Jaymes Maldonado St. Michael's Academy

By: M. Winterchek

centexbasketball@gmail.com

Now that the high school basketball season is over were going to take some time to preview some of our Central Texas Basketball talent. 

We chose to start with 6'1" point guard Jaymes Maldonado from St. Michael's Academy.  Here is a kid that could have been a prominent starter at any of the local public schools but chose to attend St. Mikes because of its academic history. To often you hear about student athletes that transfer from one school to another because of a better sports program. So a student athlete with Jaymes's abilities choosing to attend a College Prep school for academic reason is completely out of the norm.

I had the opportunity to watch Jaymes play at St. Michael's for the past two years and one thing I've learned from watching him is that once the ball gets in his hands and he is in the open court I'm going to see something fantastic. His ability to see the court is just as good or better than many of the D1 recruits that have already committed to colleges in the Austin area.  I've seen full court bounce passes, behind the back passes and football passes that were caught by his teammates with nothing more to do but put the ball in the hoop. The ball sometimes getting there so quickly that it surprises his teammates, he could easily average 9 or 10 assist a game if not for the miss handling of the ball or missed shots.

His abilities don't stop at making great passes, he has a very consistent shot from 15 feet out and can shoot from beyond the arc. According to stats we received he averaged 52% from two point range, 37% from three point range and 65% from the charity stripe and was awarded 1st Team All District honors in TAPPS 5A.

Jaymes has received letters from several colleges including, Clarke University, William Penn University both from Iowa, Stephen F Austin both from Texas and several Junior Colleges.

Jaymes is just an overall great kid and according to his coach works hard in practice and is willing to do what ever it takes to help his team win. I would like to let the intrested colleges know that this kid is the real deal, and would be an asset to any basketball program on and off the court. Whatever college program Jaymes joins I know the coaches will be impressed and will not be disappointed.

We wish Jaymes a lot of luck and hope to see him playing at the college level next season.

http://www.youtube.com/user/centexbasketball

West Oso Defeats Burkburnett 61 - 57

By Matt Young
CC Caller Times

AUSTIN — In the end, five was better than 12. Really, five was better than anyone else in the state.

With a limited bench, West Oso rode its five starters hard and those starters delivered with a 61-57 win over Burkburnett in the Class 3A state championship game Saturday in front of 10,688 fans at the Erwin Center.

Coming into the state final, the biggest question was how would West Oso match up against a Burkburnett team that goes 12 deep. At halftime, it appeared those doubts were justified as the Bulldogs jumped out to an eight-point lead at the break. Even more cause for concern was the sight of West Oso players hunched over and grabbing at the bottom of their baggy shorts during every break late in the half.

"In the first half, I was real tired," said West Oso guard Willie Harper, who knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 17 points. "In the second half, we had to fight through it and win a state championship, so that's what we did."

West Oso played just seven players with reserves William Enriquez and Andrew Lopez, seeing just seven and four minutes of action, respectively.

In contrast, Burkburnett substituted freely, using 12 players, including 10 that played at least six minutes.

"We couldn't get into their bench like we wanted to," Burkburnett coach Danny Nix said. "I don't think they subbed hardly at all in the second half. That's what we wanted to do was keep the game a little more up-tempo. It just seemed like it was about to break that way at any time, but we just couldn't quite get over the hump and you've got to credit them for that. They dug in and hung in and did things they had to."

Entering the second half trailing by eight points, West Oso went to the bench just one time in the final two quarters. However, fatigue didn't seem to play a role as the Bears outscored the Bulldogs 36-24 in the second half.

That doesn't mean West Oso coach Arnold Flores wasn't fretting the minutes he was heaping on his starters' shoulders.

"Actually I did (worry about that)," Flores said. "Every time I turned to my assistant coach (Karl Turk) and asked, 'Who needs to come out for a rest?,' he said, 'No this is the state championship. Leave them in.' I said all right, we'll go with that."

