Monday, January 31, 2011

St. Michael's Academy vs St. Anthony

January 29 St. Michael's had a chance to redeem themselves against San Antonio St. Anthony.  If you recall on January 12 St. Anthony upset St. Michael's in overtime making it the upset of the week.  Beating St. Michael's was like winning the district title for St. Anthony, the fans ran onto the court and there were chest bumps and high fives throughout the gym.

On Saturday St. Michael's had a chance to show that the first loss was just that an upset not to be relived a second time.  The Crusaders came out strong defensively, holding St. Anthony to only 11 points in the first quarter.  St. Michael's front court of Jaymes Maldonado, Austin Burch and Jake Kocher did a great job out front on defense putting constant pressure on St. Anthony's guards and combining for 9 out of the 13 steals in the game. St. Michael's also finished the game with 31 rebounds forward Adam Witlock added 9 along with 11 points, Alex Cady and Jake Koher both finished the game with 6 rebounds, Austin Burch added 16 point of his own shutting down St. Anthony's hope of repeating the upset of January 12.

St. Michael's 77, St. Anthony 60
1234OTT
St. Michael's1619192377
St. Anthony1118131860

SM: Maldonado 8, Kocher 33, Cady 4, Burch 16, Stanka 5, Whitlock 11.
SA: Pena 2, Chavez 18, Morales 9, Fernandez 7, Beker 10, Becker 11, Cabrara 3.
Records: SA: 18-11, SM: 17-13.

Bastrop vs Hendrickson

January 28 Bastrop had the game of the week beating Pflugerville's Hendrickson High School 79 to 72. The first and second quarters went back and fourth with Hendrickson leading at half time by one.  Bastrop was had some problems containing Hendrickson's forward Jalen Washington who finished the game as the overall high scorer with 30 points. Bastrop's Josiah Monroe and Jordan Roach did a great job of matching Washington's scoring out put Monroe 22 and Roach 18. The third and forth quarter were the deciding quarters Bastrop was able to put some defensive stops together holding Hendrickson to only 11 points in the third.  Hendrickson made a run in the forth scoring 21 but were unable to contain Bastrop's guards with all four guards scoring in double figures giving Hendrickson its second district loss.

This was a great team win for the Bastrop Bears Coach Autrey really has this team working together well. Its nice to see a team come together and trust in each other to do the right thing with the ball.  If  the Bears continue working together in this manner I can see them doing well and going far in the playoffs.

Bastrop 79, Hendrickson 72
1234OTT
Bastrop2118142679
Hendrickson2218112172

Bas: Monroe 22, Roach 18, Thompson 12, Bryant 11, Clemons 7, Thorne 6, Harrell 3
HHS: Washington 30, Rivera 16, Lovett 14, Moon 6, Henderson 3, Price 3
Records: H: 6-2, B: 15-11 5-3.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Austin High vs Westlake

January 28 Austin High should have had an easy time against Westlake but the Chaps were not going down without a fight.  If not for the 13 to 7 first quarter that the Maroons put together this would have been a much closer game and Westlake may have pulled an upset off on Friday night.

Looked like the Maroons went into this game under estimating the Chaparrals, and while they went into the fourth quarter up 46 to 34 the Chaps were not done.  They outscored the Maroons 19 to 16 in the final quarter and it looked like the Maroons pulled back on the gas in the fourth. Not a good idea with the second half of district right around the corner and Bowie lying waiting for a chance to redeem themselves.  The Maroons need to keep the pedal to the medal through all four cause their going to need it when they meet up with the Bulldogs on February 1.

Austin High 62, Westlake 53
1234OTT
Westlake717101953
Austin High1316171662

WHS: Deblasio 3, Morse 8, Rowan 18, Fisher 1, Hughes 3, Hargis 4, Box 4, Wikelius 11
AHS: McClellan 15, Wright 9, Robbins 10, Gonzales 8, Strake 5, Renking 15
Records: Austin High: 23-2 (5-0); Westlake: 11-16 (1-4)

Bowie vs Akins

January 28 the Bowie Bulldogs visit the home of the Akins Eagles on a district show down that would start to line up the district leaders going into the second half of district play.  With Akins being the favorite the Bulldogs looked at an upset helping put themselves in second place behind the leading Austin Maroons.
 
