy out of the Dallas area.
Maybe they’re too young to comprehend fear. The Neches roster is comprised of a freshman, five sophomores and two seniors. Led by sophomore spark plug point guard Roddrika Patton, the Lady Tigers return to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Last year, as a freshman, Patton put on a show in the state semifinal against Leggett that created a whole new crop of fans in the Erwin Center. She scored 17 points and had 11 steals in a 71-60 win.
Neches lost the championship game to Roby, 44-34, but left the impression they might be back—and soon.
Their return engagement begins Friday morning against surprise Region II winners, Turkey Valley. The Patriots, who were the third place finishers in District 11-1A-II, defeated defending champion Roby last weekend to advance. Neches is the lone district champion among the 1A-Division II semifinalists.
Turkey Valley enters the weekend on a 10-game winning streak. With four seniors and three juniors on the roster, they would appear, on paper, to have the experience edge over Neches. And, their roster is deeper (14 players) and Neches’ (eight players).
But Neches has last year’s tournament experience. Turkey Valley’s last tournament appearance was in 1974.
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MCLEAN (28-4, Region I) vs LEGGETT (26-9, Region IV)
McLean is 75 miles east of Amarillo on I-40 (approximately 185 miles west of Oklahoma City, OK); Leggett is approximately 10 miles north-northeast of Livingston on US Hwy 59 (approximately 85 miles north-northeast of Houston).
The McLean Lady Tigers played in the very first UIL girls’ state championship game in 1951. They haven’t been back to the tournament since, a total of 59 years. Suffice it to say that things are different.
If the 2010 squad is to return to the championship round, they will have to defeat a semifinal opponent that is just 364 days removed from its previous tournament experience.
The Leggett Pirates, like Neches, return for the second consecutive year to the tournament. This season, Leggett was the runner-up in District 25-1A-II behind Goodrich. But the Pirates (26-9) defeated Goodrich, 70-68, in the Region IV championship on Saturday to earn the return trip to Austin.
Four of the seven Leggett players who played in the semifinal loss against Neches returned to this year’s team, including leading scorer Brittney Jefferson, who scored 22 points in last year’s loss.
Leggett is the closest remaining school to the metropolitan Houston area. At 66.5 points per game, they are also the highest-scoring team in the bracket. However, they also allow the most points, 53.6 per game.
McLean (District 4-1A-II runner-up), averaging 56.5 per game and allowing 40.5, likes to play a step slower than Leggett. The lower the score at the end of one quarter, the more likely it is that McLean is controlling the tempo.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Girls UIL Basketball Tournament preview: Class 4A
Here’s a quick look at Thursday night’s Class 4A semifinal matchups…
Mansfield Timberview (35-2, Region I) vs. Cibolo Steele (34-4, Region IV)
Mansfield is a suburban community south of Fort Worth; Cibolo is a suburban community on the east side of San Antonio.
Timberview (TABC No. 1) and Steele (TABC No. 6) face off in a clash of 4A titans that is also a rematch of last year’s state semifinal. Timberview defeated Steele, 67-46, before losing in the state championship game to Waco Midway, 50-27. Thirteen players from that game (six from Steele, seven from Timberview) returned to their teams’ rosters in 2009-2010.
In that game, poor field goal shooting plagued Steele. They shot just 14-of-67 (20.9%) from the field, including 0-of-11 from the three-point line.
The Knights (34-4) return three starters from the 2009 team. Guards Meighan Simmons and Olivia Patterson and forward Taylor Calvert scored 30 of Steele’s 46 points in last years meeting and return for 2010.
Steele, winners of District 27-4A, are the highest scoring team among the semifinalists, averaging over 69 points per game. Timberview, District 8-4A champions, have allowed opponents an average of 38.1 points per game.
Timberview (35-2) has two returning starters from last year. Seniors Keena Mays and Maegan Conwright will be counted on again to send the Wolves back to the state championship game.
Steele, making their third consecutive tournament appearance, will be looking to win their first tournament game. In 2008, they entered the tournament as the top-ranked 4A team with a record of 37-1 but lost to Dallas Lincoln in the semifinal.
Timberview is currently on a 22-game winning streak; Steele has won 12 in a row.
As last year’s game showed, the two teams are very similar and the game could easily again come down to which team shoots best on Thursday evening.
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Del Valle (36-2, Region III) vs. Frisco Wakeland (29-6, Region II)
Del Valle is approximately 10 miles east of downtown Austin near Bergstrom Airport; Frisco is a northern suburban community in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Del Valle should bring a bit of a ‘home court advantage’ into the Erwin Center on Thursday, thanks to their close proximity to Austin. The Lady Cardinals (36-2) also will bring the best record of the remaining 4A teams. This will be their first tournament appearance in 29 years.
Wakeland (29-6) could be considered the Cinderella story of the tournament. The Wolverines were the runner-up in District 9-4A behind district sister school Frisco. Interestingly, Wakeland defeated District 9-4A third-place finisher McKinney North in the Region II championship to earn a spot in the state tournament.
After a 21-point bidistrict win over Dallas Highland Park, Wakeland has been challenged in every playoff game, winning by margins of one, four, two and six. Del Valle’s lone scare in the Region III playoffs was a 47-45 win in the quarterfinal round over Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill.
Del Valle has averaged 50 points per game and Wakeland has averaged 55.5. Defensively, the Lady Cardinals allow 31.8 points while the Wolverines give up 41.4 per game.
Wakeland is making their first-ever tournament appearance. Because of Del Valle’s long absence from the big stage too, the game may come down to which team better handles the bright lights of the Erwin Center and the nerves that go along with it.
Mansfield Timberview (35-2, Region I) vs. Cibolo Steele (34-4, Region IV)
Mansfield is a suburban community south of Fort Worth; Cibolo is a suburban community on the east side of San Antonio.
Timberview (TABC No. 1) and Steele (TABC No. 6) face off in a clash of 4A titans that is also a rematch of last year’s state semifinal. Timberview defeated Steele, 67-46, before losing in the state championship game to Waco Midway, 50-27. Thirteen players from that game (six from Steele, seven from Timberview) returned to their teams’ rosters in 2009-2010.
In that game, poor field goal shooting plagued Steele. They shot just 14-of-67 (20.9%) from the field, including 0-of-11 from the three-point line.
The Knights (34-4) return three starters from the 2009 team. Guards Meighan Simmons and Olivia Patterson and forward Taylor Calvert scored 30 of Steele’s 46 points in last years meeting and return for 2010.
Steele, winners of District 27-4A, are the highest scoring team among the semifinalists, averaging over 69 points per game. Timberview, District 8-4A champions, have allowed opponents an average of 38.1 points per game.
Timberview (35-2) has two returning starters from last year. Seniors Keena Mays and Maegan Conwright will be counted on again to send the Wolves back to the state championship game.
Steele, making their third consecutive tournament appearance, will be looking to win their first tournament game. In 2008, they entered the tournament as the top-ranked 4A team with a record of 37-1 but lost to Dallas Lincoln in the semifinal.
Timberview is currently on a 22-game winning streak; Steele has won 12 in a row.
As last year’s game showed, the two teams are very similar and the game could easily again come down to which team shoots best on Thursday evening.
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Del Valle (36-2, Region III) vs. Frisco Wakeland (29-6, Region II)
Del Valle is approximately 10 miles east of downtown Austin near Bergstrom Airport; Frisco is a northern suburban community in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Del Valle should bring a bit of a ‘home court advantage’ into the Erwin Center on Thursday, thanks to their close proximity to Austin. The Lady Cardinals (36-2) also will bring the best record of the remaining 4A teams. This will be their first tournament appearance in 29 years.
Wakeland (29-6) could be considered the Cinderella story of the tournament. The Wolverines were the runner-up in District 9-4A behind district sister school Frisco. Interestingly, Wakeland defeated District 9-4A third-place finisher McKinney North in the Region II championship to earn a spot in the state tournament.
After a 21-point bidistrict win over Dallas Highland Park, Wakeland has been challenged in every playoff game, winning by margins of one, four, two and six. Del Valle’s lone scare in the Region III playoffs was a 47-45 win in the quarterfinal round over Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill.
Del Valle has averaged 50 points per game and Wakeland has averaged 55.5. Defensively, the Lady Cardinals allow 31.8 points while the Wolverines give up 41.4 per game.
Wakeland is making their first-ever tournament appearance. Because of Del Valle’s long absence from the big stage too, the game may come down to which team better handles the bright lights of the Erwin Center and the nerves that go along with it.
Girls UIL Basketball Tournament preview: Class 3A
On Thursday, the Class 3A semifinals will provide the afternoon session’s competition. A pair of teams within a couple of hours’ drive from Houston will compete for the right to play in the 3A championship game on Saturday morning.
Madisonville (31-5, Region III) vs. Texarkana Liberty-Eylau (29-8, Region II)
Madisonville is approximately 29 miles north-northwest of Huntsville on I-45 (98 miles from Houston); as the name suggests, Liberty-Eylau is a community just south of Texarkana.
Madisonville, highest-ranked remaining team (No. 3 in the state) in the TABC 3A rankings, will bring the best overall record into the tournament among the 3A semifinalists. And, thanks to their relative proximity to Houston, the Mustangs have had several opportunities to play against—and defeat—some 4A and 5A schools.
Perhaps most impressive was a holiday tournament showing where the Mustangs defeated, consecutively, Houston MacArthur, Dayton, Houston Eisenhower and Conroe Oak Ridge.