It turned out to be the right move. Even with Burkburnett harassing West Oso with its full-court pressure defense, the Bears only seemed to grow stronger as the game got later. West Oso trailed by eight with 2:52 left in the third quarter, but the Bears answered back with nine straight points to get back in the game.

"We just had to keep fighting," West Oso guard Robert Watson said. "We weren't going to wear down. There was too much on the line."

Dallas Kimball Defeats La Marque 78 - 64

Streak snapped with the help of two division one transfers

Shannon Lilly scored 23 points and Jalen Jones added 19 points and nine rebounds in Dallas Kimball’s 78-64 win over La Marque in the Class 4A championship game. After losing its last three appearances in the Class 4A title game, Saturday’s victory gives the Knights their first championship since 1997.

After trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, La Marque trimmed Kimball’s lead to 62-59 on a pair of Quevin Cams free throws with 1:46 left. But Kimball closed the game with 14 consecutive makes at the free throw line and senior Oscar Lewis scored off a La Marque turnover with 28 seconds remaining to secure the victory.

“I had confidence in my teammates that we could make our free throws because of practice,” said Lewis, who started in Kimball’s 94-78 loss to Houston Yates in the 2009 Class 4A championship game. “We had to have mental toughness, that’s what I think helped us out in the end.” Austin Franklin scored 15 points for Kimball (38-3).

The University of Texas-bound Julien Lewis had 26 points to lead La Marque (33-5).

Cedar Park Falls to Dallas Kimball 36 - 50

Cedar Park's championship hopes died just after halftime on Thursday night to a Dallas Kimball team with two very controversial transfers on the roster. See Student Athlete Transfers

Among the Kimball players is 6-6 senior Jordan Williams, a University of North Texas signee who averages 29.7 points and 9.5 rebounds. Williams transferred to Kimball just weeks after his former team, The Colony, forfeited 31 victories from its 2009-2010 season because he was ruled ineligible to play.

On Thursday against Cedar Park, Jalen Jones scored 19 points and Dallas Kimball allowed only four points in the third quarter of a 50-36 win over Cedar Park in the Class 4A state tournament. The loss ends the season for a Cedar Park team that had won 11 straight games.

"God has a plan for all of us, and it just wasn't his plan for us to win tonight," Cedar Park senior Spencer Drango said. "I didn't want it to end this way."

Cedar Park led only once in the first half - a 5-4 advantage with 5:29 left in the first quarter - but the Timberwolves tied the top-ranked Knights four times. The last of those ties came when Drango's fourth basket of the game knotted the score at 18 with 5:29 left in the second quarter. Kimball, however, responded to Drango's basket with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, and the Knights took a 29-22 lead into halftime.

"They're a great team. They're going to get some runs," Cedar Park senior Dylan Cox said. "We were ready to make our run, too, (but) it just didn't happen for us tonight. We just couldn't get it going."

Kimball scored only 13 points in the third quarter but took control of the game as Cedar Park scored only twice. The Timberwolves' offensive production in the third quarter consisted of baskets from Drango and Cox within a minute of each other and the Timberwolves entered the final frame with an insurmountable 16-point deficit.

Cedar Park was unable to get any closer than 13 points in the final quarter.

The Timberwolves were led by Drango's 15 points. Drango, a 6-foot-5-inch center, was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the first half. But with the Baylor-bound offensive lineman drawing occasional double teams and a lot of attention from 6-9 senior Jarion Henry in the second half, he made only 1 of 5 field goal attempts.

"We didn't really get into that rhythm in the second half that we had in the first half," Drango said. "As far as playing me, they really didn't change it much. I just had trouble finishing at the hoop in the second half."
"Jarion is the most complete basketball player in the State of Texas, I'll tell anybody that," Kimball coach Royce Johnson said. "He'll take whatever role; he just wants to win. Tonight, we told him, we've got to stop the big fella."

Cox, a point guard who has signed with Army, had 10 points and 13 rebounds in his final game with Cedar Park (22-17). Austin Franklin added 14 points for Kimball, while Jordan Williams contributed a team-high 11 rebounds. Kimball (37-3) will go for its first state championship since 1997 on Saturday afternoon against La Marque.