Bowie's started off the game strong scoring 26 points to Akins 15 in the first quarter and that proved to be the deference in the game.  The following three quarters went back and forth but Akins was never able to make up the deference of the first.  Connor Robinson's offensive showing was exactly what the doctor ordered to push the Bulldogs over the Eagles 75 to 60. These are the dominating games that we look Robinson to pull off each night, with guard Paul Baxter dropping 23 and forward Jacob Varela 9 that was enough to push Bowie into second place in the district.
 
Bowie's defense also did a great job of containing guard Malcolm Canada keeping him to only 16 points, they had a little trouble holding guard Yolonzo Moore who finished the game with 25 but that just was not enough to get the win over Bowie.
 
Looks like were going to have to keep a close eye on these three teams Austin High, Bowie, and Akins all have a legitimate chance at winning this district and its going to be a great second half, if Bowie's Connor Robinson can put these types of numbers against Austin High in their next meeting look out Maroons you may be looking at your first district loss.
 
Bowie 75, Akins 60
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Bowie2619131775
Akins1517141460

BHS: Baxter 23, Isom 7, Robinson 37, Varela 9, O'Reilly 2.
AHS: Canada 16, Hollis 4, Rivera PJ 3, Moore 25, Richardson 3, Rivera A 9.
Records: BHS: 22-4 (3-2), AKS: 19-8 (3-2).

Bowie vs Del Valle

Well we didn't see this game being as close at it was with Bowie's Connor Robinson averaging a double double we looked at him dominating this contest.  Its just didn't turn out that way, the Cardinals defense came to play and were looking for an upset keeping Bowie's offense to only nine points in the second quarter. Both Fannell and York had excellent offensive games Fannell finished with 15 and York with 14 and that may have been enough but Bowie's Paul Baxter was not going to allow the Cards to pull off the win.  Baxter finished the game with 22 leading everyone offensively and Bowie's Icom added 11 of his own to push the Bulldogs over the Cards 49 to 43.

Bowie 49, Del Valle 43
1234OTT
Del Valle129111143
Bowie91714949

DVHS: Fannell 15, York 14, McElveen 6, Owen 4, Clark 2, Berry 2
BHS: Baxter 22, Icom 11, Robinson 6, Vallera 5, Necak 3, Jefferson 2
Records: B: 21-4 (2-2), DV: 13-13 (1-3).

Austin High vs Akins

This was playing out to be the game of the week, with both teams undefeated and the winner taking over first place in the district we were also looking for this game to be a tight one.  Akins started out the first quarter as we expected, with a lot of energy, point guard Yolonzo Moore and guard Malcom Canada came ready to play and were looking to upset Austin High.  At the end of the first quarter Akins was up 12 to 8 and things were looking good Austin High just didn't have an answer for Canada who finished the game as the over all high scorer with 20 points. But for Akins to be successful they were going to need a big offensive game from Moore and that just didn't go well with Moore only scoring 7.  Guard Anthony Rivera tried to make up for Moore's off day by putting in 10 of his own but it wasn't enough.  Austin High McClellan finished with 19 and Gonzalez had 15 and Ranking 11 in a winning effort and now leaders in the district.

Akins will have a second chance at home but will have to get through the rest of the district without a loss because we don't see Austin High loosing any games the rest of the way.  This should make for a big sale out at Akins later in the season.

Good luck to both Austin High and Akins hope to see you both in the playoffs.
Austin High 57, Akins 49
1234OTT
Austin High815161857
Akins121781249

AHS: McClellan 19, Wright 2, Robbins 5, Gonzales 15, Strake 5, Ranking 11
AHS: Canada 20, Hollins 2, RJ Rivera 5, Moore 7, Richardson 3, A. Rivera 10, Davis 2
Records: Au: 22-2 (4-0), Ak: (3-1).