Though not a physically big team (no player is taller than 5’9”), Madisonville plays stifling defense, allowing an average of only 37.3 points per game. They have held their opponents to under 40 points in exactly half of their 36 games, including four games in which they held the opponent to totals in the twenties and five more in which they held the opponent to totals in the teens.
Their opponent, Liberty-Eylau’s Lady Leopards, brings the highest scoring team to the field. L-E averages 66.3 points per game.
And Liberty-Eylau may be riding a wave of momentum from their Region II championship game against Kennedale last Saturday. Kennedale led 59-52 with 57 seconds left to play, but the Lady Leopards finished on a 9-1 run for a 61-60 victory. Freshman Alize Pegue made her only basket of the game with 8 seconds left to send L-E to their first state tournament since 2007 and third overall.
Madisonville is playing in their first state tournament.
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Giddings (30-7, Region IV) vs. Abilene Wylie (30-9, Region II)
Giddings is on US-290, approximately 55 miles east of Austin (107 miles west of Houston); Abilene is 156 miles west of Fort Worth on I-20 and Wylie High School is in the southernmost part of the city.
Giddings and Abilene Wylie each bring long winning streaks into their semifinal matchup. Wylie has won 17 in a row and Giddings has won 18 consecutive games.
Wylie, from District 2-3A, lost its first four games of the season in a tough pre-district schedule. The Lady Bulldogs played eight teams that would go on to reach the regional tournament in their respective classifications.
The team has relied on senior leadership. Although sophomore Peyton Little leads the team in scoring, three seniors—Mackenzie Clay, Megan Rausch and Chastity Williams —are starters and are major contributors, averaging a combined 23 points per game. As a team, Wylie averages 54.6 points per game.
Out of District 26-3A, Giddings went to triple overtime in the Region IV championship game against Wimberley to earn their tournament berth.
The Lady Buffs have been led in scoring by the duo of Kayla Winkfield (sophomore, 16.1 points per game) and Jena Meuth (senior, 14.5 ppg). Senior point guard Jordan Masek (6.4 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game) has been a solid floor leader.
This is Giddings’ first tournament appearance. Abilene Wylie makes their sixth overall appearance, the first since the 2006 tournament.
Madisonville (31-5, Region III) vs. Texarkana Liberty-Eylau (29-8, Region II)
Madisonville is approximately 29 miles north-northwest of Huntsville on I-45 (98 miles from Houston); as the name suggests, Liberty-Eylau is a community just south of Texarkana.
Madisonville, highest-ranked remaining team (No. 3 in the state) in the TABC 3A rankings, will bring the best overall record into the tournament among the 3A semifinalists. And, thanks to their relative proximity to Houston, the Mustangs have had several opportunities to play against—and defeat—some 4A and 5A schools.
Perhaps most impressive was a holiday tournament showing where the Mustangs defeated, consecutively, Houston MacArthur, Dayton, Houston Eisenhower and Conroe Oak Ridge.
Though not a physically big team (no player is taller than 5’9”), Madisonville plays stifling defense, allowing an average of only 37.3 points per game. They have held their opponents to under 40 points in exactly half of their 36 games, including four games in which they held the opponent to totals in the twenties and five more in which they held the opponent to totals in the teens.
Their opponent, Liberty-Eylau’s Lady Leopards, brings the highest scoring team to the field. L-E averages 66.3 points per game.
And Liberty-Eylau may be riding a wave of momentum from their Region II championship game against Kennedale last Saturday. Kennedale led 59-52 with 57 seconds left to play, but the Lady Leopards finished on a 9-1 run for a 61-60 victory. Freshman Alize Pegue made her only basket of the game with 8 seconds left to send L-E to their first state tournament since 2007 and third overall.
Madisonville is playing in their first state tournament.
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Giddings (30-7, Region IV) vs. Abilene Wylie (30-9, Region II)
Giddings is on US-290, approximately 55 miles east of Austin (107 miles west of Houston); Abilene is 156 miles west of Fort Worth on I-20 and Wylie High School is in the southernmost part of the city.
Giddings and Abilene Wylie each bring long winning streaks into their semifinal matchup. Wylie has won 17 in a row and Giddings has won 18 consecutive games.
Wylie, from District 2-3A, lost its first four games of the season in a tough pre-district schedule. The Lady Bulldogs played eight teams that would go on to reach the regional tournament in their respective classifications.
The team has relied on senior leadership. Although sophomore Peyton Little leads the team in scoring, three seniors—Mackenzie Clay, Megan Rausch and Chastity Williams —are starters and are major contributors, averaging a combined 23 points per game. As a team, Wylie averages 54.6 points per game.
Out of District 26-3A, Giddings went to triple overtime in the Region IV championship game against Wimberley to earn their tournament berth.
The Lady Buffs have been led in scoring by the duo of Kayla Winkfield (sophomore, 16.1 points per game) and Jena Meuth (senior, 14.5 ppg). Senior point guard Jordan Masek (6.4 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game) has been a solid floor leader.
This is Giddings’ first tournament appearance. Abilene Wylie makes their sixth overall appearance, the first since the 2006 tournament.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Girls UIL Basketball Tournament preview: Class 1A-Division I
Over the next few posts, we’ll try to give you a quick preview of the schools that have advanced to the 2010 UIL Girls Basketball State Championships coming up Thursday, March 4 through Saturday, March 6.
Our first look is at Class 1A Division I.
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REGION I: Smyer
(Panhandle, approximately 18 miles west of Lubbock on Hwy 114)
The Smyer Lady Cats (34-3) make their first appearance in the state tournament after winning District 6-1A this season. Smyer defeated defending state champs Sudan last Saturday in the Region I championship, 45-43, to earn the berth.
Led by 6’0” sophomore Haley Fowler, the Lady Cats have averaged 62.6 points per game this season and posted scores of at least 80 points in four different games.
REGION II: Muenster
(North Texas, approximately 16 miles west of Gainesville on US Hwy 82; approximately 49 miles northwest of Denton)
The Muenster Lady Hornets, winners of District 10-1A, bring a 29-6 record to the tournament and are riding a 21-game winning streak. With six seniors, they also can claim the title of most-experienced team in the 1A-I field. They make their fourth tournament appearance in school history, and first since the 2004-05 season.
Led by seniors Lia Heers and Shaina Felderhoff and junior post player Taylor Klement, Muenster won their four regional playoff games by an average margin of 11.3 points per game.
REGION III: Martin’s Mill
(Northeast Texas, approximately 31 miles west of Tyler and 12 miles south-southeast of Canton)
Winners of District 18-1A, the Lady Mustangs (32-4) are making their sixth tournament appearance and their fifth consecutive appearance. They will be looking for their third Class 1A Division I state championship in five years.
Martin’s Mill won state championships in 2006 and 2008. With that recent history, some observers have the Lady Mustangs as the team to beat in Austin this weekend.
However, this is a young team, with four freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and one senior. Juniors Emily Williams (17 points per game) and Joanna Daniel (16 ppg) lead the way on the floor, but two freshmen—Taylor Munns (G, 5’7”) and Meagan Weatherford (C, 5’11”)—have also made big contributions.
REGION IV: Louise
(Southeast Texas, approximately 85 miles southwest of Houston and 12 miles southwest of El Campo on US Hwy 59)
The remaining 1A-I school with closest proximity to Houston and the only remaining school from south of Waco, the Louise Lady Hornets bring the lowest win percentage to the tournament, but their 26-6 record may be deceptive. All six losses were to larger schools in higher classifications (Orange Grove, 3A; West Columbia, 3A; Goliad, 3A; Hempstead, 2A; Hitchcock, 2A; Shiner St. Paul, TAPPS-2A).
In those losses, the average margin of defeat was only 7.7 points. Because of that, head coach Bryan Branch may have the sleeper of the tournament.
Louise, champion of District 28-1A, is making its first appearance in the state tournament in school history.
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The state semifinal games get underway on Thursday morning. Smyer, the top seed, takes on Louise in the first semifinal at 8:30 AM and Martin’s Mill faces off against Muenster at 10:00 AM.
All games take place at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.
Our first look is at Class 1A Division I.
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REGION I: Smyer
(Panhandle, approximately 18 miles west of Lubbock on Hwy 114)
The Smyer Lady Cats (34-3) make their first appearance in the state tournament after winning District 6-1A this season. Smyer defeated defending state champs Sudan last Saturday in the Region I championship, 45-43, to earn the berth.
Led by 6’0” sophomore Haley Fowler, the Lady Cats have averaged 62.6 points per game this season and posted scores of at least 80 points in four different games.
REGION II: Muenster
(North Texas, approximately 16 miles west of Gainesville on US Hwy 82; approximately 49 miles northwest of Denton)
The Muenster Lady Hornets, winners of District 10-1A, bring a 29-6 record to the tournament and are riding a 21-game winning streak. With six seniors, they also can claim the title of most-experienced team in the 1A-I field. They make their fourth tournament appearance in school history, and first since the 2004-05 season.
Led by seniors Lia Heers and Shaina Felderhoff and junior post player Taylor Klement, Muenster won their four regional playoff games by an average margin of 11.3 points per game.
REGION III: Martin’s Mill
(Northeast Texas, approximately 31 miles west of Tyler and 12 miles south-southeast of Canton)
Winners of District 18-1A, the Lady Mustangs (32-4) are making their sixth tournament appearance and their fifth consecutive appearance. They will be looking for their third Class 1A Division I state championship in five years.
Martin’s Mill won state championships in 2006 and 2008. With that recent history, some observers have the Lady Mustangs as the team to beat in Austin this weekend.