We would like to Congratulate Cedar Park for another great season and let the basketball world know that they got there without any help from any last minute division one transfers.

Kimball 50, Cedar Park 36

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Kimball	16	13	13	8	—	50
Cedar Park	14	8	4	10	—	36

Kimball: Jones 19, Williams 2, Lilly 8, Franklin 14, Lewis 3, Henry 4
CPHS: Cleaves 2, Drango 15, Cox 10, Allen 6, Segesta 3
Records: CP: 22-17, K: 37-3.

Talent or Training?

For the past few years I've been following the careers of several very talented players in the Central Texas Area.  I began following them at around the 7th grade and wondered how they would fair once they were participating at the high school level.  Some of them are still doing well, but others reached their ceiling while still in middle school and are now just another player. 

Why the big difference? And what should we put more importance in? Talent or the willingness to work hard, accept instruction and learn.

Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell introduced the concept of the "10,000 hour rule" in his 2008 book "Outliers" He states that the key to success in any field is the "purposeful" practice of a that specific task for 10,000 hours as it relates to an athlete's development.

In considering that notion, Gladwell asked what value should be placed on pure natural talent — the innate genetic gift that we often view as the line between the elite and the merely professional — in relationship to, say, work ethic and the capacity to accept instruction.

A physical example — in this case, Tracy McGrady, whose combination of size, speed, power and grace beguiled the NBA in the last years of the 20th century and made him one of the league's most dominant offensive forces in the early years.

But while McGrady's abilities were awe-inspiring, his willingness to further cultivate them wasn't.  According to Jeff Van Gundy, who coached the Florida-born star with the Houston Rockets from 2004 through 2007.

Much of the game was so easy for McGrady.  You see this every year in the AAU level, where they have freakishly talented players, when it's that easy to dominate at that young age because of your physical tools  his wingspan was freakish, his size was enormous, his basketball IQ, all that got in the way of Tracy reaching his highest potential.

The basic principle makes some sense. If you're bigger, stronger, faster and more talented than the competition you're playing against, you're not forced to develop the finer points of your game, because when push comes to shove, you can just rely on your superior gifts to give you the edge you need. And when those gifts start to fade, and your competition has continued to refine their skill, if you haven't been developing new skills (or sharpening old ones) for a rainy day, you'll find yourself soaking wet in a storm that might just wash you away and you will end up just another player on the court.

A fastball pitcher coming back from major arm surgery should be working to make sure he's got secondary pitches and doesn't have to rely on the old fastball all day. 

More diligence in your training could help you avoid injuries in the future that may cost you playing time. Maybe adhering to a better regimen will help mitigated the fallout of the injuries, or will give you a healthier version of you back on the court sooner. These are reasonable possibilities.

Part of what makes this difficult to digest is the word "freakish," which both Van Gundy and Morey used to describe McGrady's talents.  In fact, that particular adjective gets tossed around pretty liberally during the summer AAU season.

I know it's become popular, but its use is sort of uncomfortable right off the bat, it casts an athletes athleticism as rare, monstrous and oppositional to the rest of us.

Freakish" sets a player's talent apart, but not necessarily in a positive way; it makes him an undefined "outsider," a dude capable of feats beyond our own. In most walks of life, we tend to look at people like that skeptically, looking for what makes them somehow normal and us somehow better. Many will look at the 500-plus points that he scored for the season but we see only the 500 more we feel pretty confident he should have pocketed if only he wasn't screwing around.

When evaluating players you are recruiting ask yourself whether you tend to overvalue potential while undervaluing what skills players actually have. In the case of the "freakishly" gifted player, folks are most likely overvaluing what they perceive his absolute ultimate ceiling to be. 

But will he be able to reach it?  If not, what will be the cost to you and to your team?

Cedar Park Defeats Boerne Champion 45 - 24

By Danny Davis

SAN ANTONIO — This may be Boerne Champion's lowest scoring out put of the season.

