Posted:
Friday, March 12, 2010 9:53:09 AM
Hughes a Yates fan
Count Robert Hughes among the believers in Houston Yates, the state of Texas' undisputed basketball bad boy.
"I finally got to see Jack Yates play," Hughes said of Thursday night's Class 4A state semifinal game with The Colony. "They're legit. They can play the game. This was a good year not to bring a team to Austin."
Yates advanced to the state final with a 106-76 victory.
The Colony is merely one in a long line in the Yates abattoir. Class 4A's No. 1-ranked team and by general consensus No. 1 in the nation, is 33-0 and has outscored opponents by an average of 118-64. Yates has beaten two teams by more than 100 points and have four other victories by margins of 98, 99, 90 and 99.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, March 08, 2010 4:16:22 PM
North Crowley exceeds expectations
North Crowley's season ended in the regional semifinals for the second year in a row, but coach Tommy Brakel said his squad exceeded expectations by going 34-4. "We, realistically, at the start of the year, thought we could get in the mid-20s in wins, go a couple two, three rounds in the playoffs, and that would be a good solid year for this bunch," he said. "But every time this group was faced with a challenge, it found a way to respond."
The Panthers' shooting let them down in their 59-58 loss to Plano West in the 5A Region I semifinals last week. Brakel said his team was 0-for-12 outside the paint in the first quarter and 2-for-11 at the line in the second half. He said the sting of the loss will hurt for a while, but not forever. "Every team that loses will have that level of disappointment," he said. "There's only going to be one team that doesn't feel that."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Monday, March 08, 2010 10:23:16 AM
Heights hopeful for next year, Clark
Fort Worth Arlington Heights, coming off its best season in almost 30 years, is optimistic about next season. Coach Gary Collier said junior forward Larry Clark has had his knee surgery and is rehabbing with an eye toward playing and getting in shape this summer. The Yellow Jackets played most of their 32-2 season without their best player. "The summer will be important to him," Collier said. "He can get his leg back strong. Hopefully he'll be able to play a little bit, but you don't want to rush it too soon."
The Jackets will get Clark back, but they'll lose their three top seniors, Willie Byrd, Avery Taylor and Colby Cox. "Willie is going to be the biggest piece to replace -- just the energy he brings," Collier said. "And Avery's athleticism. And Colby did a good job shooting the ball. Some of the younger guys we had this year, I'm looking forward to them stepping up and hitting big shots also."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Saturday, March 06, 2010 3:44:14 PM
Flower Mound Marcus 49, Plano West 44 (Final)
Phil Forte hit four free throws in the final 45 seconds to clinch the Class 5A Region I championship in a game sophomore teammate Marcus Smart took over midway through the second quarter.
The Marauders are cutting down the net here at Wilkerson-Greines and headed to next week's state tournament in Austin under first-year head coach Danny Henderson.
Jackson Jeffcoat cut Marcus' lead to two, 43-41, on a slam dunk off an inside feed in the halfcourt, but out of a Plano West timeout, Smart took an inbounds pass and went the length of the court and finished with a layin put the Maruanders back up four with 1:36 left. Smart also forced a Plano West turnover in the final half minute.
— John Henry
Posted:
Saturday, March 06, 2010 3:41:54 PM
Marcus 41, Plano West 35 (4:16 left in the fourth)
Plano West scored the first 10 points of the third quarter, but the Marauders steadied themselves and held firm. Marcus Smart demonstrated why he's probably the best all-around player in Dallas-Fort Worth. The 6-3 sophomore assisted on Phil Forte's 3-pointer that stopped the Wolves' run; on another sequence, he rebounded defensively, led the break, found Forte for a 3-pointer that missed, gathered the offensive rebound and scored. He might also make a great spy one day; he sees things on the floor few do, as exemplified on a no-look assist to Jason Semien in the lane and just another as this is written on the break to Semien. He scored the final points of the quarter by gathering in a misplaced alley-oop pass and scoring as he fell to the floor and as time expired. Marcus has scored on the final possession as time expired in each of the first three quarters.
— John Henry
Posted:
Saturday, March 06, 2010 2:42:41 PM
Flower Mound Marcus 24, Plano West 17 (halftime)
Sophomore Marcus Smart hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to increase Flower Mound Marcus' lead in the Class 5A Region I final to seven at halftime at Wilkerson-Greines in Fort Worth. Smart has a game-high seven through the first 16 minutes. Jackson Jeffcoat leads Plano West with six points. The winner advances to Austin as Region I's representative at the Class 5A state final four next week.
— John Henry
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 9:46:53 PM
Plano West 59, N. Crowley 58 (F)
North Crowley takes a time out with 3.1 second left, but cannot get a basket.
— John Henry
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 9:44:40 PM
Plano West 59, N. Crowley 58 (3.1 second left)
NC takes a timeout.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 9:43:39 PM
North Crowley 58, PlanoWest 57 (4th)
DeShon Portley of Plano West shooting 2 FTs with 3.1 seconds left.
— John Henry
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 9:32:42 PM
Marcus 44, Arlington Bowie 34 (F)
Arlington Bowie took a lead into the fourth quarter, but Flower Mound Marcus outscored the Vols 19-4 in the final eight minutes to win a Class 5A Region I semifinal 44-34 at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
Bowie went 1-for-11 to finish the game and end their season 32-7. Marcus advanced to the regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday against North Crowley or Plano West. The winner goes to Austin for next week’s state tournament.
“We missed a lot of shots, a few free throws,” Bowie coach Allen Gratts said. “When you get to this point in the season, you’ve got to play well. And they played well, and we didn’t.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 6:57:34 PM
Legacy 64, El Paso Austin 59 (F)
David Miller's monster game has pushed Legacy into the regional championship. With 21 points, Miller led Legacy in scoring.
The Broncos got the lead early in the second half and never let up.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 6:53:45 PM
Legacy 61, El Paso Austin 59 (21.7 left)
A costly turnover late in the game by Austin's Tim Bell has given the Broncos possession under their own basket with 21.7 seconds remaining.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 6:47:06 PM
Legacy up at start of 4th
Legacy 45, El Paso Austin 41 (Start 4th): The Broncos came out of the gate in the third quarter hot, going on a 9-0 and taking a 37-31 lead two minutes into the third quarter. Legacy held Austin to 10 points in the third quarter.
— Star-Telegram
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 6:16:02 PM
El Paso Austin 31, Legacy 28 (H)
Austin's Tim Bell gave his team a three-point edge at the half with a last second basket.
Legacy's Nick Fitzer gave the Broncos their first lead, 28-26, with a 3-pointer in the final minute of the half. David Miller leads Legacy with 10 points, and the one-two punch of Tim Bell and Tony Baker have given Austin 25 of its 31 points.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, March 05, 2010 5:51:52 PM
El Paso Austin 16, Legacy 13 (end 1st)
After a quarter of play, Austin's two big scorers, Tim Bell and Tony Baker, have combined for 14 points.
Legacy is being led by Derry Franklin, who has six points off of two three-point shots.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 5:52:16 PM
Friday's regional tournament pairings
Arlington Bowie (32-6) vs. Marcus (35-2) 6 p.m.
North Crowley (33-4) vs. Plano West (24-8) 8 p.m.
EP Austin (28-6) vs. Mansfield Legacy (25-9) 5:30 p.m.
EP Bowie (31-7) vs. The Colony (26-8) 7 p.m.
Texas Tech University)
Graham (24-8) vs. WF Hirschi (23-10) 7 p.m.
Lubbock Estacado (30-4) vs. Burkburnett (28-5) 8:30 p.m.
Texas A&M Commerce Univ.)
Carrollton Ranchview vs. Texarkana Liberty-Eylau 6 p.m.
Dallas Madison vs. Lucas Lovejoy 8 p.m.
Midland College)
Idalou (27-5) vs. Eastland (26-3) 6 p.m.
Littlefield (29-4) vs. Tuscola Jim Ned (31-4) 7:30 p.m.
Brock vs. Godley 6 p.m.
Ponder vs. Edgewood 8 p.m.
Abilene Christian Univ.)
Bronte vs. Goldthwaite 6 p.m.
Clyde Eula vs. Italy 8 p.m.
Abilene Christian Univ.)
Grady vs. Ira 1 p.m.
Paducah vs. Lipan 3 p.m.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Monday, March 01, 2010 12:17:34 PM
Thid time the charm for Summit?
Mansfield Summit will face District 4-5A opponent Arlington Bowie for the third time this season tonight at 7 p.m. in a Region I regional quarterfinal at Arlington Sam Houston High School.
The Jaguars have dropped both games so far, 49-46 on Feb. 16 and 52-42 on Jan. 22. The winner will face Dallas Jesuit or Flower Mound Marcus on Friday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Saturday, February 27, 2010 2:14:00 PM
Heights-The Colony set
Arlington Heights and The Colony will play a Class 4A Region I quarterfinals game at 7 p.m. Monday at Colleyville Heritage High School, Yellow Jackets coach Gary Collier said Saturday afternoon.
The teams will be playing for a spot in the Region I tournament that starts Friday in San Angelo.
The Yellow Jackets advanced to this position when Willie Byrd hit two free throws with 8.9 seconds left that gave his team a 51-49 victory over Birdville on Friday at Keller Central. The Colony edged Everman by one in Midlothian.
— John Henry
Posted:
Saturday, February 27, 2010 11:22:07 AM
Price does it again on D for North Crowley
Senior guard Kameron Price has the reputation as North Crowley's best defender. He added to it Friday night in the Panthers' victory against Lubbock Coronado, holding its top player to 16 points -- and just six through the first three quarters. "Kameron was phenomenal on the kid," North Crowley coach Tommy Brakel said. "He had 16, but he was averaging right around 20, and he got to 16 but it wasn't when Kameron was on him." The Panthers won 79-63 to advance to a 5A Region I quarterfinal game against El Paso Americas.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, February 26, 2010 5:07:34 PM
Summit glad for playoff experience
Mansfield Summit entered the playoffs without much postseason experience. But after a first-round victory against Burleson on Tuesday, the entire roster has one win-or-go-home game under its belt. "We have four kids on varsity who were on the varsity last year and played in the playoffs, but they all played when the game was not on the line," Summit coach Jason Mutterer said. "We blew out Fort Worth Paschal, so they got minutes when the game was not on the line. And then we got blown out, and they played in that. So Tuesday was the first meaningful minutes in a playoff game any of them had been in." The Jaguars' second-round game was set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Odessa Permian against El Paso Hanks.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 10:04:53 PM
Cedar Hill ousted
Lewisville, the runner-up in District 6-5A, upset Cedar Hill, the District 7-5A champion and the state's sixth-ranked team in Class 5A, 84-82 on Thursday night in Grand Prairie. The result marked the second No. 1 seed in Region I to be eliminated and third overall in Class 5A. Midland Lee of District 2-5A fell to El Paso Hanks in bi-district Tuesday. Austin Westlake, the District 25 champ, was ousted by San Antonio Churchill on Tuesday.