However, this is a young team, with four freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and one senior. Juniors Emily Williams (17 points per game) and Joanna Daniel (16 ppg) lead the way on the floor, but two freshmen—Taylor Munns (G, 5’7”) and Meagan Weatherford (C, 5’11”)—have also made big contributions.
REGION IV: Louise
(Southeast Texas, approximately 85 miles southwest of Houston and 12 miles southwest of El Campo on US Hwy 59)
The remaining 1A-I school with closest proximity to Houston and the only remaining school from south of Waco, the Louise Lady Hornets bring the lowest win percentage to the tournament, but their 26-6 record may be deceptive. All six losses were to larger schools in higher classifications (Orange Grove, 3A; West Columbia, 3A; Goliad, 3A; Hempstead, 2A; Hitchcock, 2A; Shiner St. Paul, TAPPS-2A).
In those losses, the average margin of defeat was only 7.7 points. Because of that, head coach Bryan Branch may have the sleeper of the tournament.
Louise, champion of District 28-1A, is making its first appearance in the state tournament in school history.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The state semifinal games get underway on Thursday morning. Smyer, the top seed, takes on Louise in the first semifinal at 8:30 AM and Martin’s Mill faces off against Muenster at 10:00 AM.
All games take place at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
22-5A, 23-5A teams impress in bidistrict round
Goodbye District 21-5A. Goodbye District 24-5A. Thanks for coming. We have some lovely parting gifts for you. Drive safely going home in this nasty weather.
Sincerely,
The UIL 2010 Region III Bracket
* * * * *
As if the return of winter wasn't bad enough to have to endure, the teams from these districts had to endure long, cold trips home after losing their playoff games. Every one of them.
The most impressive showing in the opening round of the Class 5A Region III playoffs wasn't by a single team; it was by a pair of districts: 22-5A and 23-5A.
And it should be noted that Bellaire, the top team in the state, won their game by 65 points, while scoring 115 against Eisenhower. That's impressive, but wasn't completely unexpected.
The Fort Bend ISD is alive and well after the bidistrict round as Bush, Elkins, Dulles and Travis swept away Clear Springs, Clear Brook, and Galveston Ball, respectively. Ball came into their game with the Bulldogs as the district champs and a 21-5 record. The Tors jumped out to an early lead but Travis (20-9) fought back to pull out a 65-59 victory.
Clear Springs gave 23-5A champion Bush a big-time scare, but when their leading scorer Anthony Horton fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, Bush overcame an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to win, 62-58.
People who watch the Fort Bend ISD all season staunchly hold to the belief that they play the best basketball in the area in 23-5A. Tuesday night's results will only add weight to their case.
The interesting thing is that they will at least have the opportunity to lay claim to dominance over another entire district in the area round, as the four teams from 22-5A dispatched the 21-5A entrants in the first round and will next face the 23-5A teams.
As impressive as 23-5A's dominance was, you could make the case that it wasn't surprising. Some of District 22-5A's wins might be categorized as very surprising.
On Monday night, Pearland held off North Shore for a one-point win in a nip-and-tuck battle. But the big surprise of the first round may have been 14-19 Dobie going to overtime to defeat 27-3 Port Arthur Memorial, the 21-5A champions, on Tuesday night, 71-68. The Titans came from behind to force the OT period but Dobie scored the only three points of the OT and took the air out of the ball to deflate Memorial's playoff hopes.
La Porte and Deer Park held serve as well, against Channelview and West Brook, and the 22-5A vs 23-5A was set.
In the area round, Pearland faces Travis, La Porte takes on Elkins, Deer Park will play Bush and Dobie draws Dulles.
Sincerely,
The UIL 2010 Region III Bracket
* * * * *
As if the return of winter wasn't bad enough to have to endure, the teams from these districts had to endure long, cold trips home after losing their playoff games. Every one of them.
The most impressive showing in the opening round of the Class 5A Region III playoffs wasn't by a single team; it was by a pair of districts: 22-5A and 23-5A.
And it should be noted that Bellaire, the top team in the state, won their game by 65 points, while scoring 115 against Eisenhower. That's impressive, but wasn't completely unexpected.
The Fort Bend ISD is alive and well after the bidistrict round as Bush, Elkins, Dulles and Travis swept away Clear Springs, Clear Brook, and Galveston Ball, respectively. Ball came into their game with the Bulldogs as the district champs and a 21-5 record. The Tors jumped out to an early lead but Travis (20-9) fought back to pull out a 65-59 victory.
Clear Springs gave 23-5A champion Bush a big-time scare, but when their leading scorer Anthony Horton fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, Bush overcame an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to win, 62-58.
People who watch the Fort Bend ISD all season staunchly hold to the belief that they play the best basketball in the area in 23-5A. Tuesday night's results will only add weight to their case.
The interesting thing is that they will at least have the opportunity to lay claim to dominance over another entire district in the area round, as the four teams from 22-5A dispatched the 21-5A entrants in the first round and will next face the 23-5A teams.
As impressive as 23-5A's dominance was, you could make the case that it wasn't surprising. Some of District 22-5A's wins might be categorized as very surprising.
On Monday night, Pearland held off North Shore for a one-point win in a nip-and-tuck battle. But the big surprise of the first round may have been 14-19 Dobie going to overtime to defeat 27-3 Port Arthur Memorial, the 21-5A champions, on Tuesday night, 71-68. The Titans came from behind to force the OT period but Dobie scored the only three points of the OT and took the air out of the ball to deflate Memorial's playoff hopes.
La Porte and Deer Park held serve as well, against Channelview and West Brook, and the 22-5A vs 23-5A was set.
In the area round, Pearland faces Travis, La Porte takes on Elkins, Deer Park will play Bush and Dobie draws Dulles.
Friday, February 19, 2010
UH Cougar baseball and more recruiting news from Cinco Ranch
I'm excited to be doing some fill-in play-by-play work this weekend for ISP Sports and the University of Houston Cougar baseball network. The Coogs open their season at home against Texas State. Both teams have rosters stocked with Houston-area guys that I've watched over past few years and it will be fun to watch them at the collegiate level.
My buddy Jeremy Branham is the regular play-by-play guy for Cougar baseball, but he also calls UH women's basketball and is in Florida this weekend as they continue their conference season. So I'll keep the seat at Cougar Field warm for him.
You are invited to listen in...right here.
* * * * *
Speaking of Cougars, we've received more signing updates on Cinco Ranch Cougars courtesy of campus athletic coordinator and head football coach Don Clayton.
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Offensive lineman Richard Glover has committed to play football for the Army Academy at West Point. Glover was a two-time first-team All-District selection for the state-semifinalist Cougars in 2009, while also being a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year Award.
My buddy Jeremy Branham is the regular play-by-play guy for Cougar baseball, but he also calls UH women's basketball and is in Florida this weekend as they continue their conference season. So I'll keep the seat at Cougar Field warm for him.
You are invited to listen in...right here.
* * * * *
Speaking of Cougars, we've received more signing updates on Cinco Ranch Cougars courtesy of campus athletic coordinator and head football coach Don Clayton.
------------------------
Offensive lineman Richard Glover has committed to play football for the Army Academy at West Point. Glover was a two-time first-team All-District selection for the state-semifinalist Cougars in 2009, while also being a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year Award.
Seated: Mom (Erica), Richard, and Dad (Richard)
Standing: Jon Edwards (Offensive Coordinator), Quentin White (Offensive Line Coach), Tony Marsh (Offensive Line Coach), Bennett Johnson (Athletic Trainer), James Cross (Principal), and Don Clayton (Head Football Coach).
------------------------
Tight end Joe Norrell has committed to play football at Bryant University. Joe was a first-team All-District selection in 2009. Bryant University, located in Smithfield Rhode Island, will also be the destination next year for QB Trent Eckel from The Woodlands. Bryant participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA, to you old-timers).
Seated: Dad (Bob), Joe, and Mom (Lisa)
Standing: Shane Weaston (Assistant Coach), Jon Edwards (Offensive Coordinator), Jacob (younger brother), Shannon Valdivia (Counselor), Don Clayton (Head Football Coach), James Cross (Principal), and Ishan Rison (Tight Ends Coach).
We join in wishing these men continued success in college and beyond.
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Haka be praised! Trinity will play on Labor Day!
Rest easy, Houston high school football fans...North Texas pretentious melodrama is alive and well in the football ranks up in the Metroplex. And, to me, it is no surprise that it wears the black and red of Trinity High School in Euless.
Defending 5A-D1 state champ Euless Trinity will still participate in the 2010 Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Cowboys Stadium on Labor Day, even though they will have a short five-day turnaround for a Saturday district game that same week (the horror!). The Trojans had agreed to play in the early-season showcase against Shiloh Christian from Springdale, AR, before the UIL's realignment placed them in the nine-team District 6-5A.
Eight district games meant only two non-district matchups. An odd number of teams in the district meant that there would be one inactive team each week during district play, effectively eating up a bye week, so Trinity had to schedule a Zero Week game.
Head Coach Steve Lineweaver immediately commenced the agonizing and hand-wringing process of considering backing out the commitment to play on Labor Day (Week 1, second and final non-district game) in favor of a Friday or Saturday game the weekend before, but the team wanted to play. So they will. WHEW!
Before you shed tears for their misfortune, know this: David Smith's Klein Oak team did the same thing last season, without any of the fanfare or any of the media coverage. And facing Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Cypress Woods, they arguably had a much tougher two-game stretch than Trinity will.
As a coach -- or as Mike Gundy would say, a "man" -- there are some things you just do and accept the consequences, good or bad.