Westwood vs Stony Point

Stony Point continues its struggles in district with most of its main players scoring under double figures in the game against Westwood.  While SP struggles Westwoods continues to improve with Nalodka as High scorer finishing the game with 17, adding to the total were players Daly with 12 and Swofford finishing with 15.  SP has all the tools they need but players just aren't taking ownership, and it has to start with the senior class. Several players on SP's team have an opportunity to play at the college level but when your 6'7", 6'8" or taller you have to dominate the game if not offensively, defensively and I just don't see SP's players stepping up and playing with their hearts.  You can have all the skill in the world but if you don't have the heart the skill means nothing.

I hope to see some of SP's seniors start to step up and take ownership of this team, at times like this fans have a tendency of wanting to blame the coaches but the games of seen the coaching hasn't been the problem.  Come on seniors this is your last year, if your not making the playoffs maybe you can be the spoiler and keep some of your district rivals out as well.

Good luck SP and finish strong.
Westwood 70, Stony Point 52
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Westwood1519181870
Stony Point914151452

WHS: Swofford 15, Pearcy 2, Harris 2, Femal 8, Holeman 6, Nalodka 17, Martin 1, Dettman 5, Daly 12, Cottle 2
SPHS: Traore 5, Dramberger 9, McFayden 4, Callis 9, Richardson 6, Williams 5, Devastey 2, Thurgness 2, Woodson 10

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Player of the Month Connor Robinson

We've had the opportunity to watch 6'5" forward Connor Robinson play since the 2009 season where he averaged a strong 70.6% from the field and ranked number one in the all Central Texas Field Goal Percentage making 178 shots from 252 attempts.  While he's a little undersized for the position at 210 lbs he has the ability to move larger players and find the ball better than most taller players averaging 6.9 rebounds a game last season. 

This season Connor is averaging a strong double double for Bowie and is an intricate part of the teams offense.  This kid can be an asset to any team at the college level and it's surprising to me that he is not being aggressively recruited by more schools.  Over the summer he worked with retired San Antonio Spurs guard Johnny Moore which helped him with his ball handling skills as well as adding a 15 foot shot to his arsenal of offensive threats. We wish the Bowie Bulldogs a lot of luck during the second half of the season and hope to see Connor playing at the next level in 2011.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Stony Point High School

Stony Point High School is one of several high schools in the Round Rock School District, and with schools like Round Rock High, Westwood and McNeil it difficult for them to get any attention when it comes to their sports program.  This year their basketball program with ten seniors on the roster and a lot of size are looking at having a better year at 2 and 4 in district things may not have started as expected, but they have the second half of district play to get things together.

Earlier in the season they had some great moments, on Dec 12 defeating their neighbor Hendrickson High 83 to 79 with 6'7" Joel Devastey leading the scoring with 28 points senior guard Xavier Callis added 21 giving Hendrickson only their third loss of the season at the time.  Since then they've gone 6 and 6 with their last game on Jan 21 against Pflugerville losing a close one 69 to 64.

Keep up the hard work SP I know how good you are as a team finish strong and hope to see you in the playoffs.

Manor Forced to Forfeit Game


The Manor basketball team dropped a game in the standings last week when the Mustangs were forced to forfeit an early January win over Bryan Rudder. The penalty was enforced because Manor used an ineligible player in its 75-72 win over the Rangers on Jan. 4 as well as a 84-80 loss to Hendrickson.
Manor athletic director Sadd Jackson said on Monday that the ineligibility was created by some confusion surrounding the 15-day transfer rule. According to Jackson, the misunderstanding was made because Michael Hargis was at Manor during days that were reserved for testing and the UIL doesn’t honor those days for its transfer rule.

Hargis, a junior who transferred to Manor from LBJ, is now eligible to play. With the forfeit, the Mustangs are 2-4 in district play with six district games left on the schedule.

Manor hosts Bastrop on Tuesday.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

St. Michael's Academy vs Central Catholic

St. Michael's Academy had its biggest test against district leader San Antonio's Central Catholic this weekend.  St. Michael's coming in with a 1 and 3 record did not matter, these two schools go at each other anytime they get a chance to play.  It doesn't matter if your talking football, basketball or any other sport this has become a huge rivalry in this district. St. Michael's started the game off slow but picked it up in the second quarter going on a 22 to 8 run and leading the CC by eight at half time.  The third was a defensive battle between both teams  with St. Michael's still ahead 41 to 44.  The forth was the game breaker St. Michael's players looked like they just ran out of gas in the forth and were unable to keep up allowing CC to go on a 21 to 9 run and stealing a victory.