Lewisville advanced to region quarterfinals and will play for a spot in the regional tournament next week against either Plano West or Justin Northwest.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 5:45:00 PM
Azle, Trimble Tech set for 8 at Thomas Coliseum
Azle and Fort Worth Trimble Tech have agreed to an 8 p.m. game Friday night at Thomas Coliseum, the Fort Worth ISD said late Thursday. The 4A Region I area-round game will be the second game of a double header there, following Duncanville and Flower Mound Marcus at 6:30.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 12:07:13 PM
Bowie gets rematch with El Dorado
El Paso El Dorado advanced to a second-round game against Arlington Bowie, defeating Midland on Wednesday night. El Dorado (24-9) is the team that knocked out the Volunteers (30-6) in the second round last season on a late 3-pointer in overtime. "We trailed most of the game. We did not play well at all," Bowie coach Allan Gratts said. "It was one of the worst games we had played in seven or eight games, and they got us at the end. We had opportunities to win. We missed a layup, a tip-in on the layup and they came down and beat us with a 3-pointer 3 feet behind the stripe." Friday's game is at 7:30 at Odessa College.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 8:35:42 PM
North Crowley vs. Lubbock Coronado on Friday
North Crowley (31-4) will face El Paso Coronado on Friday at Clyde High School in area round play, Panthers coach Tommy Brakel confirmed on Wednesday. The time is TBA. North Crowley beat Mansfield 64-49 in bi-district on Tuesday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 5:24:05 PM
Friday matchups
Here are some of the matchups on Friday in the second round of the playoffs. The visitor is listed first:
Mansfield Legacy vs. Denton Ryan, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Byron Nelson
Everman vs. The Colony, 8 p.m. Friday, Byron Nelson
Plano West vs. Justin Northwest, 7 p.m. Friday, Coppell
Birdville vs. Arlington Heights, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Keller Central
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:11:48 PM
Bell vs. Jesuit on Friday
Hurst L.D. Bell will take on Dallas Jesuit at 7:30 p.m., Friday at Flower Mound in the Class 5A area round.
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 1:46:24 PM
Azle wins with 'D' again
The opening round of the playoffs marked more of the same for Azle -- another strong defensive game. The Hornets defeated Little Elm 68-41 on Tuesday, the sixth straight game they have not given up more than 50 points. Guard Dillon Bagwell is usually the Hornets' top defensive player on the perimeter, but Tuesday night, Drew Charles also got credit from coach Eddy Prather. "Little Elm is a pretty good team. Our third quarter defense took over," he said.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 10:34:22 AM
Northwest gets Plano West
Justin Northwest will face Plano West in the Class 5A area round at 7 p.m. Friday at Coppell.
The Texans knocked off Coppell 50-42 in the bi-district round. Plano West defeated Irving 55-53 in its bi-district matchup.
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:06:27 PM
Trimble Tech avenges '09 loss
Fort Worth Trimble Tech advanced to the second round of the 4A Region I playoffs with a 65-52 victory against Mansfield Timberview. For the Bulldogs, it avenged a two-point loss to the same team in this round last season. Junior guard Pat Allen had 19 points for the Bulldogs (25-6). Junior forward Jalen Jones had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Timberview (19-11), a state semifinalist last season.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, February 19, 2010 5:38:44 PM
North Crowley boys game set
The Panthers will meet Mansfield in a 5A bi-district roudn playoff game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cedar Hill High School.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Friday, February 19, 2010 5:22:44 PM
Dunbar plays a tune-up game
The Wildcats (14-15) play Dallas South Oak Cliff at noon Saturday at Ellis Davis Fieldhouse in Dallas.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Friday, February 19, 2010 10:49:39 AM
North Crowley-Mansfield scrambling for site
The Class 5A Region I bi-district game between North Crowley and Mansfield still has no site after the Fort Worth school district backed out of a preliminary agreement to host the game at Wilkerson-Greines, North Crowley coach Tommy Brakel said.
The school district said a conflict existed with a possible girls game Tuesday night.
“We’re scrambling at this point. I don’t have any idea [where the game will be],” said Brakel, who was confident a site would be firmed up later today.
Scrambling is one way to put it. These administrative tasks become big problems at this point, especially when considering the fact that a hangup such as this hinders the Panthers’ preparation time for Mansfield and tonight’s warmup game in Duncanville against DeSoto. The problem is further heightened by the fact that there’s fewer people on campus to work on the problem. Brakel has sent his assistants out to the countryside for scouting.
“No need on dwelling on the problems, we’re dwelling on the solutions,” Brakel said.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:56:04 PM
7-4A vs. 8-4A pairings
Here are the District 7-4A vs. 8-4A bidistrict playoff pairings for the first round. These games are on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The visitor is listed first.
Arlington Heights vs. Crowley, 7:30 Tuesday, Aledo HS.
Legacy vs. Dunbar, 7:30 Tuesday, Burleson HS.
Everman vs. Eastern Hills, 7 Tuesday, Kennedale HS.
Timberview vs. Trimble Tech, 7:30 Tuesday, Martin HS.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:38:57 PM
Keller-Colleyville Heritage set 4 doubleheader
Colleyville Heritage will tip off another 5-5A/6-5A doubleheader, this one at Trophy Club Byron Nelson on Tuesday.
The Panthers will take on Lewisville in the bi-district game at 6 p.m.
The Keller Indians will face the Flower Mound Marcus Marauders at 7:30 p.m.
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:57:51 PM
Mansfield to face North Crowley in bi-district
Mansfield will face North Crowley in bi-district action. Time and place have yet to be determined, according to Mansfield coach Richie Alfred. That information should come about by Thursday afternoon.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:42:30 PM
5-5A/6-5A doubleheader at the SuperPit
Justin Northwest and Hurst L.D. Bell out of District 5-5A will enjoy a showcase doubleheader in the bi-district round at the UNT SuperPit.
The Texans get Coppell at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday followed by the Blue Raiders against Flower Mound at 8 p.m.
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 9:38:41 PM
Dunbar wraps up playoff spot
Fort Worth Dunbar kept its playoff streak alive, thanks to a 92-66 victory against Fort Worth Southwest. Dunbar (14-15, 10-8) needed to win Tuesday night's game to secure fourth place in District 7-4A. A loss would have meant a tie with Southwest (19-13, 9-9) and a playoff later in the week. But Rashod Favors' 13 points and 16 rebounds and Adrian Crump's 18 points left no doubt for Dunbar, which will open its 36th consecutive playoff appearance by taking on Mansfield Legacy in the first round next week.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 9:50:03 AM
Keller Central alive in 5-5A
Keller Central is not out of the playoff picture in District 5-5A. The Chargers can claim the fourth-place postseason berth if they win at Justin Northwest tonight and Keller defeats Fossil Ridge. Those outcomes would leave Keller Central at 7-7, a game ahead of Keller and Ridge. But Central must win to have a chance. The first time the Chargers met Northwest, Northwest took a 51-33 victory on Jan. 22.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Monday, February 15, 2010 2:25:09 PM
4-5A tie easy to break
A three-way tie remains possible in District 4-5A, but it won't be hard to break. The three teams -- Sam Houston, Summit and Mansfield -- have played all their games against each other. Sam Houston is 3-1 in the tie, Summit is 2-2 and Mansfield is 1-3. Right now, they're a game apart in second, third and fourth behind leader Bowie. The three-way tie happens Tuesday if Summit loses and Mansfield wins.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Monday, February 15, 2010 11:07:08 AM
Everman now in reach of 2nd in 8-4A
Everman put itself in position to take second place in District 8-4A with its 49-45 victory against Mansfield Timberview on Saturday. The Bulldogs (21-8, 10-3) need only to win Tuesday at home against Granbury or have Timberview lose at Mansfield Legacy. As the 8-4A runner-up, the Bulldogs would play the third place team from 7-4A, which is Fort Worth Eastern Hills right now.
"We played decent defense, which definitely helps us out," coach Jay Mathieson said of Saturday's win. "We got down early. We get down early in a lot of games for some reason and we have to claw our way back. But we were able to do that, and we played OK. Chris Joubert had a decent game for us. He scored 25 of our 49."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Thursday, February 11, 2010 8:17:53 PM
Saturday's 'snow' schedule
Most of Friday's games were moved to Saturday. Here is the schedule:
District 3-5A
North Crowley at Weatherford, 2 p.m.
Burleson at Paschal, 1:30.
District 4-5A
Bowie at Sam Houston, 2 p.m.
Lamar at Mansfield, 2:30 p.m.
Martin at Summit, 3 p.m.
District 5-5A
L.D. Bell at Fossil Ridge, 3 p.m.
Trinity at Justin Northwest, 1 p.m.
Grapevine at Keller Central, TBA
Keller at Colleyville Heritage, TBA
District 6-5A
Southlake Carroll at Hebron, TBA
District 7-4A
(all games at Billingsley Field House)
Arlington Heights vs. South Hills, noon.
Southwest vs. North Side, 1:30.
Polytechnic vs. Western Hills, 3.
Dunbar vs. Trimble Tech, 4:30.
Eastern Hills vs. Wyatt, 6.
District 8-4A
Legacy at Crowley, noon
Joshua at Granbury, 6 p.m.
Everman at Timberview, 2 p.m.
Stephenville at Seguin, 2 p.m.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 10:17:22 PM
Mansfield 56, Martin 52 (F)
For the Tigers, it was a slow start to the third quarter. But the fast finish gave Mansfield a 37-32 edge entering the fourth quarter, and Mansfield (18-10, 5-5) carried it to another close win.
Martin (10-17, 3-8) was able to jump back into the game early in the fourth with Jordon Walker getting hot from beyond the arc. Walker was able to sink two quick shots, and Martin had a 38-37 lead at the seven minute mark.
But Mansfield clawed its way back in, and sank nine of ten free throws in the stanza to secure the win.
"I thought we were a little tight early in the game. And in the first half, I felt like they outhustled us and outrebounded us and made all the big shots," said Mansfield coach Richie Alfred. "I think at the half, we just needed to get back to what we could do, and that was focus on every possession and play hard."
Elliot Dean of Mansfield led all scorers with 23 points.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 9:12:35 PM
Tech pulls away from Southwest
It took a while -- almost the whole game, really -- but one team finally got its offense going, and it was Fort Worth Trimble Tech. The Bulldogs scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 66-49 victory against Fort Worth Southwest in a District 7-4A game Tuesday night. Charles Hill had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (22-7, 13-3). Southwest (17-12, 8-8) got nine points from Jonathan Martin but shot only 18-for-77 (23.8 percent).
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, February 05, 2010 7:38:05 PM
Heights cruises vs. Eastern Hills
Fort Worth Arlington Heights is still king of the hill in District 7-4A. The Yellow Jackets hammered Fort Worth Eastern Hills 54-35 Friday night, getting closer to wrapping up the district championship and gaining a sweep of the Highlanders. Chris Strong had 12 points, and Avery Taylor had 11 points and nine rebounds for Heights (28-1, 14-1). Eastern Hills guard Daylon Guy was held to one point. He sat out almost all the second quarter because of foul trouble. Chris Gibson had 13 points for Eastern Hills (20-7, 11-4).