Cedar parks senior guard Dylan Cox scored a game-high 19 points Saturday and the Timberwolves stood tall in the fourth quarter of a 45-24 victory over Boerne Champion. The win gives Cedar Park the Class 4A, Region IV boys basketball championship and sends the Timberwolves to the state tournament for the first time.

"This is what we dreamed of when we were just little kids," Cox said.

Cedar Park entered the fourth quarter at Blossom Athletic Center with a seemingly safe 32-20 advantage, but the Timberwolves had recently exhibited difficulty protecting leads late in games.

In a regional quarterfinal matchup against New Braunfels Canyon on Wednesday, Cedar Park had a 13-point lead at the end of the third quarter but won by only five points.

On Friday, Cedar Park opened the fourth quarter of its regional semifinal against San Antonio Lanier with a 10-point lead, but the Voks sliced the lead to two points and missed a potential game-winning three-point attempt in the final seconds.

On Saturday, the Timberwolves didn't falter in the fourth quarter. Cedar Park scored the first 12 points of the quarter, and Cox's layup off a Boerne Champion (34-6) turnover gave the Timberwolves a 22-point lead . Cedar Park forced the Chargers into 1-of-11 shooting in the final quarter.

"Last night, when that (Lanier rally) happened, we were mad at ourselves and we didn't want to feel that feeling again," said Cox . "When the fourth quarter started, we had to buckle down and just finish the ballgame."

Cox scored seven of Cedar Park's 12 third-quarter points, and seven more in the fourth quarter. He has averaged 17.6 points per game in the playoffs.

"Dylan is a special, special player because he can do just a little bit of everything," Cedar Park coach Blake Brown said . "He's just the perfect teammate."

Senior Spencer Drango added eight points for Cedar Park, while Barrett Segesta and CJ Cleaves both had six points. The Timberwolves (21-16) will make their state tournament debut on Thursday night . Arlington Heights, Dallas Kimball and La Marque also made the Class 4A state tournament .

"We've got to go back to work now," Drango said. "That's our plan: it's not to win (this game), it's to win the whole thing."

Cedar Park 45, Boerne Champion 24

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Cedar Park	7	13	12	13	—	45
Boerne Champion	8	7	5	4	—	24

CPHS: Cleaves 6, Cox 19, Xia 1, Drango 8, Guebert 2, Segesta 6, Allen 3
BC: Czar 4, Turner 12, Ormiston 1, Melcher 7
Records: Boerne Champion: (34-6); Cedar Park: (21-16)

Bastrop falls to Dallas Kimbal 49 - 79

Its hard to imagine that one player can mean so much to a team but with absent starting guard Jordan Roach, who suffered a minor head injury in a regional quarterfinal on Tuesday, Bastrop couldn't keep pace with Dallas Kimball in a Class 5A boys regional semifinal.
Bastrop (22-12) used a 17-2 run to take a 17-10 lead after the opening quarter at the Garland ISD Special Events Center, but Kimball outscored the Bears 69-32 over the final three quarters.

Roach averaged 23 points, 5 assist, 6 rebounds and 5 steals per game this season and without that out put in this game guard Alton Thompson was going to have to step it up. Thompson has averaged 15 ppg this season however, a lot of those points were scored with a Roach assist.  Without Roach in the game Thompson was going to have to find ways to create opportunities for himself.

Senior guard Josiah Monroe scored a game-high 27 points for Bastrop, but no other Bear scored more than seven.  The Bears depend on Roach's ability to create off the dribble as well as his ability to guard the opponents most aggressive scores.

Jalen Jones had 23 points for Kimball (35-2) while Jordan Williams added 12.

Congratulations to the Bastrop Bears on a fine season and we look forward to seeing them in the playoffs again next season.

Cedar Park Holds on to defeat San Antonio's Lanier

By Danny Davis

SAN ANTONIO — And then there was one.

Dylan Cox scored 22 points and Cedar Park managed to avoid a late collapse in a 45-41 victory over San Antonio Lanier. The regional semifinal victory — coupled with Friday losses by Bastrop and Jarrell — leaves Cedar Park as the only Central Texas team left standing in the UIL boys basketball playoffs.