Trinity's Saturday game that week is against Richland, who aren't a walkover by any stretch of the imagination, but also aren't Southlake Carroll. The Trojans should manage enough strength to muster up two faux Haka dances in one week.
For my money, I will never see anything funnier than a red-headed freckle-faced 16-year-old kid from the mid-cities doing a tribal warrior's dance. And doing it wrong. Unless it's Mike Gundy going off on a reporter.
Defending 5A-D1 state champ Euless Trinity will still participate in the 2010 Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Cowboys Stadium on Labor Day, even though they will have a short five-day turnaround for a Saturday district game that same week (the horror!). The Trojans had agreed to play in the early-season showcase against Shiloh Christian from Springdale, AR, before the UIL's realignment placed them in the nine-team District 6-5A.
Eight district games meant only two non-district matchups. An odd number of teams in the district meant that there would be one inactive team each week during district play, effectively eating up a bye week, so Trinity had to schedule a Zero Week game.
Head Coach Steve Lineweaver immediately commenced the agonizing and hand-wringing process of considering backing out the commitment to play on Labor Day (Week 1, second and final non-district game) in favor of a Friday or Saturday game the weekend before, but the team wanted to play. So they will. WHEW!
Before you shed tears for their misfortune, know this: David Smith's Klein Oak team did the same thing last season, without any of the fanfare or any of the media coverage. And facing Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Cypress Woods, they arguably had a much tougher two-game stretch than Trinity will.
As a coach -- or as Mike Gundy would say, a "man" -- there are some things you just do and accept the consequences, good or bad.
Trinity's Saturday game that week is against Richland, who aren't a walkover by any stretch of the imagination, but also aren't Southlake Carroll. The Trojans should manage enough strength to muster up two faux Haka dances in one week.
For my money, I will never see anything funnier than a red-headed freckle-faced 16-year-old kid from the mid-cities doing a tribal warrior's dance. And doing it wrong. Unless it's Mike Gundy going off on a reporter.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Horrific accident will call attention to IOC, NBC
Warning: this post has absolutely nothing to do with Houston high school sports.
I feel compelled to write about the horrific accident near Vancouver that resulted in the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili from the Republic of Georgia during an Olympic practice run for the luge competition on the same day as the opening ceremonies of these Olympic Games.
Nothing is harder to watch than the raw footage of the accident, especially when you realize you're viewing the exact moment that a person's life comes to an end, but I believe the thing that will define this tragedy is the way that it is dealt with publicly by the International Olympic Committee and their major broadcast partner, NBC.
The IOC is downright clandestine and they grant no re-broadcast or video rights to any other media organizations besides their official broadcast partners, which means that we will only get as much or as little information about the accident, the track safety, the measures being taken to prevent further accidents and any number of other related issues as the IOC wants us to have.
It will be interesting to see how the journalistic instincts of those reporting for NBC on these games will be challenged as questions come up about the safety of the athletes participating in the Games, and specifically the luge competition, even as the IOC will most certainly try to sweep this under the rug as much as possible. NBC's coverage will basically define whether they are, in fact, journalists first or nothing more than a 'state-controlled' propoganda machine for the IOC.
There had already been many questions raised about the safety of this track. There are concerns among those who are still scheduled to compete. People will want to know if the IOC, which portrays itself as the ultimate in humanitarian organizations, has done everything in its power to create the safest possible environment for its participants.
But if the IOC runs from the media at-large, who will ask them the tough questions?
I've always respected many of the anchors and reporters, from both the realms of sports and general news, who are working the Olympics for NBC this year and I will watch with interest to see if they become complicit in any soft-pedaling or if they risk 'biting the hand that feeds them' to ask the tough questions, speak out and speak up for the facts.
Before today, I had very little interest in the Vancouver Games. Sadly, someone had to die to pique that interest.
I feel compelled to write about the horrific accident near Vancouver that resulted in the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili from the Republic of Georgia during an Olympic practice run for the luge competition on the same day as the opening ceremonies of these Olympic Games.
Nothing is harder to watch than the raw footage of the accident, especially when you realize you're viewing the exact moment that a person's life comes to an end, but I believe the thing that will define this tragedy is the way that it is dealt with publicly by the International Olympic Committee and their major broadcast partner, NBC.
The IOC is downright clandestine and they grant no re-broadcast or video rights to any other media organizations besides their official broadcast partners, which means that we will only get as much or as little information about the accident, the track safety, the measures being taken to prevent further accidents and any number of other related issues as the IOC wants us to have.
It will be interesting to see how the journalistic instincts of those reporting for NBC on these games will be challenged as questions come up about the safety of the athletes participating in the Games, and specifically the luge competition, even as the IOC will most certainly try to sweep this under the rug as much as possible. NBC's coverage will basically define whether they are, in fact, journalists first or nothing more than a 'state-controlled' propoganda machine for the IOC.
There had already been many questions raised about the safety of this track. There are concerns among those who are still scheduled to compete. People will want to know if the IOC, which portrays itself as the ultimate in humanitarian organizations, has done everything in its power to create the safest possible environment for its participants.
But if the IOC runs from the media at-large, who will ask them the tough questions?
I've always respected many of the anchors and reporters, from both the realms of sports and general news, who are working the Olympics for NBC this year and I will watch with interest to see if they become complicit in any soft-pedaling or if they risk 'biting the hand that feeds them' to ask the tough questions, speak out and speak up for the facts.
Before today, I had very little interest in the Vancouver Games. Sadly, someone had to die to pique that interest.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Looking for a wild, whacky district hoops race? Here's one...
Got the following from my buddy and CenTex 3A hoops guru, B.J. Walters. We often see these kinds of whacky finishes to football district races, but not as often in hoops.
Keep in mind when reading this that Class 3A districts still only get three playoff representatives. As you'll read, one of four teams in this central Texas district may tie for a district championship and not even make the playoffs.
I love this stuff! (Thanks again, B.J., for the info!)
The fun is just starting in 19-3A.
Just when we thought everything would be nice and tidy in 19-3A, with Mexia, La Vega, and Lorena all ranked in the TABC hoops rankings and two full games up on the pack, the district showed us what many Waco-area district fans already knew: this district is NEVER nice and tidy.
Groesbeck started the second half of district (with a record of) 2-3 and looking to be a spoiler. They beat a winless Connally team 64-38...no big deal right?
Then the Goats hit their stride, starting their game with #16 La Vega with a 25-5 run en route to a rather convincing 68-54 win at the Goat Gym. Spoiler role turned to hope.
Then they had to hit the road and play a team that they had not beaten in 28 tries, the Mexia Blackcats. Put the streak on top of having to go to very hostile Blackcat Gym, and it was 'uh-oh' time for the Goats, who were in a must-win. They ended the streak with a 67-65 overtime win.
Now we have a complete mess that has no chance of being decided any time soon. There are many different scenarios.
Here is what we do know: Robinson and Connally, I’m sorry, but this party isn’t for you.
La Vega and Lorena are 6-2, while Groesbeck and Mexia are 5-3. La Vega is in Mexia Friday, and Lorena is in Groesbeck on Tuesday, so here we go:
If Groesbeck and La Vega go 2-0 and Mexia and Lorena go 1-1, then:
1. La Vega
2T. Lorena
2T. Groesbeck (Tiebreaker or Flip for 2nd)
If Mexia and Lorena go 2-0, and Groesbeck and La Vega go 1-1, then:
1. Lorena
2T. Mexia
2T. La Vega (Tiebreaker or flip)
If La Vega and Lorena go 2-0 and Groesbeck and Mexia go 1-1, then:
1T. La Vega
1T. Lorena (Tiebreaker or flip)
3T. Groesbeck
3T. Mexia (Tiebreaker)
If Mexia and Groesbeck go 2-0 and Lorena and La Vega go 1-1, then:
1T. La Vega, Groesbeck, Lorena, Mexia
(This would result in a four-team tournament next weekend at a site TBD for three spots)
If you consider that manageable, then it’s not so bad. Either way, it is going to make for a fantastic finish in 19-3A.
Keep in mind when reading this that Class 3A districts still only get three playoff representatives. As you'll read, one of four teams in this central Texas district may tie for a district championship and not even make the playoffs.
I love this stuff! (Thanks again, B.J., for the info!)
The fun is just starting in 19-3A.
Just when we thought everything would be nice and tidy in 19-3A, with Mexia, La Vega, and Lorena all ranked in the TABC hoops rankings and two full games up on the pack, the district showed us what many Waco-area district fans already knew: this district is NEVER nice and tidy.
Groesbeck started the second half of district (with a record of) 2-3 and looking to be a spoiler. They beat a winless Connally team 64-38...no big deal right?
Then the Goats hit their stride, starting their game with #16 La Vega with a 25-5 run en route to a rather convincing 68-54 win at the Goat Gym. Spoiler role turned to hope.
Then they had to hit the road and play a team that they had not beaten in 28 tries, the Mexia Blackcats. Put the streak on top of having to go to very hostile Blackcat Gym, and it was 'uh-oh' time for the Goats, who were in a must-win. They ended the streak with a 67-65 overtime win.
Now we have a complete mess that has no chance of being decided any time soon. There are many different scenarios.
Here is what we do know: Robinson and Connally, I’m sorry, but this party isn’t for you.