St. Michael's has nothing to hang their heads about, this was a great game for them holding CC's Martinez to only 14 points.  They are still struggling from 3 point range and may consider taking the ball in the paint to put more points on the board. The second round of district starts back up in two weeks and St. Michael's still looks like they can get into the playoffs if they keep it together and continue to play defensive.

Central Catholic 62, St. Michael's 53
1234OTT
Central Catholic148192162
St. Michael's82214953
                         
CC: Berry 21, Martinez 14, Franco 10, Johnson 7, Senioris 4, Douglas 6.
SM: Kocher 20, Maldonado 12, Burch 7, Whitlock 5, Cady 4, Stanka 3, Bloomquist 2.
Records: SM: (1-3), C: (3-0).

Akins vs Del Valle

January 21 Akins defents Del Valle by 19 proving that they are a real contender for the district title this year. While Del Valle was able to keep point guard Yolonzo Moore to only 13 points, forward Malcolm Canada picked it up offensively finishing the game with 27 points.  Del Valle was in the game early but the combination of Moore and Canada as well as Rivera was too much and Akins got out of reach. 

Akins 60, Del Valle 41
1234OTT
Del Valle12149641
Akins1417161360

DVHS: York 21, Fennell 9, McElveen 7, Neal 2, Owens 2
AHS: Canada 27, Moore 13, A.Rivera 12, Richardson 3, P.Rivera 3, Hollins 2
Records: A: 19-6 3-0, DV: 13-12 1-2.

Austin High vs Anderson High

January 21, Austin High bombs Anderson by 13.  Anderson did a great job defensivly holding McClellan to only 11 points however, McClellan helped his teamsates Reinking who scored 16, Gonzales and Strake both finishing with 14.  With this win Austin High stays in front of the pack in district with only Akins standing in the way to a district title. Keep in mind they will have to go through district play again giving teams like Bowie and Del Valle a second chance to knock them off the top.

Austin High 72, Anderson 59

1234OTT
Anderson97142959
Austin High1426102272


AHS: Stanton 14, Clark 7, Poole 7, Gramlich 12, Graham 16
AHS: McClellan 11, Wright 6, Robin 10, Gonzales 14, Parks 1, Strake 14, Reinking 16
Records: An: 15-8

Bowie vs Westlake

Bowie finds a way and rebounds against Westlake on Jan 21 with Connor Robinson back in the line up and scoring 26 points in the win point guard Paul Baxter finishes with 14. Westlake looks like their struggling this year in district play and with games against Austin, Akins and Del Valle things are only going to get tougher.  Bowie needs to keep it up defensively they also have to face Akins and Del Valle both teams looking to make a playoff run this year.
 
Bowie 58, Westlake 36
1234OTT
Westlake210101436
Bowie1413211058

WHS: Morse 5, Rowan 13, Hargis 6, Box 6, Wikelius 6
BHS: Mecak 3, Baxter 14, Isom 8, Robinson 26, Barela 3, O'Reilly 4
Records: B: 24-4, W: 10-15.

St. Michael's vs Holy Cross

Jan 19 San Antonio's Holy Cross surprises St. Michael's Academy with a five point win.  Holy Cross come to play on Wednesday holding St. Michael's shooters to only 1 of 18 from three point range.  We've been watching St. Michael's basketball for sometime, two years ago they were one win away from the state championship making it more disappointing with that the team that beat them went on to win the title. 
This year seamed to be the year for St. Michael's coming back with Division 1 signor and team captain Jake Kocher along with a group and very talented seniors. They started the season by winning games against Stone Point, Vista Ridge, Westwood High and Connally but have struggled so far in district play.