"It's beautiful," Cox said. "This team worked so hard. We've been underdogs, they think we can't do it.
"We've been surprising people, we're playing our hearts out."

Cedar Park scored on its first two possessions of the game, as Cox scored 14 seconds into the first quarter and then fed Spencer Drango for a basket that gave the Timberwolves a 4-0 lead. Lanier struggled offensively in the first quarter, shooting 2 of 12 from the field.

The Timberwolves only missed three shots in the opening eight minutes, but five turnovers forced them to head into the second quarter with just a 12-8 advantage.

Cox posted eight points, two blocks and an assist in the second quarter to lift Cedar Park to a 26-14 halftime lead over a Lanier team that made just two baskets and two free throws in the second frame.
Cedar Park led by as many as 12 points in the second half but a strong showing by Lanier in the fourth quarter put the Timberwolves on the ropes.

Lanier twice cut the lead to two points in the final quarter, and a long three-pointer from Joe Louis Gonzales got the Voks within 43-41 with 1:02 left.

Cedar Park managed to kill some time on its ensuing possession, but a turnover by junior Jordan Lachowsky with 20.1 seconds remaining gave Lanier one last chance. Gonzales missed a decent-looking three-point attempt, and Daniel Cruz was unable to score after grabbing the offensive rebound.

Drango corralled the rebound off of Cruz's miss, and his two free throws with .2 seconds left sealed the game.

"It's just a poise thing. That pressure got to us," Cox said. "We'll fix it tomorrow."

Cedar Park advances to play Boerne Champion in today's Class 4A, Region IV championship game.
The opening tip at the Blossom Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Cedar Park 45, SA Lanier 41

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
SA Lanier	8	6	10	17	—	41
Cedar Park	12	14	8	11	—	45

LHS: Lopez 13, DeLeon 17, Cruz 3, Sanchez 2, Gonzales 6
CPHS: Coz 22, Drango 11, Allen 4, Guebert 4, Xia 2, Cleaves 2

Cedar Park defeats New Braunfels 39 - 34

The 4A Region IV Dist 25 district champs Cedar Park (10-2) went into the game against Co Champ New Braunfels Canyon (11-1) with a lot of expectations.  Considering that Cedar Park plays in one of the most competitive districts in central Texas hopes were high for the Timber Wolves.

The first half went just like the Wolves would have liked, their defense was aggressive and they took advantage of Cougar miscues holding them to only 7 points in the first.

In the second quarter the Wolves defense kept up the pressure against the Cougars holding them to only 6 points at the end of two quarters the Wolves were up 24 to 13 and the Cougars were left trying to find their offense.

As the third quarter got under way things didn't look well offensively for the Wolves, shot were not going in and the Cougar defense woke up and realized that this was a playoff game.  While it appeared that this was going to be the Cougars quarter they continued to struggle offensively as well. The Wolves were content to allow their defense to keep them in the game by holding the Cougars to only 4 points in the third and probably their lowest out put of the season for one quarter.

At the start of the fourth quarter the Wolves now lead 30 to 17 and with a comfortable 13 point lead it looked like the Wolves were going to advance to the next game.  With that in mind the Cougars were not done competing and they did what they have done all year, stay calm and just keep playing and hope that things would turn around. The Cougar's efforts began to payoff their offense made a run and their defense continued to pressure the Wolves out front. The fourth quarter would be the Cougar's best quarter scoring 17 points but it would not be enough losing the game by 5 points 34 to 39.

This has to be one of the lowest scoring games I've seen in a long time especially a playoff game. Canyon didn't have anyone in double figures and Cedar Park only had Dylan Cox with 12.

March 4 at 8:00 PM, Cedar Park is scheduled to play San Antonio Lanier who got through district rival and district champion San Antonio Brackenridge to move on to the match up against the Timber Wolves. 

Lanier has averaged 57 ppg during the playoffs defeating Port Lavaca Calhoun (57-42), Corpus Christi's Tuloso Midway (63-43), and San Antonio Brackenridged (51-47).