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Thursday, February 04, 2010 9:45:42 AM
North Crowley keeps winning big
North Crowley is on such a hot streak, it may not be challenged until the playoffs start. The Panthers have won their past eight games by an average of 34.1 points. Twice, they have won by 50 or more points. Their closest game in that stretch was 14 points against Haltom. The last time the Panthers won by fewer than 10 points was a nine-point victory against Irving at the Whataburger Tournament on Dec. 30. The Panthers' only loss in the past 16 games was by five points to Flower Mound Marcus, No. 6 in the state coaches 5A poll. (North Crowley is No. 8). There are four games left in the regular season, but the Panthers will probably have a chance to play a warmup game before the playoffs start.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:43:24 PM
Trinity Valley stopped at the line
Trinity Valley did just about everything right to beat Dallas Episcopal, except it didn’t matter in a 62-61 defeat. After a close game throughout, TV guard Ty Templin made a layup with 11 seconds remaining for a one-point lead. But Episcopal guard Phil Pressey, who is going to Missouri and the son of former NBA guard Paul Pressey, made a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to win the game.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:12:51 PM
Mansfield 53, Bowie 52 (F)
Elliot Dean has guts.
The Mansfield senior, for the second time this season, ended a game with his sweet jump shot.
Facing a Bowie (24-5, 6-2) double team, Dean released a shot from the corner, about 15 feet, and swished it home as the buzzer sounded.
"There was a play drawn up, but it got busted, and I was told that if it got busted, go get the ball," Dean said. "I didn't want to make another turnover, so I shot it
Trailing 52-51 with five seconds remaining, Mansfield (17-12, 4-5) drew up an inbounds play with hopes of opening up a shooter. If that failed, the plan was to get the ball to Dean and let him create.
"I told my guys after the game that we are coming off a three game losing streak, every call didn't go our way, we made some mistakes, they made big plays, but we hung in there," said Mansfield coach Richie Alfred. "They fought through that adversity and found a way to win."
Dean finished the night with 23 points, and teammate Robbie Ramsey had 11.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, January 29, 2010 10:29:14 PM
Summit 63, Mansfield 57 (F)
Summit's big second quarter propelled the Jaguars Friday night. Trailing 23-21, the Jags went on a 18-3 run to close out the half and seize a 39-26 lead.
"We created some turnovers and (Mansfield) took some quick shots which allowed us to get into our transition game," said Summit coach Jason Mutterer. "I thought we really turned it up on defense in that quarter."
Jazz Holman led Summit with 18 points, and Mansfield's Elliot Dean had 21 in the loss.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, January 29, 2010 10:00:56 PM
Eastern Hills' Guy pours in 47
Fort Worth Eastern Hills senior Daylon Guy scored 47 points in the Highlanders' 96-79 victory Friday night against Fort Worth Dunbar. He started hot, with 19 points in the first quarter and 30 by the half. He only missed six shots, going 15-for-21, including 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. He was also sharp at the line, going 14-for-15. "If he gets started, it should be a good night," coach Felley Donaldson said. Guy said he has gotten off to hot starts before, but never that hot. "They put it on me," he said of his teammates. "Being a captain, I had to take it. I had to take the challenge."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, January 29, 2010 10:47:35 AM
No TV, but a win, for Granbury player
Kevin Keating of Granbury had a chance to be on TV this week. He had been selected the Dale Hansen "Scholar Athlete of the Week" on Channel 8. But he'd have to tape the segment at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the WFAA studio in Dallas -- an hour before his team's game that night, way back in Granbury, 70 miles away. WFAA couldn't change the taping schedule, but when Keating's parents and coach offered to have him miss the game (normally the sixth man, he was scheduled to start), Hansen said no, Keating should be at the game. "Tell him I said he'd better play big," Hansen wrote in an email to coach Steve Smith.
Keating played, scored five points and Granbury picked up a 47-46 victory against Mansfield Timberview, one of the top teams in District 8-4A. Keating had not wanted to miss the game, and he might not have said anything about the taping if his parents hadn't brought it to Smith's attention. "This player chose team before himself, and it paid off," Smith said. Keating's selection will be recognized in a taping after basketball season.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, January 29, 2010 10:25:01 AM
Everman drops Timberview
Mansfield Timberview’s run at perfection in district play is overafter a 73-53 loss against Everman. The Bulldogs led by nine points enteringthe fourth quarter before pulling away.
Everman junior point guard Monty Grays led all scorerswith 21 points. He was one of four Bulldogs in double figures.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:11:01 PM
Carroll wins 6-5A game
Southlake Carroll coach John Youngblood guessed it was only a matter of when, but after three losses to open district play he was begining to wonder when “when” was going to happen. “When” finally happened in the Dragons’ 57-36 win against Hebron on Tuesday.
“In all three (district) losses we’ve had one quarter where we score low single digits and we have to play from behind,” he said. “We didn’t do that against Hebron. The guys just played with more confidence.”
The Dragons never suffered through any single-digit quarters, and instead held Hebron to three.
“We needed a breakout game and hopefully this was it,” Youngblood said.
Carroll guard Will Brown recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the victory.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:44:00 PM
Price, Anderson shine for North Crowley
North Crowley junior Kyan Anderson ranks third in the area in scoring at just under 22 points a game. So it’s logial that Haltom’s game plan Tuesday was to do whatever possible to take him out of the game.
The Buffalos tried, and Anderson still scored 20 in the Panthers’ 78-64 win. But the star of the game was senior guard Kameron Price, who finished with 23 points before being forced to leave the game after he rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter.
“The ankle shouldn’t be a problem,” Panthers coach Tommy Brakel said. “It’s too bad. I was trying to get him more minutes for conditioning, and I know he was very close to a triple double in points, rebounds and steals. He was incredible.”
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:20:00 PM
An OT shutout
Trailing by 10 at the end of the first quarter, Birdville wasn’t in the complaining mood when its game at White Settlement Brewer went to overtime.
The Hawks’ Brandon Jenkins converted a rebound layup to tie the game at 53 with 20 seconds remaining. The Bears missed with under five seconds remaining for the game-winner.
“When the other team has the last shot and doesn’t make it, you’re just happy to have a shot to win. We were happy to be playing,” Birdville coach Jeff Fitch said. “In overtime, we just made plays and they had a tough time. It was a game of runs. They had the first quarter. We had the third quarter, and we had the overtime.”
The Hawks’ outscored the Bears 12-0 in the overtime period.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:16:39 PM
Walter’s big night
Azle senior guard Jimmy Walter prefers the pass to the shot, much to his coaches’ chagrin. But perhaps after Walter’s performance against Springtown he’ll be a bit more willing to shoot first.
Walter scored 21 of his 32 points in the first eight minutes in Azle’s 91-59 win against Springtown. He finished with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in 27 minutes.
“I think this may have opened his eyes up to see what he can do when he shoots a little more,” Azle coach Eddy Prather said. “He’s getting some attention from colleges now, and I think he realizes, ‘I can shoot the ball.’ It was a special game for him. He was feeling it.”
Walter came into the game averaging 10 points and seven assists.
Teammate Kellen Myers finished with 23 points, four assists, three steals and four rebounds.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:15:53 PM
Lake Worth rallies from 17-0 deficit
Lake Worth coach Kyle Terrell had been here before.
“Five years ago we were down 19-0 after the first quarter against Bowie, and that outcome was not the same as this,” Terrell said.
Despite missing eight layups, two free throws and committing seven turnovers in the first quarter, the Bullfrogs actually rallied to defeat the Eagles, 69-49. Donovan Vess scored 18 points for Lake Worth, and teammate Curtis Shorts added 18 points with 12 rebounds.
“I’ve never done that before,” he said. “We may have been looking ahead to Friday. We play Dallas Roosevelt and we’re both tied for third in the district. That’s a big game. We just came out not ready to play.”
The Bullfrogs switched a trapping defense, and then came the steals, and then came the points.
“Once we got our first bucket it took off from there,” Terrell said.
— Mac Engel
Posted:
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:45:19 PM
Final: Colleyville Heritage 49, Keller 34
Austin Leonard scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead Colleyville Heritage past Keller in a District 5-5A game. The Panthers took control in the third quarter, dominating 19-4 to take a 43-23 lead into the fourth quarter. Kyle Pilgram added 10 points, and freshman Colten Gober started his second game at point guard, finishing with five points. Zach Lord led Keller with 10 points.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Monday, January 18, 2010 2:49:29 PM
Mansfield steps up its defense
Mansfield coach Richie Alfred was informed by one of his assistant coaches midway through the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ game with Arlington Martin on Friday that his team, at one point, had not allowed the Warriors to score in seven straight possessions.
By quarter’s end that number had grown to 12. Martin never scored in the final eight minutes of Mansfield’s 38-33 victory.
“I’m not real sure how we did it,” Alfred said. “Both teams were playing pretty good defense, fighting and the game had really slowed down to a crawl. Every possession became important. We didn’t score much. We scored seven in the fourth.”
No one could have guessed the Tigers’ would only need three points in the entire fourth quarter to pull out a victory. Upon further review of the game tape Alfred said his club actually held Martin scoreless for around 11 minutes.
As much as he might like to marvel at his team’s defensive effort, he can’t. Not in this jumbled district. Not with a date against Arlington Lamar coming up on Tuesday that could go a long way in determining playoff bids as both teams currently sit at 2-2.
“It is important but, without sounding too cliché, every game in our district is the same,” Alfred said. “I do believe that Bowie is the best team in our district. After that, it’s very, very close on every single night. You can go back and look at the box scores from our district and you won’t see many games that were won by more than 10 points.”
Mansfield’s games are no different.
“We could be 4-0 or 0-4,” Alfred said. “The Sam Houston game (which the Tigers lost 37-31) went right down to the last couple of possessions. We then lost to Bowie (60-57) in overtime and beat Mansfield Summit (34-31) at the buzzer.
“It’s a strange district because there is not a bad team in it. Everybody is pretty good. You have Bowie, who is legitimately one of the top 20 teams in the state. Everybody is fighting for three playoff spots. There is no telling what’s going to happen.”
Alfred said he wouldn’t be shocked if there was a a four-way tie at 6-6 for second place when it’s all said and done.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, January 18, 2010 1:07:03 PM
Big test for Sam Houston on Tuesday
Arlington Sam Houston will look to continue its hot play of late and run its district and overall winning streak to three games when it hosts Arlington Bowie on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Volunteers are the only remaining unbeaten in District 4-5A at 4-0. The Texans are coming off a thrilling 49-48 victory over Mansfield Summit on Friday, which kept them in second place in the district. Bowie held Arlington to 18 points in the first half during its 55-45 win on Friday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, January 18, 2010 12:00:35 PM
New position, no problem for Ridge guard
Julian Edmonson is one of the reasons Fossil Ridge is surging. He scored 16 points last week in a 50-46 victory against Justin Northwest, the eighth win in 10 games for the Panthers. He's a returning starter, but not quite. "We changed his position," coach Zack Myers said. "He's playing point guard, and he took over for a four-year point guard." Edmonson, who played on last season's 23-8 team, had a big game against Northwest with the 16 points, four rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals.
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, January 15, 2010 11:04:50 PM
Southwest slips past Polytechnic
Fort Worth Southwest took a 53-48 lead into the fourth quarter and held off a Fort Worth Polytechnic rally for a narrow 63-62 victory.
The Raiders enjoyed a 21-11 run in the third quarter behind a trio of 3-pointers (2 from Jonathan Martin and 1 from Colton Steglich).
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Friday, January 15, 2010 9:58:53 PM
Sam Houston 49, Summit 48 (F)
With 15 seconds left and the ball, Mansfield Summit (11-13, 2-3) needed a basket for the win. Jazz Holman's 3-point attempt clanged off the iron, and a second effort from Jamelle Flowers also hit the rim as Sam Houston (11-10, 3-2) pulled off the big District 4-5A win.