Holy Cross 65, St. Michael's 60
1234OTT
Holy Cross128143165
St. Michael's813201960

HC: Cruz 17, Hernandez 13, Musquduiz 13, Delgado 11, Libby 6, Salas 5
SM: Kocher 32, Maldanado 11, Burch 7, Whitlock 6, Tybor 2, Stanka 2
Records: SM: 1-2, HC: 1-1.

Akins vs Westlake

Jan 18 Akins looks like their for real folks scoring 96 against last years champs Westlake High.  Westlakes defense was unable to do keep Akins Yolonzo Moore from getting to the basket finishing the game with 31 points in the win. With this win Akins is tied with Austin High in District and we are looking up to that match up on Jan 25 at Austin High.
 
Akins 96, Westlake 83
1234OTT
Akins2817262596
Westlake2318212183

AHS: Richardson 5, Holland 8, A. Rivera 14, PJ Rivera 18, Canada 20, Moore 31
WHS: Box 3, Gray 2, Fisher 6, Deblasto 10, Rowand 12, Morris 14, Hargus 14, Wilelius 22
Records: W: 0-2 A: 2-0

Austin High vs Del Valle

I warned you Austin, that Del Valle was coming to battle so bring your A game.  Del Valle put up a great effort against the District leader Austin High with great offensive efforts from Doyle 18 points and York finishing with 12. This doesn't tell you much about the defensive effort which was tremendous the Cardinals held McClellan to only 18 points but both Strake and Reinking picked up the slack both scoring 11.  The game was close throughout but in the end Austin High was able to hold on to a 6 point lead putting them at 2 and 0 in district play.  
 
Austin High 60, Del Valle 54
1234OTT
Austin High716142360
Del Valle168102054

AHS: McClellan 18, Wright 6, Robbins 9, Gonzales 5, Strake 11, Reinking 11
DVHS: Berry 7, Owens 8, Neal 2, Doyle 18, York 12, Fenner 7
Records: DV: 1-1, AH: 20-2 2-0.

Bowie vs Anderson High

Anderson High surprises Bowie with a great effort on defense holding Bowie to only 48 points. We do have to mention that Bowie's Conner Robinson was out with flu like symptoms and several other players were playing with similer symptoms.  That's still not any excuse for Bowies lack of effort on the defensive end, if Bowie is going to get back in to the race for the playoffs theire going to have to pick it up on defense.  Excellent work Anderson High they came to play and left it all on the floor giving them a huge win for this season.
 
Anderson 54, Bowie 48
1234OTT
Bowie1210101648
Anderson1411151454

BHS: Hopkins 1, Baxter 17, Jefferson 8, Isom 10, Varela 8, O'Reilly 4
AHS: Clark 19, N.Bach 2, Poole 10, Kiely 3, Gramlich 8, Frame 6, Graham 6
Records: A: 16-7 1-1, B: 19-4 0-2.

Monday, January 17, 2011

AAU Basketball Tryouts

Texas Supreme Basketball will be having tryout in March for the upcoming AAU Season.  Texas Supreme is a new organization put together by combining teams and organizations from both San Antonio and Austin.  Team development programs are designed by retired NBA basketball stars as well as college and high school coaches from San Antonio and Austin.

Texas Supreme along with Central Texas Recruiting will assist all players through the recruiting process and will work to find a college that fits that individual players talents.

Many teams will promise to put you in front of college recruiters however, due to new NCAA rules college coaches and recruiters are no longer allowed to recruit during the summer and will only be at AAU tournaments in the month of August.  Central Texas Recruiting doesn't wait for them they go directly to the coaches and their staff sending Bio information as well as video of games and workout sessions.  In August CTR will host a workout session and will invite coaches to attend and meet players directly.

For more information visit www.texassupremesports.com or email info@texassupremesports.com and someone will make contact with you as soon as possible.

St. Michael's vs Antonian Prep

Hold the darn presses folks! We spoke a little to soon regarding the upset of the week.  St. Michael's Academy upsets Antonian Prep along with their two Division 1 recruits with a last minute shot by Guard Jake Koher. This was a heck of a game and a way for St. Mikes to come back after a disappointing loss to St. Anthony's.  St. Michael's played tremendous defense holding 6'8" Texas Recruit Jonathan Holmes to only 27 points and Boise State Recruit Darrious Hamilton to 6 points.  They had a great effort by guard Jake Koher scoring 33 points along with point guard Jaymes Maldonado who dropped in 14 and Austin Burch 11.