La Vega and Lorena are 6-2, while Groesbeck and Mexia are 5-3. La Vega is in Mexia Friday, and Lorena is in Groesbeck on Tuesday, so here we go:
If Groesbeck and La Vega go 2-0 and Mexia and Lorena go 1-1, then:
1. La Vega
2T. Lorena
2T. Groesbeck (Tiebreaker or Flip for 2nd)
If Mexia and Lorena go 2-0, and Groesbeck and La Vega go 1-1, then:
1. Lorena
2T. Mexia
2T. La Vega (Tiebreaker or flip)
If La Vega and Lorena go 2-0 and Groesbeck and Mexia go 1-1, then:
1T. La Vega
1T. Lorena (Tiebreaker or flip)
3T. Groesbeck
3T. Mexia (Tiebreaker)
If Mexia and Groesbeck go 2-0 and Lorena and La Vega go 1-1, then:
1T. La Vega, Groesbeck, Lorena, Mexia
(This would result in a four-team tournament next weekend at a site TBD for three spots)
If you consider that manageable, then it’s not so bad. Either way, it is going to make for a fantastic finish in 19-3A.
CRHS announces another signing
More college signing news from Cinco Ranch High School, courtesy of campus athletic coordinator Don Clayton...
Amy Brodeur has committed to play at Stephen F. Austin to continue her soccer career at the next level.
We join the Cinco Ranch family in wishing her nothing but success both on and off the pitch.
Amy Brodeur has committed to play at Stephen F. Austin to continue her soccer career at the next level.
We join the Cinco Ranch family in wishing her nothing but success both on and off the pitch.
Seated: Dad (Anthony), Amy, and Mom (Susan)
Standing: John Crow (Boys Head Soccer Coach), Mickey Ventimilla-Miller (Girls Assistant Soccer Coach), Fredy Sanguinetti (Girls Head Soccer Coach), James Cross (Principal), Aaron Hoefer (Boys Assistant Soccer Coach), and Don Clayton (Athletic Coordinator).
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
And the realignment winners are...
As the dust settles from Monday's UIL realignment, who wound up as the big winners and who were the big losers in the Greater Houston area?
Today, let's pick 'em in Class 5A...
I think that if you are looking for winners, you need look no further than a little way out Highway 290 to the schools of Cy-Fair ISD. The entire 10-team district will be relocated back in Region III next year as District 17-5A and, no matter which sport you pick, you can make a case that things just got a whole lot easier for whichever CFISD schools make it into the playoff brackets.
With no disrespect intended toward the Alief ISD and Aldine ISD schools which will comprise neighboring 18-5A, all of the 'Cy' schools' football and baseball coaches probably breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday when they realized that they won't see Round Rock schools in the first round and the likes of The Woodlands, College Park, any of the Klein ISD schools, etc., if they happen to survive that round.
Because of their geographic location on the northern outskirts of metropolitan Houston, the Cy-Fair schools always have to be prepared to go either to Region II or Region III at realignment time, depending on how the numbers fall out. But, given their history of successes on the field, it would be hard to argue that they aren't better off in Region III.
Cypress Woods made it to a football Region II championship game this past season, but Cy-Fair and Cypress Falls each made it at least that far on multiple occasions in Region III and the Golden Eagles played in a 5A Division 2 state championship game as a Region III representative in 2006. Baseball seasons were a little tougher, thanks to the Katys, Bellaires and Kingwoods of the region, but Woody Champagne led his Cy-Fair Bobcats to a state baseball championship out of Region III back in 2007.
Conversely, if you feel like anyone got the short end of the stick, you'd have to pity Kingwood and Atascocita. Not only do they get bumped from the friendly confines of Region III for Region II, but they also get ousted from their cozy surroundings in the Humble/Aldine district to be relocated into the Conroe ISD/Lufkin district. They'll annually see The Woodlands, College Park, Oak Ridge, Conroe and Lufkin in district play. Ouch!
The move was basically unavoidable when it became obvious that Humble was not going to have the enrollment numbers to stay in 5A. (They join Humble ISD schools Kingwood Park and Summer Creek in 4A next year.) And, because of their geographic location in relationship to the Conroe schools, the move was the most natural to make.
At the same time, District 14-5A, which was a small six-team district in recent years, now becomes a little bigger and stronger, too.
I have to confess that the first thing I thought of when I saw the make-up of this district was The Woodlands-Kingwood series in baseball. This revamped district should be a lot of fun for observers, if not for the teams involved.
The other 'losers' in the realignment would have to be Memorial and Strake Jesuit. Memorial, like Kingwood and Atascocita, find themselves in a school district (Spring Branch ISD) where the other high schools are seeing enrollment drop them to 4A levels (Stratford was already there at the last realjgnment but successfully petitioned to stay in 5A) and find themselves now grafted in with the Katy ISD schools.
Strake Jesuit, the lone Houston-area private-school UIL stepchild, will move to that district with Memorial. Strake is likely to spend its entire existence in the UIL shuffling from one district to another every other year--the proverbial 5A nomads.
There was room for one more team in the seven-team Alief/Aldine district and Strake is geographically close to the Alief ISD schools, but they will return instead to compete against the same Katy schools that welcomed them into UIL play as district mates back in 2004. That has to something akin to the welcome you could get in the 1980s at a Von Erich family Christmas gathering: reverse choke holds and body slams for everyone! (Don't you just love obscure references that hint at the writer trying just a little too hard to be clever?)
We'll offer some opinions on 4A winners and losers in the next post.
Today, let's pick 'em in Class 5A...
I think that if you are looking for winners, you need look no further than a little way out Highway 290 to the schools of Cy-Fair ISD. The entire 10-team district will be relocated back in Region III next year as District 17-5A and, no matter which sport you pick, you can make a case that things just got a whole lot easier for whichever CFISD schools make it into the playoff brackets.
With no disrespect intended toward the Alief ISD and Aldine ISD schools which will comprise neighboring 18-5A, all of the 'Cy' schools' football and baseball coaches probably breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday when they realized that they won't see Round Rock schools in the first round and the likes of The Woodlands, College Park, any of the Klein ISD schools, etc., if they happen to survive that round.
Because of their geographic location on the northern outskirts of metropolitan Houston, the Cy-Fair schools always have to be prepared to go either to Region II or Region III at realignment time, depending on how the numbers fall out. But, given their history of successes on the field, it would be hard to argue that they aren't better off in Region III.
Cypress Woods made it to a football Region II championship game this past season, but Cy-Fair and Cypress Falls each made it at least that far on multiple occasions in Region III and the Golden Eagles played in a 5A Division 2 state championship game as a Region III representative in 2006. Baseball seasons were a little tougher, thanks to the Katys, Bellaires and Kingwoods of the region, but Woody Champagne led his Cy-Fair Bobcats to a state baseball championship out of Region III back in 2007.
Conversely, if you feel like anyone got the short end of the stick, you'd have to pity Kingwood and Atascocita. Not only do they get bumped from the friendly confines of Region III for Region II, but they also get ousted from their cozy surroundings in the Humble/Aldine district to be relocated into the Conroe ISD/Lufkin district. They'll annually see The Woodlands, College Park, Oak Ridge, Conroe and Lufkin in district play. Ouch!
The move was basically unavoidable when it became obvious that Humble was not going to have the enrollment numbers to stay in 5A. (They join Humble ISD schools Kingwood Park and Summer Creek in 4A next year.) And, because of their geographic location in relationship to the Conroe schools, the move was the most natural to make.
At the same time, District 14-5A, which was a small six-team district in recent years, now becomes a little bigger and stronger, too.
I have to confess that the first thing I thought of when I saw the make-up of this district was The Woodlands-Kingwood series in baseball. This revamped district should be a lot of fun for observers, if not for the teams involved.
The other 'losers' in the realignment would have to be Memorial and Strake Jesuit. Memorial, like Kingwood and Atascocita, find themselves in a school district (Spring Branch ISD) where the other high schools are seeing enrollment drop them to 4A levels (Stratford was already there at the last realjgnment but successfully petitioned to stay in 5A) and find themselves now grafted in with the Katy ISD schools.
Strake Jesuit, the lone Houston-area private-school UIL stepchild, will move to that district with Memorial. Strake is likely to spend its entire existence in the UIL shuffling from one district to another every other year--the proverbial 5A nomads.
There was room for one more team in the seven-team Alief/Aldine district and Strake is geographically close to the Alief ISD schools, but they will return instead to compete against the same Katy schools that welcomed them into UIL play as district mates back in 2004. That has to something akin to the welcome you could get in the 1980s at a Von Erich family Christmas gathering: reverse choke holds and body slams for everyone! (Don't you just love obscure references that hint at the writer trying just a little too hard to be clever?)
We'll offer some opinions on 4A winners and losers in the next post.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Cinco's Radcliffe chooses Rice
Cinco Ranch High School announced today that LB James Radcliffe has committed to play for the Rice Owls.
Radcliffe was a three-time All-District LB, as well as 17-5A Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-Greater Houston, and recognized on both the academic and on-the-field all-state teams. He was also a Cougar captain.
Radcliffe will join former Cougars John Gioffre, Bobby Kiesewetter, and Tanner Leland on the Rice roster.
Radcliffe was a three-time All-District LB, as well as 17-5A Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-Greater Houston, and recognized on both the academic and on-the-field all-state teams. He was also a Cougar captain.
Radcliffe will join former Cougars John Gioffre, Bobby Kiesewetter, and Tanner Leland on the Rice roster.
Seated: Jim (Dad), James, and Kris (Mom)
Standing: Chad Simmons (Defensive Coordinator), Chris Dudley (Inside Linebacker Coach), James Cross (Principal), Don Clayton (Head Football Coach), and Mike Flanagan (Outside Linebacker Coach).