"We have been here before, it's a dog fight in this district," said Summit coach Jason Mutterer. "We have to be ready."
Sam Houston trailed 26-19 at the half, but a 12-2 run to start the third quarter put the Texans back in the game.
Quentin Johnson and Wesley Davis both had 11 points for Summit, and Sam Houston's Jamal Turner led the Texans with 10 points.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Friday, January 15, 2010 1:43:22 PM
Abilene coping
You might say Abilene’s basketball team is in recession. Coach Henry Willis has lost four players off this team because their parents had to move to find work.
Forget about hand checks. How about a reality check.
“The problem we have in this part of the country is people moving out because of jobs,” Willis said. “Parents can’t find any jobs. They said ‘Coach, we’ve got to go where we can find some jobs.’ ”
Add to that the loss of Darius Joseph to a shoulder injury during the football season, and the Eagles have been scrambling to replace five on the varsity roster. Those supplements have come in large part from the junior varsity team, players thrown to the fire of the varsity level.
“We felt like we could compete with everybody, with the exception of North Crowley,” said Willis of his expectations coming into the season. “When you lose five guys, it’s rough on you.”
One moved during the summer, but three moved during the fall semester.
But plug away the 7-12 Eagles continue to do, and their charge in District 3-5A (they're 1-2) seems simple -- even with that type of adversity -- when compared to those seeking a livelihood.
The season continues today against Haltom on the road, where Abilene has had all sorts of problems this season. Willis said for a playoff spot to become reality, his team will have to play better away from home.
“It is extremely difficult to win on the road in this district,” Willis said. “Defensively, we’re playing well. Our problem is shooting the basketball. We’re putting up high percentage shots, but they’re just not falling in.”
In a loss last Friday to Weatherford, the Eagles held the ’Roos to 46 points but scored only 30 and shot 18 percent from the field.
“That’s just not going to get it,” Willis said. “A lot of those are open looks, a lot are in the paint. We’re just having problems scoring.”
One problem Abilene is not having is travel. The Eagles would seem to be at a disadvantage with the others in District 3-5A because road games require a two or two-and-a-half hour trip to the Fort Worth area.
Not so, Willis said.
“Out here, when we were in the Midland-Odessa district, that’s a two-and-a-half, three hour drive, but it’s something we’re used to. Our kids have been doing it since their freshman year. So it has no effect on us whatsoever.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Friday, January 15, 2010 11:42:13 AM
Senior's return boosts Paschal's hopes
Overcoming an injury to a key player can be difficult. Exhibit No.1: Paschal Panthers.
The Panthers are 4-15 and face an obstacle in trying to improve on their 1-2 record in District 3-5A with a game 7:30 p.m. Friday at home against North Crowley.
But things are getting better with the return of the Panthers’ lead scorer, Thomas Montigel.
Montigel was lost during the middle part of nondistrict when he sprained his ankle. He returned to play before the start of district but is only now rounding into form, his coach Lane Norsworthy said.
Montigel’s injury “really affected our team. That he’s starting to play a lot better gives us a chance to compete and win.”
If the Panthers can indeed compete and win, there’s a place for them in district, where the third and fourth positions in the standings are open for the taking.
Montigel, a senior, averaged a little more than eight points in his first four games back from injury, but he has turned it up with a 17-point average in Paschal’s past three games.
The Panthers also lost another key piece when Quincy Reed transferred earlier in the school year. Reed is another who can score the ball, Norsworthy said, something Paschal has had trouble doing. The team averages 46 points a game.
“We’ve played 19 games and probably more than half without those two guys,” Norsworthy said.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 3:21:24 PM
The others in District 3-5A
North Crowley’s victory Tuesday against Burleson might have cleared up who’s who among the top of District 3-5A, but the middle, meanwhile, is muddled.
Haltom’s 34-30 victory over Weatherford could be an indication of what’s to come from the middle and bottom of the district. Chris Gracela scored a game-high 11 for the Buffalos.
Haltom (15-8) is 2-2 in district, while Weatherford joins three others with one victory. Distinguishing the middle from the bottom here might be equivalent to trying to find a contact lens in a blizzard snow.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 2:57:38 PM
Trimble Tech wakeup call
Fort Worth Trimble Tech (15-5) slipped Tuesday in a 78-70 loss to Dunbar. But that, coach Wendell Ivory says, is the reality of living in District 7-4A.
To be successful requires considerable effort, both physically and mentally. You better be ready to play, or you’re going to get beat. No matter who you are. And Ivory wouldn’t have it any other way.
Next up for the Bulldogs is Eastern Hills (tied with Tech at 6-2 in district) and Arlington Heights, the state's fifth-ranked team in Class 4A.
“The district is, arguably, regardless of classification, one of the top 5 in the state, year in year out, for basketball,” Ivory said. “Not to mention, a lot of the kids know each other from around the city and have been playing with and against each other their whole lives. So as far as focus on the task at hand, it’s real easy to get the kids’ attention because the kids know if they don’t bring their A-game, a loss is right around the corner.”
Dunbar, down this year but still Dunbar, improved to 3-4.
The difficult district, Ivory concluded, is “actually a good thing because it prepares a lot of Fort Worth teams for the playoffs. [In district] it’s playoff intensity, night in and night out.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 2:51:05 PM
Nolan Catholic rolling
The Vikings are on fire right now. There really isn't another way to put it.
The team has won 14 out of their last 16 and have a 15-4 record. The two losses during this stretch have come by a combined three points on the road against Granbury and Plano Prestonwood.
The average margin of victory during this stretch is 16.9 points. Trevord Barth is leading the team in points, 14.9 per game, steals, 2.7, and assists, 3.3.
— Paul Wessels
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:25:37 PM
Wyatt green but in bloom
Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt is in the hunt for a playoff spot out of District 7-4A, riding the contributions of three sophomore starters.
Jerome Green, the Chaparrals’ scoring leader, Tremaine Whitley, the team’s top rebounder, and Reginald Scott helped Wyatt surprise some onlookers with upsets of Fort Worth Southwest and Fort Worth Dunbar last week.
There are pitfalls, though, to having such a young lineup, just ask Wyatt coach Rodney MacFadden. Those shortcomings most notably appear in experience and focus. And, of course, consistency, consistency, consistency.
“We had a big week last week,” MacFadden said, “and we go in [Tuesday against Eastern Hills], and they’re still talking about the game against Dunbar.”
It might not have mattered against the Highlanders, who, in addition to having its annual stock of talent, don’t have problems with experience and are very physical.
Despite that lapse Tuesday, the young Chaparrals (7-12) are hunting. They continue their season at 6 p.m. Friday against the state’s fifth-ranked Class 4A team, Arlington Heights (22-0, 8-0), at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
Wyatt lost a close one to the Yellow Jackets in the district opener, falling 54-49. MacFadden is confident this time, knowing his team matched Heights on the boards and scored 10 fewer points than the Yellow Jackets from the free-throw line.
And the Chaparrals will have senior captain Darian Williams this time. Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer, didn’t play in the Dec. 1 game.
“They play together, they play hard and they’re well coached,” McFadden said of Heights.
Of his team, MacFadden continued: “We had a humdinger of a practice [Wednesday] and I think that refocused them a little bit. It’s a matter of can we retain that the rest of the year.
“I think we’ll have a chance” at a postseason berth.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:09:03 PM
Friday's 4-5A Game of the Day
Arlington Sam Houston at Mansfield Summit: Summit HS, 7:30 p.m.
The Texans and Jaguars are both 2-2 in district, which puts them in a tie with Arlington Lamar for second place behind district-unbeaten Arlington Bowie. Sam Houston is coming off a 67-41 waxing of Arlington Martin. That snapped a two-game losing streak for the Texans. Summit has won two straight in district, including a 65-58 win over Arlington on Tuesday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Thursday, January 14, 2010 11:49:05 AM
Junior paces Richland
Richland junior guard Wesley Gipson, who led the the Rebels in scoring in nondistrict, has further boosted his team with increased scoring procduction in District 3-5A play. Gipson has averaged 25 points in three district games, including 24 Tuesday against Paschal. Gipson, who paced the Rebels in the first half of the season with an 18-point average, poured in 32 against Burleson last week.
— John Henry
Posted:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 12:45:59 PM
Clutter in 4-5A
There is still a lot of time to rearrange the pecking order in District 4-5A before the playoffs roll around. But it’s going to take a combination of unusual circumstances to remove Arlington Bowie (21-3, 3-0) from the top of the list.
The battle for second place should be a little more interesting. Arlington Lamar, Arlington Sam Houston and Mansfield Summit all sit with 2-2 records. Mansfield and Arlington Martin are 1-2, and Arlington is 1-3.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 12:44:52 PM
Bowie overcomes 3-point quarter to beat Lamar
LaMark Barnes, Christian Jones, Tre Potter, D'Von Campbell. They are just a few of the weapons Arlington Bowie can throw at you offensively. The Volunteers possess size, speed and a beat-you-down tenacity that has led to victory in 21 of the 24 games they've played so far.
So explain how Bowie managed just three points in the second quarter against Arlington Lamar, please? Cannen Cunningham and Co. outscored the Vols 16-3 in the second, which translated into a 27-21 Lamar lead. The second half, though, was a completely different story. The muscular duo of Barnes and Jones eventually took over down low as the Volunteers outscored the Vikings 18-11 in the third and 23-13 in the fourth. Barnes and Jones finished with 19 and 16 points respectively to keep Bowie perfect in District 4-5A (3-0). The Volunteers will host Arlington and Elisawa Baker on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Baker scored 22 points in the Colts' loss to Mansfield Summit on Tuesday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 2:34:15 PM
Baker key to Arlington's success
From the looks of it, Arlington (14-8, 1-2) will go as far as Elisawa Baker will take them. He's the only Colt averaging double-figures at 14.2 points per game. And a quick look at the stat sheet will tell you why. His 267 shot attempts are over 100 more than his closest teammate. He's also gotten to the line 144 times, which is also double the amount of any other player on the team. He's made 70 of those attempts. Baker also leads the Colts in rebounds at 8.3 per game. He scored 20 points on Friday to help Arlington capture its first District 4-5A win over Arlington Sam Houston. He'll be a marked man when the Colts take on Mansfield Summit (10-11, 1-1) tonight and Arlington Bowie (20-3, 2-0) on Friday.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 1:26:31 PM
Dunbar working on defense, other areas
Dunbar is putting work into two areas in particular as it tries to get its game in shape for a run at the playoffs. The Wildcats (6-12, 3-4) are in sixth place in District 7-4A as they get ready for Tuesday night’s game against Trimble Tech. "Half-court defense, and we’ve got to work on our mental game," coach Robert Hughes Jr. said of the areas of concern. "We do a lot of stupid stuff out there, and it’s cost us." The Wildcats also aren’t shooting well, Hughes said. "It’s something like 36 percent. But the press is working – we’re averaging 18 steals. We just can’t put the ball in the hole."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 1:07:01 PM
Lake Worth on the rebound
The Lake Worth Bullfrogs (12-8, 2-1 in 11-3A) hit a speed bump last week in a 87-58 loss to Dallas Madison. The Bullfrogs will look to recover from that loss and get back on the winning track against Carrollton Ranchview this Friday.