Cedar Park has averaged 54 ppg during the playoffs and defeated Austin Reagan (75-59), Kerrville Tivy (47-45), and New Braunfels Canyon (39-34).

We wish Coach Brown and the Timber Wolves a lot of luck this Friday and hope to see them in the state championship.

Cedar Park 39, New Braunfels Canyon 34

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
New Braunfels Canyon	7	6	4	17	—	34
Cedar Park	14	10	6	9	—	39

CHS: Williams 7, Carrer 7, Posf 3, Tollinger 6, Strobos 9, Poulter 2
CPHS: Lachowsky 3, Cox 12, Allen 4, Segesta 3, Xia 3, Cleaves 5, Drango 9
Records: CP: 20-16.

Austin High losses to Dekaney 50 - 65

This game was going to probably be the Maroons biggest test of the season, and with senior guard and team captain Eric McClellan out with an injury it was made a little more difficult.

The first quarter started like most expected both teams have great defenses and they were on early in the game.  The Austin High Maroons held the Dekaney high scoring offense and 5A Region II Dist 13 Champion to only nine points in the first, and coach Jeff Wylie trying to figure out how to get more going offensively.

The second quarter went much like the first with both offenses struggling to score. The Maroons offense depends on McClellan's presence and his ability to penetrate and score or pass to the open man. Without McClellan in the line up the Maroons had to make some changes to their game plan.  The second quarter ended with the Maroons on top 26 to 21.

In the third quarter the Dekaney Wildcats came out much more aggressive defensively holding the Maroons to only 6 points. The Wildcats did a good job on the boards so the Maroons struggled picking up any second chances offensively.  With only one and done for the Maroons on most possessions the Wildcats were able to get some transition points scoring 15 in the third and taking the lead 36 to 32 at the end of three.

Offensively for the Maroons seniors Alex Reinking, and Adam Gonzales did what they could to keep the game close.  But with out McClellan's presence and his 18 ppg the Maroons were having problems, even with sophomore Patrick Strake's offensive help.

The Maroons started the fourth quarter still very much in the game but with their offense struggling to score points and their defense beginning to tire the Wildcats began to make a run. The Maroons did all they could to keep the game close scoring 18 in the fourth their highest out put in the game. But in the end the district champs from Houston were to much for our own district champs ending the Maroons hopes of a state championship 65 to 50.

Congratulations to the Austin High Maroons on a great season and we hope to see you all again next year.   

Dekaney 65, Austin High 50

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Dekaney	9	12	15	29	—	65
Austin High	11	15	6	18	—	50

D: Dison 19, Burkett 3, Sheperd 5, Fischer 12, Hughes 17, Green 1, Hubbard 8
AHS: Wright 4, Robbins 5, Gonzales 14, Strake 10, Reinking 17
Records: AH: 29-4.

Pflugerville losses to the Woodlands 59 - 68

The Woodlands High School boys’ basketball team is going to the Region II-5A Tournament in Waco. Those are words that sound sweat to the ears of Highlanders coach Dale Reed and the 2010-11 team.

It’ll be the first region tournament appearance for the Highlanders since 2001-02 and third in the program’s history. The Highlanders lost in this round last season. But that was last season.

The Woodlands ran past No. 6 state-ranked and No. 14 nationally-ranked Pflugerville 68-59 Wednesday in a Region II-5A quarterfinals playoff game at Hearne High School.

The No. 20 state-ranked Highlanders extended their winning streak to 24 games and added to the school record for wins in a season. The Woodlands enter the region tournament with a 32-3 record.

The bar continues to be raised, however. The Highlanders will meet No. 1 state-ranked and No. 8 nationally-ranked Garland Lakeview Centennial (34-1) at 6 p.m. Friday in the Region II-5A semifinals at the Ferrell Center on the campus of Baylor University.

The Region II-5A championship game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at the same site.

The Highlanders got there on the strength of 17-point performances from both Nolan Cass and Wes Cole. Cass drilled five 3-pointers as The Woodlands closed the first quarter with a 7-0 run and never looked back, ending the Panthers’ (29-5) season.