Monday, February 1, 2010
Highlights of the UIL realignment
Several Houston-area teams will be more than mildly affected by the 2010-2012 district realignment announced by the University Interscholastic League this morning. Here are some of the changes:
- Class 5A Region II: Kingwood and Atascocita will move from Region III to join the Conroe ISD schools and Lufkin in District 14-5A.
- Cy Fair ISD schools move from Region II back to Region III to form one of two 10-team superdistricts in the region (along with Fort Bend ISD)
- Three of the four Spring Branch ISD schools drop from Class 5A to 4A. Stratford, Northbrook and Spring Woods will join the Magnolia ISD schools, Waller, Brenham and Montgomery in 17-4A.
- Memorial, the lone remaining Spring Branch ISD 5A school, will join the six Katy ISD schools and Strake Jesuit to make up District 19-5A.
- Alief ISD (three schools) and Aldine ISD (four schools) will compose arguably the most geographically-awkward district, 18-5A.
- Deer Park and La Porte, natural geographic rivals, are in separate districts for the first time in recent memory.
- HISD Westbury moves back from 4A to 5A to join other HISD schools in District 20-5A.
- Baytown Lee drops from 5A to 4A.
- Pearland moves back to 24-5A from 22-5A, replacing Galveston Ball, who drops to 4A.
- Humble and New Caney drop from 5A to District 18-4A with Caney Creek, Huntsville, Kingwood Park, Willis and new schools Summer Creek and Porter.
- Angleton and Brazosport will relocate to 23-4A to join the five other teams: Bay City, El Campo, Foster, Lamar Consolidated and Terry.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Who is the 'class' of the Houston-area teams? Okay, who is second...
As we make the turn in the basketball district season, it's time to start focusing on how the district races are starting to shape up.
Let's go ahead and begin in Class 4A, District 21. In fact, let's go ahead and overview Region III. Okay, okay--the entire state. Jack Yates Lions. Period. (We'll come back to them.)
In Class 5A Region II, who is the 'class' of the Houston-area teams and how do they stack up with the rest of the region?
Would you make an argument for Spring, who are 22-6 after Tuesday's games but fresh off a loss to Klein Forest in a game that could have really given them a cushion over the rest of 13-5A. Because of the loss, the hang on to a one-game lead over Klein and Westfield, who are both solid, but not spectacular, teams.
In 14-5A, College Park had to be considered the district favorite, but they've already dropped two district games in the first half of the season. New Caney shocked the Cavs last week and current district leader, The Woodlands, also defeated them on January 15 in the district opener. The Highlanders are 4-0 in district and 20-4 overall. Their losses have been close and to good teams (Bryan, Elkins, Tomball and Seven Lakes). Wes Cole (JR) and Davis Tucker (SR) have turned out to be a pretty good tandem in the backcourt. We'll watch that team closely down the stretch.
No matter what sport it is, District 15-5A will usually wind up as a jumbled mess. That's true in basketball this season, although Cy Woods (17-5, 6-1) has risen to the top of the heap. But close on their heels are both Langham Creek and Cy Creek, one game back.
Woods was a TABC Pre-Season Top 20 team (ranked #18). But, they've lost some games you might expect an elite team to win. They have good size up front, but would they have enough athleticism to keep pace with an athletic opponent?
Suffice it to say that in Region II, at least to this point, no Houston-area team could be considered favorites over De Soto (24-3, 3-0 in District 11-5A and defending state champs), Lakeview Centennial (21-3, 6-0 in 10-5A) or possibly even Richardson Berkner (22-4, 7-0 in 9-5A).
In Class 5A Region III, Bellaire would easily be considered the class of the area. Currently ranked No. 1 in the TABC Class 5A poll, Bruce Glover's Cardinals are 24-1 and 6-0 in 20-5A, and coming off a convincing 81-54 win over second-place Madison. They are going to be tough to beat.
Perhaps La Porte might have been given the best preseason shot at hanging with Bellaire in the regional playoffs, but as of this writing, the Bulldogs aren't even leading their district. That honor belongs to Louie Means' Deer Park Deer. The Deer (17-9) are now 7-0 in 22-5A and have one-game lead over La Porte, by virtue of their upset win over the Bulldogs early in the district season. They struggled early in the tournament season, but have now won 12 of their last 13 games.
Not to be ignored are Kingwood (22-4), Elsik (19-9), and three teams from Fort Bend ISD and three teams from District 23-5A. Bush (22-4), Dulles (23-5) and Elkins (21-7) have each won at least three-fourths of their games this year. The question may be who survives the tough district beating to make a deep run in the playoffs.
* * * * *
I love a good practical joke. I love it even more when it backfires, like this one did.
* * * * *
Finishing the thought on Class 4A and Yates: if they are to be challenged in the regional playoffs, I believe that La Marque (24-2) will be the team to do it. As of this week, Yates is the top-ranked 4A team in the state; La Marque is No. 3. That would be an impressive matchup. And it would be played to a packed-out house, too.
Jim Hicks of RCS Sports has seen Brenham firsthand and gives the Cubs a glowing review, so they could be a team to watch in 4A Region III.
And you read it here first: the Houston area will be well-represented in Austin in March out of both Class 3A and Class 2A. I think Hardin-Jefferson (3A) and New Waverly (2A) will both play in the state tournament, and New Waverly may very well bring home a state championship trophy.
Let's go ahead and begin in Class 4A, District 21. In fact, let's go ahead and overview Region III. Okay, okay--the entire state. Jack Yates Lions. Period. (We'll come back to them.)
In Class 5A Region II, who is the 'class' of the Houston-area teams and how do they stack up with the rest of the region?
Would you make an argument for Spring, who are 22-6 after Tuesday's games but fresh off a loss to Klein Forest in a game that could have really given them a cushion over the rest of 13-5A. Because of the loss, the hang on to a one-game lead over Klein and Westfield, who are both solid, but not spectacular, teams.
In 14-5A, College Park had to be considered the district favorite, but they've already dropped two district games in the first half of the season. New Caney shocked the Cavs last week and current district leader, The Woodlands, also defeated them on January 15 in the district opener. The Highlanders are 4-0 in district and 20-4 overall. Their losses have been close and to good teams (Bryan, Elkins, Tomball and Seven Lakes). Wes Cole (JR) and Davis Tucker (SR) have turned out to be a pretty good tandem in the backcourt. We'll watch that team closely down the stretch.
No matter what sport it is, District 15-5A will usually wind up as a jumbled mess. That's true in basketball this season, although Cy Woods (17-5, 6-1) has risen to the top of the heap. But close on their heels are both Langham Creek and Cy Creek, one game back.
Woods was a TABC Pre-Season Top 20 team (ranked #18). But, they've lost some games you might expect an elite team to win. They have good size up front, but would they have enough athleticism to keep pace with an athletic opponent?
Suffice it to say that in Region II, at least to this point, no Houston-area team could be considered favorites over De Soto (24-3, 3-0 in District 11-5A and defending state champs), Lakeview Centennial (21-3, 6-0 in 10-5A) or possibly even Richardson Berkner (22-4, 7-0 in 9-5A).
In Class 5A Region III, Bellaire would easily be considered the class of the area. Currently ranked No. 1 in the TABC Class 5A poll, Bruce Glover's Cardinals are 24-1 and 6-0 in 20-5A, and coming off a convincing 81-54 win over second-place Madison. They are going to be tough to beat.
Perhaps La Porte might have been given the best preseason shot at hanging with Bellaire in the regional playoffs, but as of this writing, the Bulldogs aren't even leading their district. That honor belongs to Louie Means' Deer Park Deer. The Deer (17-9) are now 7-0 in 22-5A and have one-game lead over La Porte, by virtue of their upset win over the Bulldogs early in the district season. They struggled early in the tournament season, but have now won 12 of their last 13 games.
Not to be ignored are Kingwood (22-4), Elsik (19-9), and three teams from Fort Bend ISD and three teams from District 23-5A. Bush (22-4), Dulles (23-5) and Elkins (21-7) have each won at least three-fourths of their games this year. The question may be who survives the tough district beating to make a deep run in the playoffs.
* * * * *
I love a good practical joke. I love it even more when it backfires, like this one did.
* * * * *
Finishing the thought on Class 4A and Yates: if they are to be challenged in the regional playoffs, I believe that La Marque (24-2) will be the team to do it. As of this week, Yates is the top-ranked 4A team in the state; La Marque is No. 3. That would be an impressive matchup. And it would be played to a packed-out house, too.
Jim Hicks of RCS Sports has seen Brenham firsthand and gives the Cubs a glowing review, so they could be a team to watch in 4A Region III.
And you read it here first: the Houston area will be well-represented in Austin in March out of both Class 3A and Class 2A. I think Hardin-Jefferson (3A) and New Waverly (2A) will both play in the state tournament, and New Waverly may very well bring home a state championship trophy.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
White works and waits to see what the future holds
Took a week off to recharge...did you miss me?
* * * * *
With National Signing Day looming in a couple of weeks, stories of commitments and re-commitments are becoming more and more commonplace. It makes a story like Stephen White's a little bit poignant.
White is a senior on St. Thomas' basketball team (no need to clarify with 'boys'; STHS is an all-male parochial school run by the Basilian Fathers) and aspires to continue to play beyond his high school days. This would have been his third varsity season as an Eagle. Would have been.
White suffered a knee injury last year that required surgery during the summer and, while healing nicely, has cost him his senior year on the varsity squad. In the process it may have cost him, or at least detoured, his hopes of playing basketball in college.
White, a 6'3" swing man in high school, had committed to West Point, the Army academy, and had planned to play basketball there. It's hard enough for a completely healthy high school student to get accepted at West Point, much less one whose surgically-repaired knee creates questions for a governing body who, frankly, are concerned with much more about White's future endeavors on their behalf than basketball.