St. Michael's 64, Antonian Prep 61
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Antonian Prep142614761
St. Michael's1520151464

AP: J. Holmes 27, Brickman 14, Garza 8, Hamilton 6, S. Holmes 5.
SM: Kocher 33, Maldonado 14, Burch 11, Whitlock 4, Tybor 2.
Records: SM: 1-1, A: 0-2.

Pflugerville vs Leander

Pflugerville defeats Leander by 16, Leander put up a good effort but point guard Deon Mitchell was to much scoring 33 points in the win over the Lions  Leander had good efforts from forward M. Eargle with 20 points and Nwakama with 28. The Lions have a good line up and I expect to see them do well this season however, the Plugervill Panters will be the team to beat in this district.
 
Pflugerville 84, Leander 68
1234OTT
Pflugerville1916222784
Leander1710202168

PHS: Blue 15, Dempsey 5, Woods 7, Major 17, Williams 4, Shabazz 3, Mitchell 33
LHS: Njoko 4, Nwakama 28, Eargle 20, Hauger 3, McBride 5, Biscoe 8
Records: L: 17-7 (2-2), P: 19-4 (4-0).

Friday, January 14, 2011

Austin High vs Bowie

Well most Austin High fans will not agree with me but I have to say this was the biggest upset of the week.  Austin High pulled out a win over Bowie 61 to 54.  The Bulldogs started the game strong getting up by 10 early in the first.  But soon seemed to get away from the game plan allowing Austin High back into the game.  For an offense that has so much movement there was way to much one on one play going on between players on the Bulldogs team.  With two of arguably the best long range shooters sitting on the corners cocked and loaded they just didn't seem to be getting the ball much during the 3rd and 4th quarters allowing Austin High to stay close and in the end pulling off a win. 

Austin High they did a much better job of playing as a team and shutting down Bowie Forward Connor Robinson holding him to only 12 points and Point Guard Paul Baxter to 13.  Ausitn High's McClellan seemed to handle the Bowie pressure well hitting several long range shots when left alone beyond the arc finishing the game with 25 points.

From what I saw tonight these are the two teams to beat in this district Bowie will have one more chance against Austin High but have to get things together before then.  Good luck to both teams and look forward to keeping up with you through out the season.

Austin High 61, Bowie 54
1234OTT
Bowie21168954
Austin High1713151661

BHS: Baxter 13, Jefferson 4, Isom 17, Robinson 12, Varela 3, O'Reilly 5
AHS: McClellan 25, Wright 6, Robbins 6, Gonzales 2, Strake 6, Reinking 16
Records: AH: 19-2 1-0, B: 19-3 0-1.

Austin Starts the Season Pretty Good

Things are looking pretty good for the Austin High basketball team. The 11-man squad recently landed a Facebook fans page, and an 18-2 start has generated some buzz in the hallways. And as Austin High opens District 15-5A play tonight against Bowie, the Maroons have their first playoff appearance since 2008 in sight.  The Maroons are ranked 24th in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' Class 5A poll. Bowie is No. 21 in the same poll.  Bowie and Austin High headline a strong district in which five of the six teams have winning records. Westlake is 10-11 this season, but the Chaparrals won the District 25-5A crown last season.  Tonights game between Austin High and Bowie should set the tone for the rest of district play, Bowie is lead by Junior Guard Paul Baxter and Senior Forward Connor Robinson who lead Central Texas last season with a 70% field goal percentage.

St. Anthony's surprises St. Michaels Academy

On Wednesday Jan 12 San Antonio St. Anthony's surprises Austin's St. Michael's Academy in overtime.  Well what can we say the best teams don't always win, last night the Miami Heat were beat by 40 points proving that even the best teams can get beat from time to time.  Keep your head up St. Michael's there's still a lot of basketball to be played.

Overview

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