Brandon Caporale and Garrett Colonna contributed 11 and 10 points respectively while Brian Nordstrom finished with six points. Joey Trinkle added three points and both Hayden Galatas and Jayme Taylor scored two points.

The Highlanders led by 14 with 3:15 to play, their biggest margin of the game at 59-45, after back-to-back 3-pointers from Cass. But the Panthers quickly cut the lead to 60-54 with 2:15 remaining.

Keeping their composure down the stretch, however, the Highlanders were able to put the game in the ‘win’ column. Cole and Colonna each hit three free throws in the final 1:37 to keep the Panthers at arm’s length.

The Panthers led 3-0 and 13-12 before The Woodlands made its run late in the opening period to take a 19-13 lead. Taylor made it a 9-0 run with a follow-up to start the second quarter and a Trinkle free throw gave The Woodlands its first double-digit lead at 25-15.

The lead was 36-29 at halftime but quickly reached double digits again in the third quarter. Pflugerville made another run to end the quarter but the Highlanders maintained a comfortable 47-38 lead and spent most of the fourth quarter ahead by 10 points or more.

The Panthers could never get going offensively, the Highlanders defenders did a great job of holding both senior Deon Mitchell and junior Jamal Shabazz well below their season averages of 20 ppg and 11 ppg.  The Panthers started the season with one goal in mind that was cut short on Wednesday.  While they had a great overall season, nothing but a State Championship was going to do for this group of seniors.

Congratulations to the Panthers on another great season and we look forward to seeing them again next year.

The Woodlands 68, Pflugerville 59

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
The Woodlands	19	17	11	21	—	68
Pflugerville	13	16	9	21	—	59

W: Jalatas 2, Cass 17, Caporale 11, Taylor 2, Trinkle 3, Colunna 9, Nordstrom 6, Cole 17
PHS: Mitchell 12, Shabazz 3, Williams 8, Major 9, Woods 9, Dempsey 9, Blue 9
Records: P:29-5. W: 32-3

Bastrop defeats Hutto in over time 70 - 65

By Danny Davis
danieldavis@statesman.com

Bastrop lost starting guard Jordan Roach to an injury on Wednesday night. His cohorts in the backcourt, however, made sure that the Bears did not lose the game.

Senior guards Josiah Monroe and Alton Thompson combined for 45 points in a 70-65 overtime victory over Hutto. In its regional quarterfinal victory at Connally High, Bastrop was able to overcome the third-quarter loss of Roach and advance to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time since 1974.

Bastrop opened the second half with a 31-29 lead but the Bears missed their first shot of the quarter and then suffered a bigger loss.

While trying to make a defensive play , Roach collided with a Hutto player and went down with a head injury. The South Alabama-bound McDonald's All-American nominee was helped off the court and did not return.

Bastrop coach Stephen Autrey said Roach received stitches and likely suffered a concussion. But Autrey said that as soon as Roach went down, his guards knew that they needed to step up.

Hutto quickly tied the score after Roach's injury, but Bastrop scored 16 of the quarter's final 23 points to take a 47-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

But with neither team winning by more than two points during a split regular-season series, a Hutto charge was expected. The Hippos chipped away, and Denzel Bellinger tipped in a miss by his brother Tevin at the buzzer to send the game into overtime 62-62.

In overtime, Bastrop only took two shots, but the Bears scored all eight of their points at the free-throw line. Hutto committed four turnovers, was only 1-of-9 from the field and had both Denzel Bellinger and Corwin Spears foul out.

"Our kids played hard under adverse circumstances," Autrey said. Monroe finished with 23 points and Thompson added 22. Monroe's free throw with 1:51 left in overtime gave the Bears a 65-64 lead they wouldn't relinquish .

Bastrop (22-11) will meet top-ranked Dallas Kimball on Friday in Garland for the Class 4A, Region II tournament.

Denzel Bellinger and Ryan Thompson each had 17 points to lead Hutto (19-13).