So Stephen White waits and works to rehab. He'll need a medical waiver from the US Department of Defense to still be accepted. And though he comes from celebrated political stock (his dad is former Houston mayor Bill White), that may not carry enough influence to earn the necessary paperwork.
So he mulls his options, most of which are either a secret he keeps or unknown to even himself, and turns his focus to trying to help his current teammates from the sidelines.
St Thomas' 2009-2010 squad has turned out to be a fairly good one, in spite of being incredibly young and under the direction of a new head coach. Danny Evans replaced Neil Laminack before the season began and has led the Eagles to a 21-12 record with four games remaining.
Led by sophomore Christian Sanders and senior Chase Kammerer (an Air Force commit), they lead District 3-6A in TAPPS. In their classification, they could potentially make a deep run in the playoffs. The shadow Prestonwood Christian looms on the far horizon, but the Eagles would have the size, if not the experience, to match up with the Lions.
White just hopes that his team gets to play long enough to think about facing PCA, because that may be his only opportunity to actually play this season. His doctor has told him that, if the healing progress continues, there is an outside chance he could be released to play in late February. That would coincide with a state semifinal or championship game.
Everything hangs in suspended animation for the time being for Stephen White. And while we celebrate those athletes who are solidifying their plans for the future, we also should be reminded of the ones who can't do it...at least not quite yet.
* * * * *
With National Signing Day looming in a couple of weeks, stories of commitments and re-commitments are becoming more and more commonplace. It makes a story like Stephen White's a little bit poignant.
White is a senior on St. Thomas' basketball team (no need to clarify with 'boys'; STHS is an all-male parochial school run by the Basilian Fathers) and aspires to continue to play beyond his high school days. This would have been his third varsity season as an Eagle. Would have been.
White suffered a knee injury last year that required surgery during the summer and, while healing nicely, has cost him his senior year on the varsity squad. In the process it may have cost him, or at least detoured, his hopes of playing basketball in college.
White, a 6'3" swing man in high school, had committed to West Point, the Army academy, and had planned to play basketball there. It's hard enough for a completely healthy high school student to get accepted at West Point, much less one whose surgically-repaired knee creates questions for a governing body who, frankly, are concerned with much more about White's future endeavors on their behalf than basketball.
So Stephen White waits and works to rehab. He'll need a medical waiver from the US Department of Defense to still be accepted. And though he comes from celebrated political stock (his dad is former Houston mayor Bill White), that may not carry enough influence to earn the necessary paperwork.
So he mulls his options, most of which are either a secret he keeps or unknown to even himself, and turns his focus to trying to help his current teammates from the sidelines.
St Thomas' 2009-2010 squad has turned out to be a fairly good one, in spite of being incredibly young and under the direction of a new head coach. Danny Evans replaced Neil Laminack before the season began and has led the Eagles to a 21-12 record with four games remaining.
Led by sophomore Christian Sanders and senior Chase Kammerer (an Air Force commit), they lead District 3-6A in TAPPS. In their classification, they could potentially make a deep run in the playoffs. The shadow Prestonwood Christian looms on the far horizon, but the Eagles would have the size, if not the experience, to match up with the Lions.
White just hopes that his team gets to play long enough to think about facing PCA, because that may be his only opportunity to actually play this season. His doctor has told him that, if the healing progress continues, there is an outside chance he could be released to play in late February. That would coincide with a state semifinal or championship game.
Everything hangs in suspended animation for the time being for Stephen White. And while we celebrate those athletes who are solidifying their plans for the future, we also should be reminded of the ones who can't do it...at least not quite yet.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
ISHL gives Houstonians a high school hockey fix
It's cold outside! And when it gets this cold outside, one thing pops into the minds of Houston's high school sports fans: high school hockey.
No, really! There is a high school hockey league in the Houston area: the Interscholastic Hockey League.
While I love the game, I'm not going to try to make anyone believe I am the fount of all hockey knowledge. In fact, I wasn't aware of the ISHL, as it is known, until Legacy Sports Network began broadcasting an ISHL Game of the Week last year. Michael Silvers handled the play-by-play and did a great job.
This year, LSN is again broadcasting a GOTW. Silvers has been joined in the booth by David Feliciano, who ably adds analysis. (Give them a listen; they make a great broadcast team!) This Sunday night, they will be at Toyota Center to call a doubleheader featuring Cinco Ranch vs. Seven Lakes followed by The Woodlands vs. College Park. (Do those rivalries sound familiar?)
Those are just four of 15 teams participating this season. Teams are split into two divisions (North and South) in what is known as the Justice Varsity League.
The ISHL has existed in some form or fashion since the 1998-1999 school year and several high schools around the area field teams. Those that can't come up with a full squad generally band together with one or two other schools to form teams.
Besides the four previously mentioned, other teams this season represent Cypress Woods, Klein, Katy Taylor, Clear Lake, Fort Bend Austin and Clements. Consolidated teams include Memorial West, Brazos Valley, Fair/Creek (from the CFISD area), Brook/Creek/Springs (CCISD area) and Pearland/Friendswood.
While it isn't a UIL-sanctioned sport, it is becoming extremely popular in suburban Houston. And because it isn't under the UIL's banner, the league can be co-ed and has several girls dotting the rosters of the squads.
This is Week 11 of the season and Fair/Creek (6-0-3, 15 points) is atop the North Division standings. They have a three-point lead over both The Woodlands and Cy Woods.
The Cinco Ranch Cougars (8-1-1, 17 points) are leading the South Divison, two points ahead of Taylor.
Last year's league champions, the Austin Bulldogs, are currently in seventh place in the eight-team South, but they are the top scoring team in the league and boast the two leading individual scorers. Senior Arron Slaten is the league scoring leader with 30 points, including a staggering 21 goals in nine games. His teammate, junior Cody Gamble, is second in the league with 24 points (12 goals/12 assists).
Fair/Creek senior Tyler Bradford is the leading goalie in the league, with a goals-against average of 1.40.
League continues through the end of February and the City Final (this one is valid!) wraps up a playoff round-robin at the end of the year.
Besides the Sundays at Toyota Center, the league plays at many of the ice rinks around town. But if you can't get out to one of the rinks any time soon, or just want a taste of what the league is about, check out the Legacy ISHL Game of the Week.
It won't take long to get hooked, especially if the weather keeps reminding us it's hockey season.
No, really! There is a high school hockey league in the Houston area: the Interscholastic Hockey League.
While I love the game, I'm not going to try to make anyone believe I am the fount of all hockey knowledge. In fact, I wasn't aware of the ISHL, as it is known, until Legacy Sports Network began broadcasting an ISHL Game of the Week last year. Michael Silvers handled the play-by-play and did a great job.
This year, LSN is again broadcasting a GOTW. Silvers has been joined in the booth by David Feliciano, who ably adds analysis. (Give them a listen; they make a great broadcast team!) This Sunday night, they will be at Toyota Center to call a doubleheader featuring Cinco Ranch vs. Seven Lakes followed by The Woodlands vs. College Park. (Do those rivalries sound familiar?)
Those are just four of 15 teams participating this season. Teams are split into two divisions (North and South) in what is known as the Justice Varsity League.
The ISHL has existed in some form or fashion since the 1998-1999 school year and several high schools around the area field teams. Those that can't come up with a full squad generally band together with one or two other schools to form teams.
Besides the four previously mentioned, other teams this season represent Cypress Woods, Klein, Katy Taylor, Clear Lake, Fort Bend Austin and Clements. Consolidated teams include Memorial West, Brazos Valley, Fair/Creek (from the CFISD area), Brook/Creek/Springs (CCISD area) and Pearland/Friendswood.
While it isn't a UIL-sanctioned sport, it is becoming extremely popular in suburban Houston. And because it isn't under the UIL's banner, the league can be co-ed and has several girls dotting the rosters of the squads.
This is Week 11 of the season and Fair/Creek (6-0-3, 15 points) is atop the North Division standings. They have a three-point lead over both The Woodlands and Cy Woods.
The Cinco Ranch Cougars (8-1-1, 17 points) are leading the South Divison, two points ahead of Taylor.
Last year's league champions, the Austin Bulldogs, are currently in seventh place in the eight-team South, but they are the top scoring team in the league and boast the two leading individual scorers. Senior Arron Slaten is the league scoring leader with 30 points, including a staggering 21 goals in nine games. His teammate, junior Cody Gamble, is second in the league with 24 points (12 goals/12 assists).
Fair/Creek senior Tyler Bradford is the leading goalie in the league, with a goals-against average of 1.40.
League continues through the end of February and the City Final (this one is valid!) wraps up a playoff round-robin at the end of the year.
Besides the Sundays at Toyota Center, the league plays at many of the ice rinks around town. But if you can't get out to one of the rinks any time soon, or just want a taste of what the league is about, check out the Legacy ISHL Game of the Week.
It won't take long to get hooked, especially if the weather keeps reminding us it's hockey season.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Yates: Don't hate...congratulate!
Ring out the old; ring in the new! Happy 2010, everyone!
By the way, I’m on a personal crusade to have everyone start describing this year as “twenty-ten”. I was willing to give the world a pass in the initial decade of the Twenty-first Century, but now it’s time for the world to get on board with my program. Welcome to the year twenty-ten.
And, as sure as I was born in the year one thousand, nine hundred sixty-one, I will surely prevail in this endeavor.
* * * * *
Focus has shifted away from football to basketball…specifically, Yates basketball. Wow! Thanks, Greg Wise, for giving us something to discuss!
