Another Hoopsgiving Classic in the books, a couple of teams redeemed themselves, while others put people on notice that they’re ready to make some noise heading into district play. We found out which team is ready to take the throne as the city’s best, and which team still has something to prove. The event’s buzz dropped a little with the cancellation of the Yates vs Morton Ranch game, but nevertheless there was some surprising performances from guys who’ve been in the background on their teams. Here’s the recap:
9:30AM Second Baptist vs Sam Rayburn– Second Baptist’s Cameron Cohn & Isaiah Add0-Ankrah were hotter than the metal part of the seat belt that’s left in the sun. They went a whopping 13-22 from 3, scoring 21 points a piece. Xzavion Bordelon and Keon Edwards both played well for Sam Rayburn, Edwards had a game high 22 points. Second Baptist was clicking on all cylinders offensively, hitting 8 3’s in the 1st half, and moving the ball with precision. Uzo Dibiamaka was outstanding on defense guarding Edwards full court, and making it uncomfortable for him.
PREDICTION: Sam Rayburn 57- Second Baptist 62
FINAL: Second Baptist 74- Sam Rayburn 54
Spring vs St. Thomas– Two of the biggest gunslingers in the city, St. Thomas’ Anderson Kopp, and Spring’s Keionte Cornelius went 17-52, my right arm needs ice just typing that many attempts. Spring had a balanced attack, as three other players had double figures, Torreon Bergeron 14, Wade Autenreith, 10, and Chryston Eugene 15, to go along with 11 rebounds. The lions are well coached, and when they share the ball, are really good offensively. Elijah Elliott filled the stat sheet with a 18 point, 9 assists, and 8 rebound performance for St. Thomas. Kopp had double-double with his 27 points and 11 rebounds, and younger brother Maddox was the other double figure scorer with 12.
PREDICTION: Spring 74- St. Thomas 70
FINAL: Spring 73- St. Thomas 71
Spring Woods vs Dickinson– Spring Woods senior Darian Gibson stepped out of his supporting role, and sat in the lead actor seat, having a big 25 point outing. He went 5-10 from 3, playing in one of his better games in his career. Jesse Zarzuela did what Jesse does, with a solid all around performance of 16 points, 7 assists ans 5 boards. Nico Hardin, the final member Big 3 member, had a 16 point 10 rebound effort. Dickinson also had a hard time scoring with it’s 22-63 from the field showing. Their 2020 back court of Tramon Mark and Deuce Guidry, scored 18 and 16 points respectively. Antonio Reynolds was the lone hot hand from 3 point land for the Gators, hitting four of them.
PREDICTION: Spring Woods 70- Dickinson 82
FINAL: Spring Woods 73- Dickinson 57
Shadow Creek vs Concordia Lutheran– In the battle of unbeatens, this game lived up to everything we thought it would be! A back and forth battle between two well coached teams, Shadow Creek jumped out to an early 22-14 lead after the 1st quarter. Concordia stormed back to cut the lead to two at the half behind the hot shooting of Evan Palmquist. I was really impressed with the way Shadow Creek’s PJ Henry controlled the flow of this game, finishing with 13 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. His pace and poised helped keep his team undefeated. The Sharks were very disciplined offensively, and made sure everyone got touches. Concordia picked a tough day to miss shots, going 25-74 from the field. Sophomore RJ Keene led the way with 17 points, & Montavious Murphy had a solid double double with 15 and 11 boards.
PREDICTION: Concordia Lutheran 70- Shadow Creek 67
FINAL: Shadow Creek 67- Concordia Lutheran 64
Eisenhower vs San Antonio Wagner– I think I should have played the Mega Millions last month because I’m becoming pretty prophetic. This is what I wrote in the preview of this game: “The complimentary pieces will be the key to this game. Can sophomore Jasean Jackson, and 2020 Journee Phillips out produce Ike’s Patrick Punch and Matthew Barber? Ready to watch Jackson and the Redus’ go head to head.”
And low and behold, Wagner’s Jackson and Phillips combined for 29 points & 10 rebounds, while Eisenhower’s Barber & Punch had 28 and 16! Eisenhower’s toughness and physicality wore down Wagner down the stretch, and Jalen Jackson was exhausted after his 19, 6, & 5 night. He battled tough with the Redus twins who’s output totaled and identical 18 points a piece, and 11 assists combined.
PREDICTION: Eisenhower 76- SA Wagner 70
FINAL: Eisenhower 73- Wagner 60
Atascocita vs Cy Falls- If you checked the score at half time, you would have thought you were at the football game as Atascocita led 17-13. In a game that was tough to watch, the Eagles, who normally shoot it pretty well, with 2019 Nick Gazelas as the top marksman, struggled mightily. They couldn’t hit the side of the barn, going 6-23 from the 3 point land. Their lone bright spot was Tom Hart, who made half of their 3 point shots and ended up with 18 points. Sophomore Jordan Ross led Cy Falls in scoring with 11 points.
PREDICTION: Atascocita 80- Cy Falls 60
FINAL: Atascocita 48- Cy Falls 30
Houston Christian vs Bellaire- The final game of the night didn’t disappoint as the home team Houston Christian came up short in a back and forth, frenetic contest. We knew names like Noah Kon, 21 points, Ty Archibald, 20, and Bellaire’s Doug Young, 11, would play well. But new names like Bellaire’s Zachary Harris and William Branch, stole the show! Harris was the best player on the floor, his 19 point 10 rebound game was a big reason why Bellaire was victorious. Branch, although not a traditional inside player, was a monster in the paint, finishing in traffic, and grabbing 5 offensive rebounds. Houston Christian made a run late in the fourth but every time they would get within 2-4 points, Bellaire would answer with a key bucket inside, or force a bad turnover on the defensive end to keep the lead.
PREDICTION: Houston Christian 67- Bellaire 60
FINAL: Houston Christian 61- Bellaire 68