Bastrop 70, Hutto 65

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Bastrop	9	22	16	15	8	70
Hutto	12	17	9	24	3	65

Bas: Monroe 23, Thompson 23, Thorne 8, Roach 7, Bryant 6, Harrell 3
HHS: Thompson 17, D. Bellinger 17, T. Bellinger 13, Wilson 13, Spears 5
Records: Bastrop, 22-11; Hutto, 21-13

Student Athlete Transfers

By Sam Little
samlittle39@yahoo.com

I'd like to take a little time to talk about student athlete transfers. I've never been a big supporter of student athletes transferring to another school outside of their regular district just to participate in high school sports  especially, if the parents are the ones pushing the student athlete to do so. 

I talk to a lot of parents throughout the season and during our conversations find out that their child was in the Akins district but transferred to Bowie or was at Connolly last year and at Pflugerville this year.

Why I ask? and here are some of the answers I get.

• Well we didn't like the Coach
• We didn't like the type of offense they ran
• My son would have a better chance of starting at this school
• He just didn't get along with any of the kids at the school

First I have to ask what was it about he coach you didn't like. Was it that he didn't play your child as much as you thought your child should play.  What offense would you like the team to run, one that will benefit your son's abilities. Why didn't your son start at his other school, was that maybe the other players were better and he was going to have to work harder at getting a starting position.  Finally, how was it that for so many years elementary and middle school your son had no problem making friends, now in high school still with many of the same kids he's having trouble.

The reality of student athlete transfers is that kids and parents want to find a program that their child will excel in and possibly be seen by college scouts.  

Is there anything wrong with that? Well lets see. 

First your child leaves behind many of the friends that he has made through elementary and middle school, and now has to make friends with other athletes that have played against him and may or may not like him.

Second, if your child comes in as a sophomore or junior he could possibly take a position that another athlete has been working hard to get for the past one or two years and your child gets it without having to make an effort. An effort that he refused to make at his other school. 

I see to many student athletes transfers that don't have the same type of pride that the other athletes have about being an Eagle, Lion, Crusader, Hippo etc. They are there to "get theirs" and nothing else matters.  In my day you were proud to represent your school and you knew the school song by heart. In fact I could recite mine right know if I had to. When you played that last game as a senior it was a sad and very emotional ending because you knew that you were no longer going to be part of that team.

Almost 30 years later I still get together with my old teammates and talk about the good old days as if they happened last week.  Why?  Because those are my friends, I knew them in elementary school, through middle school and we all moved on to the same high school in our district. We worked hard and while we didn't always like the coach, the type of offense or weren't part of the starting line up we were friends. If we wanted a starting slot we busted our bottoms to get it, even if it ment taking it from your best friend. We didn't go around looking for a school that needed a shooting guard, or a 6'6" forward and get in line early the next year to get that transfer so we could get playing time or college scouts to look at us.

I know many student athletes today, that play for one school but don't do anything outside of school with those teammates. They spend all of their off time with friends from their neighborhood and from the school that they left behind.

If we could make it at our school we knew we were going to get looked at we didn't have to transfer from a 5A to a 4A or from a public to a private school we stayed with our friends because that's were we wanted to be.  Some of us went on to play college and professional sports and some of us are now lawyers, doctors, and business owners. In the end we all became what we wanted to become and through 30 years we are still friends.

If you are a student athlete transfer what friends will you have in 30 years?  Who will you sit with and talk about the close game you lost at the buzzer or the game where you dislocated your shoulder and were carried off the court by your best friend? The teammates you knew for only 3 or 4 years or the friends you've know since elementary and middle school. Will you even make an effort to go to your teams 30 year reunion?

If you are thinking about transfering next year take some time to think about these things if you have talent it will show, and you will get the looks you want to get from college scouts. You don't have to leave your friends to make it, in fact your friends might be there to help you.

Remember some of the greatest basketball players in the NBA didn't make varsity as a freshman or sophomore or even started at the beginning of their first varsity season. But when they got the chance they stepped up worked harder than everyone else and made it.

Good luck