Before last week's loss, the duo of Donovan Vess and Montana Chitty led the Bullfrogs to three straight wins.
Vess had 39 points in those three games and Chitty had 29.
— Paul Wessels
Posted:
Monday, January 11, 2010 1:55:01 PM
Heights trying to keep intensity
Arlington Heights is trying to make sure it fights off a natural tendency to slip at this point of the year, when the season has been going for weeks but the playoffs are still more than a month away. Coach Gary Collier said he’s trying to keep practices fresh and mixing the teams for scrimmages. "That helps make it new, where it’s not so monotonous," he said. Collier said he wants the defensive to maintain its intensity. "Defense has been our strong suit," he said. "We can probably execute a bit better on the offensive end."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Friday, January 08, 2010 10:46:19 PM
Timberview 71, Seguin 48 (F)
The Mansfield Timberview Wolves have made it a point to climb the mountain in District 8-4A, and Friday night was a big step.
Trailing 18-12 after a quarter of play, Timberview (12-6, 3-0) ran over Seguin (5-15, 1-2) over the final three quarters and stayed unbeaten in District 8-4A.
The turning point came in the second quarter when the Wolves settled into the game and started playing their high level of defense.
"I don't think we came out flat, I think we just came out too excited," said Timberview coach Duane Gregory. "We talked about it at halftime, telling our guys the energy level was great, it just had to be more productive energy. I think it was just a matter of us keeping that high tempo with playing inteligently."
Jordan Clemmons led Timberview with 12 points.
— Brian Hernalsteen
Posted:
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 10:34:51 PM
Dunbar knocks off South Hills
Dunbar enjoyed a pair of big performances to knock off South Hills 83-76.
Darius White (24 points) and Rashad Favors (20 points) paced the Wildcats in the victory. The victory moved Dunbar to 2-3 in District 7-4A play.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 2:22:35 PM
Richland has seen it all
It's not hard to see why Richland feels good being 4-11. The Rebels have prepared themselves as well as anybody for District 3-5A competition by having played a nondistrict schedule from you know where.
That schedule included Class 5A state-ranked Garland Lakeview Centennial (No. 4) and No. 13 DeSoto, and Class 4A No. 2 Lancaster and No. 5 Arlington Heights and No. 9 Dallas Woodrow Wilson. At the Whataburger Basketball Tournament, the Rebels ran into Plano West, with 6-foot-11 Geoffrey Groselle and 6-5 Jackson Jeffcoat. The Wolves are No. 6 in Class 5A.
Simply put, there is no better prescription to get a Rebels team short on experience ready for the second season. Richland lost star guard Nolan Dennis to graduation from last season’s team and returned only one starter this season. Forward Steven Euler is the only other player who saw significant varsity time in 2008-09.
“I don’t think there’s much we’re going to see in district that we haven’t seen,” coach Richard Bacon said.
Up next: on the road against Class 5A No. 9 North Crowley, 18-4 and winners of 29 consecutive games at home.
Bacon said his team upbeat and ready. They've been there and done that.
“We’re pretty excited about our chances,” said Bacon, whose team is led in scoring by Wesley Gipson. “Knowing they’ve been playing some of the better teams in the area has given them some confidence going into district.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 11:57:45 AM
Kennedale on fire
The Kennedale Wildcats have won eight of their last nine games. In those victories they have won by at least 20. That includes games in the Van Tournament and Mineral Wells Tournament, both second place finishes. Kennedale opened the district 12-3A district schedule with a 74-37 win over Alvarado at home Saturday. Five players scored double digit points in that game.
— Paul Wessels
Posted:
Monday, January 04, 2010 12:33:54 PM
Highlanders have high expectations in 7-4A
Eastern Hills faces a key test Tuesday night in its bid for the District 7-4A title, taking on leader Arlington Heights at 6 at Billingsley Field House. Eastern Hills coach Felley Donaldson expects much from his team, which sits a game back of the lead. "We're a veteran ballclub," he said. "The bar is raised for them. We expect a lot out of them." Trouble is, no one has stopped Heights (19-0, 5-0) yet. But the Highlanders (12-6, 4-1) can lean on one of the top players in the district, senior guard Daylon Guy (19.1 points, 5.0 assists).
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Monday, January 04, 2010 12:01:33 PM
Sam Houston able to adapt
Arlington Sam Houston has proven its ability to adapt on a game-by-game basis. The Texans have shown they are capable of running-and-gunning and also of slowing it down and winning games defensively.
Take their last two games for instance. Sam Houston opened District 4-5A play with a 37-31 victory over Mansfield. The Texans locked down without the ball and held the Tigers to single-digits in three quarters. During their 80-41 win over Cleburne on Dec. 18, the Texans scored no fewer than 19 points in a quarter. It should be interesting to see which kind of team comes out this week. Sam Houston will face Lamar on Tuesday, which has a legitimate post presence in Cannen Cunningham, but is equally as good with its guard play after a solid showing in the Fort Worth ISD Coca-Cola Classic.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, January 04, 2010 12:01:01 PM
Martin looks to get back on track
Nothing has come easy to the Warriors of Arlington Martin lately. They’ve dropped four of five, including three in a row. Arlington Bowie pulled out a 50-47 victory in the District 4-5A opener for both teams on Jan. 2. A few days prior to that Martin dropped a 55-53 game to Hurst L.D. Bell and got throttled by state-ranked Austin Westlake, 90-62 on Dec. 28.
If there has been one steady contributor for Martin, it would be the play of Kyle Gardner, who scored 28 points against Westlake, 15 against Bell and 13 against Bowie. The Warriors will need to get contributions throughout their lineup when they host Arlington at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A date with Southlake Carroll on Jan. 8 will be their last non-district game before a Jan. 12 game with Sam Houston.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, January 04, 2010 11:34:16 AM
Western Hills not deep but hopeful
Western Hills is off to a slow start, winless through its first five District 7-4A games. But the Cougars (2-13, 0-5) hope they can develop some depth as they resume action Tuesday night against North Side. "We’re pretty good for about three quarters, but then we get gassed," coach Jim Wall said. "We’ve played a couple of teams tough, but our district is pretty good. We haven’t finished games when we’ve had a chance to win a few." Aaron Hewitt and Dremon Wiley continue to lead the team in most categories, but the Cougars are also playing two freshmen and a sophomore. "We just haven’t come around yet," Wall said. "And our district schedule starts so early, that hurts a little bit sometimes. But we’re trying. We’re trying to improve."
— Carlos Mendez
Posted:
Sunday, January 03, 2010 1:21:07 PM
Crowley's good start
Crowley got off to a good start to the District 8-4A season with a 81-72 victory against Joshua on Saturday afternoon.
And to coach Robert Hale that win is just that -- a start, albeit a good one.
“How you get off the first three games is critical to how this thing winds up,” said Hale of the district race. “I think the first three games tell a lot about what’s going to happen. That’s just been my experience. You know, I’ve only been coaching for about 50 years.”
Well, not quite 50, but needless to say, few coaches in Dallas-Fort Worth can equal Hale’s 33 years of experience as a head coach.
The Eagles (12-5, 1-0), who next play at home against Everman on Tuesday, have some good playoff ingredients, Hale said. They’re quick and play good defense. Also, “We’re not a bad rebounding team, even though we’re not very big. And we can shoot the ball.”
Crowley will certainly learn much about itself in the next two weeks. After Everman, three of the Eagles’ next four are on the road, including games at Mansfield’s Timberview and Legacy (Jan. 15 and 19).
“I’m not much of a fortune-teller right now, but I’m excited about our prospects, and I like our kids and I think there’s some good things out there for us if we take advantage of it.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Sunday, January 03, 2010 1:20:56 PM
Buffalos think they can
Haltom was picked to finish among the bottom of District 3-5A. So what, says the Buffalos.
“Resilient is probably the word I’d use,” says coach Cornelius Mitchell about his team.
That’d be a good one. At the Whataburger Basketball Tournament, where Haltom finished sixth, the Buffalos rallied from a big deficit to defeat highly touted West Anchorage, Alaska, in the first round and came back to top Justin Northwest and advance to the fifth-place game.
“They’ve been down so much that even when they’re down they think got a chance to win,” Mitchell said. “So, at no point in the game are they going to give up. When things don’t go well, and we’re not hitting shots, these guys find a way stick in.”
Haltom takes that mentality into district. The Buffalos started the 3-5A season with an 80-57 loss to North Crowley but will try to rebound with a game at Fort Worth Paschal this coming Friday, Jan. 8.
North Crowley and Burleson are considered the front-runners for the district championship and first two playoff spots, but beyond that it’s wide open, where even maybe these Buffalos can roam.
“It’s just going to be who can make shots and make plays down the stretch for those last two spots,” Mitchell said. “Weatherford is big, Abilene is real athletic, Richland has had a real tough schedule. They’re a lot better than their record.
“I think we have a chance to surprise some people in district.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Saturday, January 02, 2010 6:17:18 PM
Arlington Bowie 49, Arlington Martin 47 (OT)
Trey Potter hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left in overtime to lift the host Volunteers to a District 4-5A victory.
In the waning moments of OT, Martin hit a 3-pointer to go up by two points with time winding down.
Bowie trailed for most of the game but finally caught the Warriors during a late fourth-quarter spurt. Bowie had a chance to win in regulation, but a 3-pointer missed and an offensive rebound off that attempt and subsequent putback didn’t fall.
“It came down to whoever was going to score last,” Bowie coach Allen Gratts said.
— John Henry
Posted:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 9:15:05 PM
Cleveland claims Whataburger Blue
An aggressive defense and diverse offense paced Cleveland to a 63-48 victory against Argyle in the Whataburger Blue division championship game.
Blue division MVP, Jaraud Ross of Cleveland guided the Indians with 22 points including 12 from 3-point range.
* Ponder knocked off Burkburnett 77-70 in the third place game.
— Tobias Xavier Lopez
Posted:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 6:18:41 PM
Haltom falls in Orange fifth-place game
Haltom reached the fifth-place game of Whataburger Tournament's Orange Division with a comeback. But there was no coming back in the fifth-place game itself. The Buffaloes lost 59-43 to Plano West, finishing 2-2 in the tournament. Earlier, the Buffs had rallied from a 14-3 deficit to win 50-48 in overtime against Justin Northwest.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 5:23:55 PM
Mansfield falls in Orange consolation
A slow start cost Mansfield in the consolation final of the Whataburger Tournament's Orange Division. The Tigers fell 55-37 to Coppell, getting 12 points from all-tournament selection Elliott Dean and 10 from Bryant Knight. But the Tigers trailed big most of the way. They were down 33-17 at halftime and 49-26 entering the fourth quarter.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 11:43:22 PM
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) 58, Irving 46
Flower Mound Marcus and Long Beach Poly (Calif.) will play for the Whataburger Basketball Tournament Orange Division championship at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at Thomas Coliseum.
The matchup was sealed when Poly defeated Irving 58-46 in the second semifinal game late Tuesday night.
Long Beach Poly's victory capped a big day that included a seemingly unlikely comeback in the quarterfinals. The Jackrabbits, with Shelton Boykin’s 12 fourth-quarter points, came back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat back Austin Westlake 67-66.
Irving will meet North Crowley in the third-place game at 6:30 p.m.