On Tuesday night, the Yates Lions blasted the Lee Corporals (previously known as the Generals, but who were stripped of their rank following the game) by a score of…wait for it…oh, who doesn’t already know this? 170-35.
Since the final buzzer sounded that evening, the earth has begun to first quiver slightly, then shake violently, until now erupting into a national controversy. It’s 2012 (twenty-twelve…see above) two years too soon!
Everyone wants to talk about it, from Houston-area sports talkers on the radio, to the PTI guys on ESPN. And it apparently matters very little how much or little you know about the team or it's opponent that night. Outrage is the order of the day in several quarters.
Most of you won’t be happy with it, but here’s my take on The Blowout—and this opinion belongs exclusively to Lonnie King…not sponsors, not employers, not associates, and not even my wife (‘The Bleeding Heart’) either:
I am not offended or outraged in any way at the final score OR the way that Yates arrived at that final score.
And, let me tell you, I’ve spent the last 24 hours trying to build up some sense of outrage over this, just to be able to go along with the majority. But I can’t do it. I just am not incensed over this game.
It boils down to this: Yates is a very good basketball team, arguably the best high school team in the nation. Lee offers basketball to its student body as an afterthought and they aren't very good at all. BUT, they are required to play each other; they're in the same district.
To me, there are many aspects of this whole story that are impressive, or at least very fascinating. Here are just a couple:
First of all, if you look at Yates' body of work through the early part of their schedule, you’ll see that they’ve put up some gaudy numbers against much better competition than Lee. Yates, because of their weak district competition, goes out of their way to schedule tough pre-district opponents. They’ve traveled the nation in November and December and still managed to win impressively.
Also, there are just eight-minute quarters in a high school basketball game. Thirty-two total minutes. There are several NBA teams that cannot scratch 90 points in a 48-minute game on a regular basis and here’s a high school team that can do it routinely in 32.
Most fascinating is the fact that Yates is fortunate to have so much basketball talent that resides within its school attendance boundaries! (I know, I know…leave it alone…)
By the way, Yates has HISD's magnet program for communications (Broadcast TV, Radio, Print, and Photography). Budding journalists love basketball.
Wise, the head man at Yates, coaches his team to play full-court pressure defense and run the floor in transition on offense. They have been coached so well at that style of play that they are able to put up large numbers on the scoreboard. The defensive pressure creates offensive opportunities and Yates capitalizes on those offensive opportunities.
By the way, there are coaches all over the area, state and nation who coach with that same philosophy, but while their stifling defense may frustrate opponents, they generally do not have the talent that the Lions have and don’t capitalize AS OFTEN on the offensive end of the floor.
I saw Yates post 94 points last year in the Class 4A state championship against Dallas Kimball. Think about that for a minute: 94 points in 32 minutes against the next-best team in the state. That, to me, is impressive. So, it should be no surprise that, against lesser competition, the Lions could put up gaudy-looking numbers.
And, to get to the point that you are able to score 94 points in a state championship, you have to work on it consistently during the regular season.
A couple of weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts created a buzz when their coach Jim Caldwell basically quit in the middle of a game against the New York Jets—while his team had a lead. The stated purpose was that the Colts, though still pursuing a perfect season record, already had clinched everything they could conceivably need to give themselves a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. There was nothing to be gained in pushing hard and going all out just to pursue a ‘meaningless’ goal.
The Colts went on to lose the game, which cost them a chance at an undefeated season and also noticeably affected the demeanor of the team. Last weekend (the game that followed the Jets loss), the Colts laid another egg, with starters on the bench resting up for the playoffs, and lost at Buffalo, 30-7. Now they will sit for another week awaiting the outcome of the wild card round games.
Is there anyone out there right now who wouldn’t be surprised if the Colts cannot turn the competitiveness back on in the second round and lose? The Indy starters, who will not have had meaningful competition in more than three weeks, may not be as sharp as if they had played to win throughout their schedule.
I think Greg Wise probably understands this: if you want your sword to be sharp in the playoffs, you have to hone it to precision in the regular season, no matter who the competition may be.
Sure, it turns out 37 points would’ve been enough against Lee. But it would’ve sent up a red flag about the Yates program. And it would’ve been unfair to the athletes under Wise’s command to ask them to not go out and give their best effort on the court.
Yates cannot control who their district opponents are. They have to play the other teams that the UIL has included with them in 21-4A. If those schools decide to field a basketball team, they should be prepared to see a dominant squad.
I’m going to copyright a slogan and mass-produce t-shirts right now: “Jack Yates! Don’t hate! Congratulate!”
By the way, I’m on a personal crusade to have everyone start describing this year as “twenty-ten”. I was willing to give the world a pass in the initial decade of the Twenty-first Century, but now it’s time for the world to get on board with my program. Welcome to the year twenty-ten.
And, as sure as I was born in the year one thousand, nine hundred sixty-one, I will surely prevail in this endeavor.
* * * * *
Focus has shifted away from football to basketball…specifically, Yates basketball. Wow! Thanks, Greg Wise, for giving us something to discuss!
On Tuesday night, the Yates Lions blasted the Lee Corporals (previously known as the Generals, but who were stripped of their rank following the game) by a score of…wait for it…oh, who doesn’t already know this? 170-35.
Since the final buzzer sounded that evening, the earth has begun to first quiver slightly, then shake violently, until now erupting into a national controversy. It’s 2012 (twenty-twelve…see above) two years too soon!
Everyone wants to talk about it, from Houston-area sports talkers on the radio, to the PTI guys on ESPN. And it apparently matters very little how much or little you know about the team or it's opponent that night. Outrage is the order of the day in several quarters.
Most of you won’t be happy with it, but here’s my take on The Blowout—and this opinion belongs exclusively to Lonnie King…not sponsors, not employers, not associates, and not even my wife (‘The Bleeding Heart’) either:
I am not offended or outraged in any way at the final score OR the way that Yates arrived at that final score.
And, let me tell you, I’ve spent the last 24 hours trying to build up some sense of outrage over this, just to be able to go along with the majority. But I can’t do it. I just am not incensed over this game.
It boils down to this: Yates is a very good basketball team, arguably the best high school team in the nation. Lee offers basketball to its student body as an afterthought and they aren't very good at all. BUT, they are required to play each other; they're in the same district.
To me, there are many aspects of this whole story that are impressive, or at least very fascinating. Here are just a couple:
First of all, if you look at Yates' body of work through the early part of their schedule, you’ll see that they’ve put up some gaudy numbers against much better competition than Lee. Yates, because of their weak district competition, goes out of their way to schedule tough pre-district opponents. They’ve traveled the nation in November and December and still managed to win impressively.
Also, there are just eight-minute quarters in a high school basketball game. Thirty-two total minutes. There are several NBA teams that cannot scratch 90 points in a 48-minute game on a regular basis and here’s a high school team that can do it routinely in 32.
Most fascinating is the fact that Yates is fortunate to have so much basketball talent that resides within its school attendance boundaries! (I know, I know…leave it alone…)
By the way, Yates has HISD's magnet program for communications (Broadcast TV, Radio, Print, and Photography). Budding journalists love basketball.
Wise, the head man at Yates, coaches his team to play full-court pressure defense and run the floor in transition on offense. They have been coached so well at that style of play that they are able to put up large numbers on the scoreboard. The defensive pressure creates offensive opportunities and Yates capitalizes on those offensive opportunities.
By the way, there are coaches all over the area, state and nation who coach with that same philosophy, but while their stifling defense may frustrate opponents, they generally do not have the talent that the Lions have and don’t capitalize AS OFTEN on the offensive end of the floor.
I saw Yates post 94 points last year in the Class 4A state championship against Dallas Kimball. Think about that for a minute: 94 points in 32 minutes against the next-best team in the state. That, to me, is impressive. So, it should be no surprise that, against lesser competition, the Lions could put up gaudy-looking numbers.
And, to get to the point that you are able to score 94 points in a state championship, you have to work on it consistently during the regular season.
A couple of weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts created a buzz when their coach Jim Caldwell basically quit in the middle of a game against the New York Jets—while his team had a lead. The stated purpose was that the Colts, though still pursuing a perfect season record, already had clinched everything they could conceivably need to give themselves a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. There was nothing to be gained in pushing hard and going all out just to pursue a ‘meaningless’ goal.
The Colts went on to lose the game, which cost them a chance at an undefeated season and also noticeably affected the demeanor of the team. Last weekend (the game that followed the Jets loss), the Colts laid another egg, with starters on the bench resting up for the playoffs, and lost at Buffalo, 30-7. Now they will sit for another week awaiting the outcome of the wild card round games.
Is there anyone out there right now who wouldn’t be surprised if the Colts cannot turn the competitiveness back on in the second round and lose? The Indy starters, who will not have had meaningful competition in more than three weeks, may not be as sharp as if they had played to win throughout their schedule.
I think Greg Wise probably understands this: if you want your sword to be sharp in the playoffs, you have to hone it to precision in the regular season, no matter who the competition may be.
Sure, it turns out 37 points would’ve been enough against Lee. But it would’ve sent up a red flag about the Yates program. And it would’ve been unfair to the athletes under Wise’s command to ask them to not go out and give their best effort on the court.
Yates cannot control who their district opponents are. They have to play the other teams that the UIL has included with them in 21-4A. If those schools decide to field a basketball team, they should be prepared to see a dominant squad.
I’m going to copyright a slogan and mass-produce t-shirts right now: “Jack Yates! Don’t hate! Congratulate!”
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