East Central upsets Wagner in OT; McCollum stays hot in 29-4A

TEAMS INCLUDED:Brackenridge, Burbank, Central Catholic, East Central, Edison, Fox Tech, Highlands, Jefferson, Kennedy, McCollum, Memorial.

At home, on the road or on a neutral court, it makes no difference to Central Catholic (14-6). The Buttons have won in each of those environments during their 11-game winning streak.

Friday, Central Catholic made the trip to New Braunfels and returned with yet another win Friday, defeating the Unicorns (11-10) 55-51.

The Buttons outscored the Unicorns 18-10 in the first quarter and led at the end of each quarter. New Braunfels was within 28-26 at halftime.

Senior post Daniel Kellum led a balanced Central Catholic attack with 12 points. Senior Zac Tingle contributed 11 points. P.J. Escobar also was in double figures with 10. Tony Lewis chipped in with nine points.

The last team to defeat Central Catholic was highly regarded MacArthur Nov. 23 in the NEISD Tournament.

The Buttons will likely be tested Tuesday when they travel to Wagner (15-4). The Thunderbirds are No. 3 in the Express-News area rankings.

Central Catholic will play at St. Gerard next Saturday.

East Central 83, Wagner 80 (OT)

The Hornets (14-7) claimed their third consecutive win and fifth in six games. None of the previous 13, though, was more impressive than their overtime victory Friday over neighboring Wagner at the Stan Bonewitz Center.

Although they led the Thunderbirds 25-20 after a quarter, the visitors held the Hornets to eight points in the second quarter. East Central wasn’t able to work off the 10-point halftime deficit until the fourth quarter.

The Hornets outscored Wagner 29-18 in the final period to force overtime. East Central was efficient offensively in the extra five minutes, producing 11 points and the victory.

Seniors Brandon McClure (22 points) and Jeremy Jones (20) each reached the 20-point mark. Ceddrick Ali contributed 15 points. Junior Brandon Keno continued his steady production from recent games with nine points. Junior Wanya Ward added eight.

Clint Lewis led the Thunderbirds with 16 points.

McCollum 75, Uvalde 71

The Cowboys (12-9, 2-1) notched their second District 29-4A victory of the week, handing the Coyotes their first district loss Friday in Uvalde. McCollum edged Memorial 64-63 in overtime Tuesday at Memorial.

McCollum and Uvalde are tied with Harlandale (13-9, 2-1) for second place in 29-4A. Floresville (7-11, 3-0) leads the district after edging Memorial 61-59 Friday.

McCollum took the lead with a 22-point first quarter, but trailed 41-33 at halftime. The Cowboys outscored their hosts 23-15 in the third quarter to forge a tie.

Nathan Martinez led the Cowboys with 18 points. Junior Angel Loera supplied 17. Joey Villarreal and Steve Villarreal each scored nine points.

Brackenridge 59, Burbank 45

Brackenridge (12-10, 2-1) gave District 28-4A co-leader and defending champion Brennan a battle Jan. 31 at the Lanier Alumni Center. The Eagles fed off the momentum Saturday to defeat archrival Burbank (10-11, 1-2) at Lanier.

The Bulldogs led 27-24 at halftime, but the Eagles pulled away on the strength of 35 second-half points.

Senior Gabe Hildebrand, who scored 33 against Brennan, led five double-figure Brack scorers with 14 points versus the Bulldogs. Sophomore Richard Wallace (13 points), Davonte Anderson (12) and point guard Aaron Lopez (10) also were key contributors.

For Burbank, Gabriel Rangel scored 12 points and Paul Rojas added 10. Matthew Juarez had eight for the Bulldogs.

Harlandale 65, Kennedy 55

Kennedy (3-14, 1-1), coming off an upset win over Medina Valley, stormed to a 19-8 lead in the first quarter. The Indians battled back to lead 33-32 at halftime and secured the District 29-4A win by outscoring the Rockets 20-13 in the third quarter.

Senior Ram Torres (6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocked shots) led Harlandale with 17 points and George Rodriguez chipped in with 16. Armando Guerrero added nine points and three assists. Jose Salinas scored eight points.

Jesus Maltos led Harlandale with seven rebounds. Tommy Vital added three steals.

Eric Moncada led Kennedy with 16 points. Mark Esquivel scored 14.

Highlands 52, Jefferson 43

The Owls (8-11, 2-1) outscored Jefferson (4-15, 0-3) 23-10 in the fourth quarter to win the District 28-4A game Friday at Lanier.

The Mustangs led 19-18 at halftime and 33-29 after three quarters.

Junior point guard Jamaria Moody led Highlands with 16 points. Sophomore Demarcus Hartsfield scored 13. Jermichael Shirley finished with nine points and Joseph Jackson had eight.

D’Andre Melton led Jefferson with 21 points. Anthony Friere added eight points.

Edison 62, Fox Tech 35

The Golden Bears (14-8, 3-0) were led by junior Lorenzo Vela with 18 points, four steals and three assists in a District 28-4A win Fox Tech (1-18, 0-3) Saturday at Lanier. Vela sank five 3-point baskets.

Jared Zapata scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Edison. Antonio Alvarado finished with seven points, seven rebounds and two steals. Justin Torres dealt a team-high four assists. Angelo Leyvani scored eight points.

Ruben Hernandez led the Buffaloes with 14 points.

Floresville 61, Memorial 59

Floresville led 45-37 after three quarters, but Memorial made it close before suffering a second-consecutive heartbreaking loss Friday at Edgewood Gym. McCollum edged the Minutemen in overtime Tuesday in another District 29-4A contest.

Senior wing Joe Aguilar fired in 24 points for Memorial (6-14, 1-2). Junior Albert Machado scored 11. points. Joseph Aguillen and Adam Villanueva each finished with seven points.