— John Henry
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 8:56:39 PM
Granbury 41, Grand Prairie 40
Granbury’s Tyler Welch hit one of two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to give Granbury a 41-40 victory over Grand Prairie in the second round of consolation play Tuesday. Granbury, which lost to Denton in the first round of consolation play on Monday, will face the winner of Western Hills and Houston Northbrook at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Grand Prairie’s Marcus Mathieu hit a step-back 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left to tie the game at 40-40. But Welch was fouled before the ball was put into play on an in-bounds play. Granbury’s Justin Essman led all scorers with 20 points.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 8:35:07 PM
Mansfield 70, Fort Worth Dunbar 42
No one really knows how long, but suffice it to say Fort Worth Dunbar won’t be playing on the third day of the Whataburger Basketball Tournament for the first time in a long, long time.
Mansfield broke out early and cruised to a victory over the Flying Wildcats in a consolation-bracket game at Thomas Coliseum.
Elliot Dean paced the Tigers offensively with 21 points.
“I thought our defense really set the tone early for us,” Mansfield coach Richie Alfred said. “We got out on the break and got some easy ones, and you get a few easy ones, you get a little confident and the basket seems a little larger.
The Tigers, who will play West Anchorage, Alaska, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in a consolation semifinal, shot 44 percent from the field.
— John Henry
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 7:31:14 PM
Midlothian 46, Houston Northbrook 34
Down 19-15 at halftime, Midlothian outscored Houston Northbrook 25-7 in the third quarter to pull away for a 46-34 win in the first round of consolation play at the FWISD Coca-Cola Classic on Tuesday. Midlothian plays Paschal at 9:30 p.m. tonight.
The Panthers were led by Derrick Agbaroji’s 13 points. Midlothian didn’t allow a Northbrook player to reach double-figures.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 7:30:32 PM
Paschal 58, Western Hills 54
James Pegues scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter and Domonique Ravenell added 18 points to help Fort Worth Paschal to a 58-54 victory over Fort Worth Western Hills in first round action of the consolation bracket of the FWISD Coca-Cola Classic on Tuesday. Paschal will face Midlothian at 9:30 p.m. tonight with the winner moving on to Wednesday’s consolation championship at 5 p.m.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 6:49:33 PM
Bell hangs on in consolation
Sam O'Donnell made a free throw with 15 seconds left, and L.D. Bell survived a 3-point try on the other end to take a 55-53 victory against Martin in a consolation game at the Whataburger Tournament's Orange Division. With a 54-53 lead, Josh Faurot made a steal for Bell that led to free throws by O'Donnell, who made one of two. Martin (7-8) got a shot off at the other end with plenty of time, but the rebound went out of bounds to Bell (5-11) with 0.4 seconds left. The Raiders will meet Coppell in a consolation semifinal at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 5:25:21 PM
Summit falls on put-back in OT
Mansfield Summit fell out of the Whataburger Orange bracket, losing 70-68 in overtime against West Anchorage, Alaska, in a consolation game. Jalil Abdul-Bassit, a junior forward, stuck in a rebound for the winning points for West Anchorage with one second to go. He rebounded a miss by Devon Bookert, a junior guard who scored a tournament-high 27 points for the Eagles. For Abdul-Bassit, the winning shot finished the job he started -- his free throw with 16 seconds left forced overtime, although he missed the second. Wesley Davis led Summit with 19 points.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 4:34:20 PM
Burkburnett 87, Fort Worth Christian 78
Despite big games from its star players, Fort Worth Christian fell in the second round of the Whataburger Blue Tournament today at Haltom High School.
Tyler Graves scored 28 points for the Cardinals while Hunter Watson and Chad Rykhoek added 18 each but the Cardinals’ trio was no match for the Bulldogs’ deep bench and fast-paced game plan.
Fort Worth Christian jumped out to a 21-13 first-quarter with the help of a 12-0 run at the start. But the Bulldogs’ relentless attack wore down the Cardinals.
Burkburnett used a full-court press for most of the game to take advantage of Fort Worth Christian’s three-man bench. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, subbed often. Dwayne Johnson (22 points), Derrel Gibbs (21) and Josh Alvarez (14) led Burkburnett in scoring, which lost starting forward Dylan Cummins to an ankle injury in Monday’s game.
The Bulldogs took over the game in the fourth quarter. After trailing 56-54 at the end of the third, Burkburnett went on a 15-2 run to open the fourth en route to a 33-point quarter.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 14 points late but the Cardinals made it interesting with a 12-3 run with less than 2 minutes left that featured three 3-pointers, two by Watson, to pull within six points. But Watson missed two 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds to end the Cardinals’ comeback hopes.
The Cardinals were hurt by the absence of Rykhouk in the fourth. The 6-foot-7-inch sophomore missed most of the quarter after picking up his fourth foul early.
Fort Worth Christian plays a consolation game against Tuscola Jim Ned on Wednesday at 2:45 p.m.
— Blake Hurtik
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 3:54:19 PM
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) 67, Austin Westlake 66
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) demonstrated its formidable firepower, coming back from a 13-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to win 67-66 and advance to the Whataburger Orange semifinals.
Shelton Boykin, who scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, was fouled on 3-point attempt with 12.7 seconds left and hit all three of his subsequent free throws for the final margin.
Keaton Lancashire’s shot as time expired missed its mark.
The Jackrabbits will play Irving, a 76-60 winner against Plano West, in the second semifinal game. That game is scheduled to be played at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Westlake was seemingly in control and took a 51-38 lead into the final period. But Poly implemented a scorched-earth policy, going 11-of-17 from the field. Westlake went 3-of-13.
Ryan Anderson led the Jackrabbits with 22 points. Guard Cody Doolin led Westlake with 19 points, including 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.
— John Henry
Posted:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 1:34:18 PM
North Crowley, Marcus advance
Flower Mound Marcus and North Crowley both won morning quarterfinal games to advance to the semifinals of the Whataburger Basketball Tournament Orange Division at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
In the second game of the day, sophomore Phillip Forte had 15 points and classmate Marcus Smart added 12 to lead Marcus past the Haltom Buffalos, who surprised by upsetting West Anchorage, Alaska, on Monday evening.
North Crowley edged by Northwest in another quarterfinal, 56-54.
The Panthers and Marauders are scheduled to play the first semifinal of the tournament at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Plano West and Irving are vying for another spot right now. Irving leads 53-28 with 2:14 left in the third quarter. Long Beach Poly (Calif.) and Austin Westlake play at 2 p.m. for the final semifinal slot.
In a consolation bracket game, Coppell sneaked past Richland. Andrew Bourg (14 points) led the Cowboys in scoring, while Wesley Gipson (14), Steven Euler (13), Mark Taylor (12) and Edward Margenau (11) paced Richland. Coppell
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 9:07:09 PM
Arlington Bowie 63, Houston Northbrook 26
Arlington Bowie began its Fort Worth ISD Coca-Cola Classic title in impressive fashion against Houston Northbrook on Monday. The Volunteers outscored the Raiders 31-8 in the second and third quarters on their way to a 63-26 victory.
Bowie scored the first seven points of the second quarter to extend its 17-10 lead from the end of the first to 24-10. Bowie’s superior size inside enabled the Volunteers to dominate the glass. Bowie penetrated at will in the second, where it outscored Northbrook 15-6 to take a 32-16 halftime lead. The Volunteers began the third with a 10-0 run to put the game away. Brandon Anderson and Ladavid Taylor led Bowie with 9 points apiece.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 9:06:34 PM
Polytechnic 60, Midlothian 41
Fort Worth Polytechnic used a 12-0 run at the start of its game against Midlothian to pull away from the Panthers, 60-41. Duran Hollis (16 points) and Luther Thomas (16 points) penetrated at will to lead the Parrots, who will face Arlington Bowie today at 8 p.m.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 9:05:22 PM
Killeen 79, Western Hills 45
The Runnin’ Roos have five players 6-foot-4 or taller, and they used it as an overwhelming advantage Monday in a 79-45 first round win over Fort Worth Western Hills. One of those players, 6-foot-6 Ta’shawn Thomas rocked the rim for a few of his game-high 21 points. Thirteen players scored for Killeen.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 9:04:55 PM
Arlington Lamar 71, Paschal 40
Someone from the crowd inside the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center may have anointed Arlington Lamar’s Cannen Cunningham with a new nickname: Octopus.
At the rate he was blocking, if not, altering shots on Monday, the 6-foot-8 junior sure seemed like he had more than two arms. It seemed every time Fort Worth Paschal took the ball in the lane it was being swatted back out by Cunningham, who had well over five blocks and 12 points. Four other Vikings reach double figures including, Gary McCalister (10), Raymond Jenkins (18), Taylor Wilkerson (10) and Tony Malone (14).
Lamar led 24-10 after one, 43-22 at halftime and 64-26 after three. James Pegues led the Panthers with 15 points.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 9:04:12 PM
Austin LBJ 65, Irving Nimitz 41
Donald Dallas hit six 3-pointers and Austin LBJ proved itself to be a legitimate contender in the Fort Worth ISD Coca-Cola Classic by dismantling Irving Nimitz 65-41 in the first round on Monday. The Jaguars won despite shooting five free throws.
LBJ trailed 10-8 after the first quarter but outscored Nimitz 45-22 in the second and third quarters to take the game over. Deandre Byrd and Dante Price scored 10 and 14 points respectively for LBJ. Nimitz was led by Antonio Harris’ 17. He was the only Viking to reach double figures. LBJ will play Burleson at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the second round of the winners bracket.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 7:53:28 PM
Whataburger Orange: Haltom 71, West Anchorage 64
Junior John Martin’s dunk with 2:00 left in the game gave resilient Haltom its first lead of the game and the Buffalos won a free-throw shooting contest, going eight-for-eight in the final 1:19 to upset West Anchorage, Alaska, 71-64.
After Martin gave Haltom a lead, Justin Kauffman tied the game for West with two free throws. Rafael Garcia, though, hit two free throws to retake the lead 63-61.
On the other end, Haltom rebounded a missed shot and Garcia, the outlet man, found a streaking Josh Shockey streaking down the right side. Shockey, a wide receiver on the football team, took the pass in stride, and his layup made the score 65-61.
Kauffman, fouled on a 3-pointer, hit three free throws to trim the deficit to 1.
But Chris Gracela and Garcia each hit two free throws to secure the advancement of the Buffalos, who will play Flower Mound Marcus at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. West heads to the consolation bracket, where the Eagles play Mansfield Summit at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 6:36:42 PM
Whataburger Blue: FWC 60, Peaster 48
Seniors Tyler Graves, Hunter Watson, Benjamin Weaver and 6-foot-7-inch sophomore Chad Rykhoek provided plenty of offense as Fort Worth Christian beat Peaster 60-48 in the opening round of the Whataburger Blue Tournament at Haltom High School on Monday.
Watson, who finished with 19 points and four steals, ignited the Cardinals offense in the first half, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to help the Cardinals build a 34-22 halftime lead.
The highlight of the quarter came from Rykhoek, who flushed a two-handed dunk and drew a foul, drawing cheers from the crowd. He also hit a pair of 3-pointers in the game and finished with 15 points and five assists.
Graves, a 6-3 forward, scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the quarter, including eight straight. He also finished with 13 rebounds.
Clayton Brown led Peaster in scoring with 14 points. Tyler Petermeier added 13 and Beau Lindsey had nine.
The Cardinals will play either Burkburnett or Brownsboro in the second round on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Haltom High School.
— Blake Hurtik
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 6:17:08 PM
Whataburger Orange: Austin Westlake 90, Martin 62
Conner Kemper, with a sweet shooting stroke no doubt refined and fine-tuned by spending hours in gymnasiums, poured in 25 points, and Cody Doolin had 23 in a 90-62 first-round victory over Arlington Martin.
Kemper, a 6-6 senior, had five 3-pointers for the Chaparrals, who will play either Long Beach Poly (Calif.) or Hurst L.D. Bell in the winners’ second round at 2 p.m.
Kyle Gardner had 28 and Myles Johnson 14 for the Warriors.
West Anchorage, Alaska, is on top of Haltom 24-10 after one quarter. The seventh game of Monday is Dunbar-Northwest at 7:30 p.m. followed by the eighth and final game, Long Beach Poly against Bell at 9 p.m.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 4:29:21 PM
Whataburger Orange: North Crowley 77, Mansfield 66
Isaac Marinelarena hit two 3-pointers and Kyan Anderson hit two more during a run that turned a six-point second-quarter North Crowley lead to 17 in a real hurry.
Anderson, a junior guard, hit seven 3-pointers in all and had 26 points.
The Panthers maintained a 20-point lead for the better part of the second half.
North Crowley moves on to the winners bracket and will play either Fort Worth Dunbar or Justin Northwest in a second-round game at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Mansfield gets the loser between Dunbar and Northwest.
On center court now (well, the only court here at Thomas Coliseum) is Arlington Martin and Austin Westlake. Westlake leads 24-19 at the end of the first quarter.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 2:46:27 PM
Whataburger Orange: Marcus 49, Mansfield Summit 39
Sophomore Marcus Smart had a game-high 15 points to lead the Marauders past the Jaguars, who advanced to the winners’ bracket to face West Anchorage, Alaska, or Haltom on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
West Anchorage and Haltom play at 6 p.m. Monday. All the competition in the Orange Division is at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
Next up is the fourth game of the day, North Crowley against Mansfield. Start time is approximately 2:50. We’re running only slightly behind schedule.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 1:48:06 PM
Whataburger Orange: Marcus 27, Mansfield Summit 14
Sophomore Marcus Smart’s layin off an ally-oop pass as time expired in the first half gave the Marauders a 13-point halftime lead.
The winner of this game gets a date with either Haltom or West Anchorage, Alaska, in the second round Tuesday at 9:30 in the morning.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 1:35:03 PM
Whataburger Orange: Marcus 14, Mansfield Summit 2
Thomas Netsch and Phillip Forte each had four points as Flower Mound Marcus has jumped out 14-2 at the start of the second quarter after frigid Mansfield Summit might well have trouble throwing the ball in the ocean. The Tigers can’t hit a shot as of this writing.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 1:04:04 PM
Whataburger Orange: Irving 74, Coppell 62
Irving outscored Coppell 17-9 in the last five minutes of the game to take a first-round victory at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
During that stretch, the Tigers went 4-for-7 from the field while Coppell was 4-for-12. Irving also hit seven free throws down the stretch.
Desmond Henry led Irving with a game-high 22 points, and J.J. Thompson had 17. Nic Johnston had 14 for Coppell.
Irving advances to play Plano West on Tuesday in the second round at 12:30 p.m. Coppell goes to the consolation bracket, where the Cowboys will meet Richland at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Up next today: Mansfield Summit vs. Flower Mound Marcus. Start time, approximately 1:15.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:59:54 PM
Southwest 85, Denton 56
It took Fort Worth Southwest all of a few seconds to set the tempo of its game with Denton during the first round of the FWISD Coca Cola Classic on Monday. The Raiders’ customary run-and-gun efforts proved too much for the Broncos to handle.
Twelve players scored for Southwest, which hit 10 3-pointers and 11 of 20 free throws. Chris Johnson led the Raiders with 13 points, nine of which came in the first quarter on three treys.
“It’s just running and gunning,” Johnson said. “We run everyday. We’ve been playing together for a long time. We are pretty well gelled together.”
The Broncos didn’t score their 20th point until there was two minutes left in the first half. Southwest had 22 by first quarter’s end. The Raiders added 25 points in the second quarter and held a 47-22 lead at halftime.
Southwest outscored Denton 27-14 in the third and took a 40-point lead with an Anthony Sanders jump hook 20 seconds into the fourth.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:59:00 PM
Brewer 65, Grand Prairie 56
Brewer’s early morning alarm didn’t go off until the second quarter of its 8 a.m. tip against Grand Prairie on Monday. Once it did, though, the Bears roared to victory in the first round of the Fort Worth ISD Coca Cola Classic.
Terrence Bagsby led all scorers with 20 points, Nick Williams added 17 and Alex Washington chipped in with 12 points to lead Brewer to a 65-56 win.
Bagsby, Williams and Vernon Johnson scored six points a piece in a third quarter that saw the Bears break open a 24-24 halftime game into a 47-37 lead.
The Bears hit 19 of 27 free throws and six three pointers. Jalen Bennings led the Gophers with 14 points, followed by Cameron Christopher’s 11 and Marcus Mathieu’s 10. Grand Prairie was 8 of 14 from the line.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:58:24 PM
Burleson 39, Granbury 38
Burleson clearly felt the effects of so much down time during the Christmas break during its opening round game of the Fort Worth ISD Coca Cola Classic against Granbury on Monday. But the Elks found a way to hold off the Pirates and advance to play either Austin LBJ or Irving Nimitz tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Jeremiah Rodgers led Burleson with 11 points. He was the only Elk in double figures. Zach Price led all scorers with 12 points and Justin Essman chipped in with 10 points for Granbury, who missed all 14 3-point attempts and was 8 of 13 from the line. Still, the Pirates found themselves in position to win the game at the end.
Granbury was down by as many as eight points in the third quarter but fought its way back to tie the game on a Keith Hennard layup with 6:20 left in the fourth. The Pirates had possession of the ball on a couple of occasions with a chance to take the lead but couldn’t convert.
Burleson took a 38-36 lead on a Ryan Marsh basket with 1:50 left. Granbury passed the ball around for over a minute on its ensuing possession and came up short on a jump shot. Blake Dunson hit one of two free throws to extend the Elks’ lead to 39-36. Another empty Pirates possession led to a missed Burleson free throw, which gave Granbury one last chance. A 3-point attempt rimmed out and the Pirates had to settle for a layup as time expired.
- William Wilkerson
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:39:41 PM
Whataburger Orange; Irving 55, Coppell 51
Who advances to play Plano West is very much up in the air as the fourth quarter begins. Desmond Henry's three-point play has given the Tigers a 4-point lead with 6:30 left in the game.
Hunter Robinson's runner in the lane as time expired in the third quarter got the Cowboys within one.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:06:43 PM
Whataburger Orange: Irving 33, Coppell 32
Keith Frazier’s 3-pointer at the 4 minute mark gave the Tigers their first lead, 25-24. The Cowboys answered with a little run, but Irving was unfazed. Frazier hit another 3-pointer, followed by another from J.J. Thompson, who has a team-high 11 after adding two free throws.
It’s halftime here at Thomas Coliseum in the second game on Monday in the Orange Division.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 11:52:47 AM
Whataburger Orange: Coppell 19, Irving 13
The Cowboys jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Irving settled and trailed by only six after the first quarter. Andrew Bourg hit two 3-pointers and Nic Johnston had three baskets, including a 3, to lead Coppell.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 11:25:13 AM
Whataburger Orange: Plano West 95, Richland 44
The opening-game of the Whataburger tournament is complete. The Wolves, led by Deshon Portley's 19 points, turned in a balanced performance in dismantling the Rebels. Wesley Gipson led Richland in scoring with 19 points.
Jackson Jeffcoat added 12 for the Wolves.
Plano West will play the winner of the next game between Irving and Coppell, teams warming up as this is written. That game will be played Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Thomas Coliseum.
Richland will play the loser of that game at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 10:53:42 AM
Whataburger Orange: Plano West 71, Richland 35
This game was well in hand when Deshon Portley drove the left side, rose above Richland's defense and slammed with 5:35 left in the third quarter, the proverbial exclamation mark on the opening game of the Orange Division. The Rebels shot 5-of-15 in the third quarter.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 10:29:16 AM
Whataburger Orange: Plano West 44, Richland 21
Senior Jackson Jeffcoat, a 6-foot-5 forward, scored eight second-quarter points, and Plano West's 10-0 run to start the period kept them on a torrid pace in this first-round matchup at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City. Wesley Gipson leads the Rebels with eight points.
— John Henry
Posted:
Monday, December 28, 2009 10:21:26 AM
Whataburger Orange: Plano West 30, Richland 13
Plano West is off to a smokin' start in 52nd Whataburger Basketball Tournament. Deshon Portley led an early ambush of the Rebels, scoring 15 of the Wolves' 30 first-quarter points. Plano West seemingly couldn't miss during a 24-9 run.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, December 24, 2009 1:11:13 PM
Nolan returns to the Whataburger
A first-ever girls division means a return of a familiar face to the Whataburger Basketball Tournament.
Nolan Catholic will be represented at the tournament for the first time since the boys discontinued a long association with the event in the early 1990s.
The Lady Vikings play Abilene Wylie in the first round at 2:45 p.m. Monday at Saginaw High School.
The Nolan boys had a proud history at the tournament, winning the 4A Division in 1970 and 1974. The Vikings advanced to the semifinals in 1987 but lost to Waxahachie at Billingsley Field House.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, December 24, 2009 12:53:57 PM
Heights taking a long break
Whataburger Basketball Tournament officials’ decision to forego a Class 4A division has left Arlington Heights with nothing to do for a couple of weeks.
The 18-0 Yellow Jackets won’t play again until Jan. 2 in a District 7-4A showdown with Fort Worth Dunbar Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. That equates to a 15-day layoff between games for Arlington Heights, which last played Friday (Dec. 18) in a 69-60 victory against Fort Worth Southwest at Billingsley Field House.
Coach Gary Collier said he was notified during the summer that there wouldn’t be a 4A, or White, division played at the renown Christmas classic for the first time since 1977. Collier said he looked for a place to play, but there were no takers.
Heights won the Fantasy of Lights event in Wichita Falls after Thanksgiving.
The Yellow Jackets worked out Monday and Tuesday before the UIL-mandated break before Christmas. Collier said his team will reconvene Monday for practice.
Said Collier: “We can rest our bodies a little bit and then be ready to go. Not playing “didn’t really matter to us one way or another. I think it’s always good to come out from a break and play some games, but this gives us an opportunity for a couple of two-a-days before” Dunbar.
— John Henry
Posted:
Sunday, December 20, 2009 10:15:32 AM
North Crowley dominates in Arkansas
North Crowley used the inaugural Arkansas-Texas High School Holiday Shootout as a tuneup for the upcoming Whataburger tournament and start of District 3-5A play.
Junior Kyan Anderson led eight Panthers scorers with an event-high 37 points to pace the speedy Panthers in a 93-69 victory over Watson Chapel at the Pine Bluff Convention Center in Arkansas on Saturday night.
Anderson, considered one of the top junior players in Texas, poured in 15 points in a decisive third-quarter run. Kameron Price added 21 for the Panthers.
The Panthers (13-3) forced 19 turnovers in shutting down the Wildcats defensively.
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 12:46:35 PM
Hawks riding 7-game winning streak
Birdville has long been known for its patience on offense and solid defensive play. The Hawks, in the past, didn’t push the ball and simply hoped to keep opponents to 50 points or less in order to pick up a victory.
That isn’t the case anymore, though. This season, Birdville is pushing the ball and trying to develop a transition game. So far, it’s paid off, as the Hawks have won seven in a row and are 9-3 on the season.
“The teams around here are so well coached, that’s its just hard to rely on a half court offense all the time,” Birdville coach Jeff Fitch said. “You’ve got to be able to score some on transition and get at least a few baskets in the open court.”
Birdville has certainly gotten a nice balance on offense, as all five starters are consistently in or near double-figures. The leaders of the team have been 6-foot-6 senior forward Bryan Werner and senior guard Lane Conaway, who is averaging 14.5 points a game.
— Drew Davison
Posted:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 10:53:55 AM
Castleberry offense rolling
The Castleberry Lions' offense has been clicking on all cylinders so far this season. They are averaging 67.6 points per game and have a 7-1 record. Alex Gonzalez is leading the team in scoring, has scored 20 points or more six times this season and is averaging 23.1 points per game.
The Lions will try to keep that offense rolling when they face the Lake Worth Bullfrogs (5-3) in both teams' first 11-3A contest. Five of the Bullfrogs' eight games this season have been decided by five points or less (2-3 in those games).
— Paul Wessels
Posted:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 1:16:03 PM
Close calls
Wednesday was a night of close calls for District 4-5A. Arlington Bowie defeated Keller Central 55-53. Mansfield dropped a 43-40 contest to Mansfield Timberview despite scoring just four points a piece in the second and third quarters. Arlington Martin lost 61-59 to Colleyville Heritage in overtime and Arlington Lamar held on for a 57-55 win over Haltom.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 1:13:36 PM
Martin drops OT thriller
Arlington Martin used a 15-9 fourth quarter to force its game against Colleyville Heritage into overtime on Tuesday. But the Warriors were outscored by a bucket in the extra period and dropped to 6-4 with their 61-59 loss to the Panthers. Martin’s Kyle Gardner led all scorers with 28 points and was the only Warrior in double figures. Eleven players scored for Heritage, which was led by Jake Williams’ 11 points.
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 10:08:49 PM
Triple Double for Nazarene Christian center
Crowley Nazarene Christian senior center Sam Tharp is only 6-foot-2, not the typical "center" size. But Tharp certainly had a memorable game against Azle Christian on Tuesady night.
Tharp had an eye-opening 42 points, leading Nazarene Christian to a 77-58 victory over Azle Christian. Tharp finished with a triple-double, too, adding 15 rebounds and 11 steals to his career-high point total.
— Drew Davison
Posted:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 7:12:06 PM
North Crowley, Heights, Kennedale state-ranked
Here's the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings:
Class 5 A -- 1. Bellaire (10-1), 2. Garland Lakeview (11-1), 3. San Antonio Wagner (13-1), 4. Plano West (8-5), 5. Laredo United (12-2), 6. Austin Westlake (12-2), 7. Cedar Hill (10-2), 8. Naaman Forest (11-2), 9. Flower Mound Marcus (14-1), 10. DeSoto (11-2), 11. Mesquite (9-3), 12. La Porte (9-3), 13. Fort Bend Bush (14-3), 14. North Crowley (11-4), 15. Converse Judson 12-1), 16. Pflugerville (11-2), 17. Cy-Woods (8-2), 18. San Antonio Reagan (12-4), 19. Kingwood (12-4), 20. Fort Bend Elkins (10-5), 21. San Antonio Clark (14-5), 22. Richardson Berkner (11-3), 23. Sugar Land Dulles (13-2), 24. Arlington Bowie (10-3), 25. Flower Mound (13-4).
Class 4A -- 1. Houston Yates (6-0), 2. Dallas Lincoln (11-0), 3. LaMarque (11-1), 4. Lancaster (9-2), 5. Lake Travis (10-3), 6. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (16-0), 7. Kerrville Tivy (9-3), 8. Amarillo Palo Duro (7-3), 9. Killeen (11-3), 10. Austin LBJ (8-4), 11. Friendswood (9-2), 12. Dallas Kimball (6-6), 13. Houston Waltrip (6-2), 14. Del Valle (9-4), 15. Austin Reagan (7-5), 16. Brenham (5-2), 17. The Colony (7-6), 18. Mansfield Timberview (8-6), 19. Frisco Wakeland (6-5), 20. Richardson Pearce (8-4), 21. Mansfield Legacy (5-5), 22. Kingwood Park (7-5), 23. Houston Jones (4-3), 24. Highland Park (5-5), 25. Pearland Dawson (6-5).
Class 3A -- 1 Dallas Madison (7-3), 2 Lubbock Estacado (10-2), 3 Cleveland (10-1), 4 West Oso (9-2), 5 Liberty Hill (13-0), 6 Hardin-Jefferson (14-1), 7 Kennedale (7-2), 8 Silsbee (8-2), 9 Burkburnett (9-3), 10 Bryan Rudder (5-2), 11 Stafford (5-2), 12 Navasota (5-0), 13 Sweeny (8-0), 14 Crandall (11-2), 15 Seminole (4-2), 16 Paris (9-1), 17 Somerset (10-1) 18 Rockdale (10-1) 19 Lorena (4-0), 20 Argyle (7-4), 21 Wichita Falls Hirschi (6-5), 22 Pleasant Grove (3-11), 23 San Antonio Houston (4-8), 24 Bullard, 25 Madisonville (6-3).
PRIVATE SCHOOL
Large School -- 1. Houston Westbury (15-1), 2. Plano Prestonwood Christian (13-1), 3. Houston Second Baptist (18-1), 4. Dallas Bishop Lynch (14-1), 5. Dallas Episcopal School (7-4), 6. Arlington Grace Prep (7-5), 7. San Antonio Antonian (14-6), 8. Lubbock Trinity Christian (8-2), 9. Dallas Bishop Dunne (9-4), 10. Sugar Land Fort Bend Baptist (17-3), 11. Houston St. Thomas (12-9), 12. Dallas Cistercian (11-1), 13. Addison Trinity Christian (6-8), 14. Dallas St. Mark’s (5-6), 15. Austin St. Michael’s (12-5), 16. Austin Hyde Park (10-4), 17. Argyle Liberty Christian (9-6), 18. San Antonio Central Catholic (7-4), 19. Tomball Concordia Lutheran (11-2), 20. Houston St. John’s (7-5), 21. Corpus Christi John Paul II (5-1), 22. Fort Worth Nolan Catholic (4-1), 23. Victoria St. Joseph’s (14-6), 24. Dallas Greenhill (5-3), 25. Beaumont Kelly.
Small School -- 1. Kingwood Northeast Christian (9-7), 2. Fort Worth Lake Country, 3. Bullard Brookhill, 4. Lubbock Christian (5-1), 5. The Woodlands Christian (1-2), 6. Desoto The Canterbury School (9-4), 7. Muenster Sacred Heart, 8. Longview Trinity School, 9. Garland Christian (8-4), 10. Irving The Highlands (10-1), 11. Dallas Tyler Street Christian, 12. New Braunfels Christian (18-2), 13. Waco Texas Christian, 14. Houston St. Thomas Episcopal (5-6), 15. Beaumont Legacy Christian (0-2), 16. Austin Waldorf (8-3), 17. Conroe Covenant Christian (12-0), 18. Temple Central Texas Christian (9-3), 19. Victoria Faith Academy (14-5), 20. Tyler All Saints (6-4), 21. Colleyville Covenant Christian (9-4), 22. Ovilla Christian (10-5), 23. Kerrville Our Lady of the Hills, 24. Bryan St. Joseph’s (6-3), 25. Arlington Burton Adventist.
For more, go to tabchoops.org.
— Star-Telegram Staff
Posted:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 11:37:56 AM
Bowie putting it together
Things are starting to take form for Allen Gratts’ Bowie Volunteers. And that’s not a good thing for Bowie's opposition.
“We have a lot of kids back,” said Gratts, whose Volunteers are 10-3 after a fourth-place finish at the Fort Bend Outback Tournament over the weekend. “I think we are about where we expected. We did drop one game in the Outback we didn’t expect to drop and a game against Dallas Jesuit that we didn’t expect to drop as well. But we are off to a good start. But we still are striving for something a little bit better.”
To get to that “better” Bowie will rely on a host of returnees, including 6-foot-5 post LaMark Barnes, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.
“He’s a hard-nose kid,” Gratts said. “He’s a very physical player. He didn’t have a real good tournament this past weekend but he is having a real good season thus far.”
The Volunteers have three games, including tonight’s 7:30 p.m. tip at Keller Central, before they play in the Fort Worth ISD Coca-Cola Classic over Christmas Break.
“I’ve got quite a few kids back and we have felt everybody out,” Gratts said. “I think we’ve got a set lineup. We’ve got a reasonably strong bench. This (Outback) tournament made a big difference for us because we had a couple of injuries and kids had to step up and play.”
— William Wilkerson
Posted:
Monday, December 14, 2009 4:15:18 PM
Burleson off the mark
Burleson has had some recent trouble putting the ball in the basket.
That will cause any team some problems.
After winning their first nine games, the Elks have dropped three of their past five.
At issue is an anemic offense that has averaged just 42 points during that five-game stretch. Burleson hasn’t broken 40 points in two of those games, including a 35-point output Saturday against Arlington Lamar.
“We’re kind of slowing ourselves down with some turnovers and mistakes,” said Burleson coach Ted Tomchesson, whose team is 11-3. “We’ve just got to get everybody on the same page.”
After Arlington, it’s on the road for a game Friday against Birdville, winners of nine consecutive games.
“I feel confident with the group we’ve got, and we’ve played well defensively,” Tomchesson said. “And if you do a good job defensively you can keep yourself in the game.
“As long as we get the right guys taking shots in the right places I think we’re going to be OK.”
— John Henry
Posted:
Thursday, December 10, 2009 2:07:27 PM
Parrots talking basketball now
Absolutely no one is complaining about Fort Worth Polytechnic's first football playoff appearance since 1990. It's merely another example of the resurgence of the storied high school on East Rosedale Street.
But extending the football season can often mean a slow start to the basketball season. Just ask the Parrots, who had a number of basketball players still on the football field when practice began in October.
As a result, Polytechnic got off to an 0-6 start, including a 13-point loss to Fort Worth Southwest in the District 7-4A opener last week.
But, as they say, better late than never. With the return of several key players, the Parrots appear to have found their groove.
With Duran Hollis' game-high 31 points leading the way, Polytechnic slayed Fort Worth's basketball goliath, Dunbar, 72-67, Tuesday at Billingsley Field House.
Poly, said coach Ed King, had to adjust to "the mixing and matching of chemistry" when the the football players arrived.
With seemingly everybody in place, the Parrots take their newfound confidence into a game Tuesday against Arlington Heights, which has emerged as an apparent contender in District 7-4A after a 75-65 victory over Fort Worth Trimble Tech improved the Yellow Jackets to 12-0.
— John Henry
