Unbeaten East Central claims second 28-5A win over Carroll this season

TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Burbank, Central Catholic, East Central, Edison, Fox Tech, Harlandale, Highlands, Jefferson, Kennedy, Lanier, McCollum, Sam Houston, South San, Southwest.

Central Catholic survived its most difficult challenge since its winning streak began Nov. 26.

Despite the test, the Buttons (21-6, 3-0) extended the streak to 18 games with a 69-66 TAPPS District 2-5A win over St. Anthony (17-10, 1-2) Wednesday at the University of the Incarnate Word.

The Yellowjackets led 18-17 after one quarter. Central Catholic, No. 7 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Large Private School state poll, grabbed a 31-29 halftime lead and led at the end of each successive quarter.

Seniors P.J. Escobar and Daniel Kellum each scored 20 points for Central Catholic. Tony Lewis supplied 15 points. Sophomore Brandon Armstrong accounted for a team-best 17 points for St. Anthony.

The Buttons will play Austin St. Michael’s Saturday in a 7 p.m. game at Bill Greehey Arena on the  St. Mary’s University campus.

East Central 67, Corpus Christi King 62

The first-place Hornets (20-7, 6-0) withstood a fourth-quarter rally from Corpus Christi Carroll (3-3 in district) Wednesday in Corpus Christi to secure their ninth-straight win and stay undefeated in District 28-5A.

The Tigers outscored East Central 22-17 in the fourth quarter. The Hornets took a 50-40 lead into the quarter.

Junior wing Brandon Keno was the Hornets’ leading scorer for the second-consecutive game. Keno made three 3-point baskets and scored 17 points. He also contributed seven rebounds.

Brandon McClure finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Ceddrick Ali produced 12 points and four assists. Jeremy Jones added 14 points, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Brackenridge 67, Burbank 60 (OT)

The Eagles (14-15, 4-6) outscored rival Burbank (12-16, 3-7) 16-9 in overtime to protect their fifth-place standing in District 28-4A Tuesday at Alamo Convocation Center.

Brackenridge opened a 10-3 lead in the first quarter and had a 10-point lead at halftime. Burbank outscored the Eagles 36-26 in the second half to force overtime. The score was 51-51 at the end of regulation.

Gabe Hildebrand led Brackenridge with 16 points. Ramon Richards (15 points), Antonio Lopez (14 points) and Richard Wallace (12 points) also scored in double figures. Nathan Avila scored eight points.

For Burbank, Moses  Montalvo was the scoring leader with 14 points. Michael Mascorro added 13 points.  Juan Castillo chipped in 10 points and Matthew Juarez had nine.

South San 63, Southwest 56

The Bobcats (13-14, 3-3) moved into a third-place tie in District 28-5A with their second win over Southwest (8-20, 2-4) this season and Carroll’s loss to East Central.

Junior point guard Olando Lopez led a balanced South San scoring attack with 13 points. Eric Alcozer added 11 points. Arthur Rangel and Jesse Samarripas each scored 10.

Senior post Devanta Hayes led the Dragons with 13 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.  Aaron Embry (5 rebounds), Hector Murillo and Brian Perez (2 blocked shots) all scored 10 points. Senior Latrel Grant added nine points for Southwest. Senior Nigel Thompson dished three assists.

McCollum 71, Uvalde 38

The Cowboys (17-10, 7-2) blitzed Uvalde (10-16, 3-7) in the first half, outscoring their District 29-4A opponent 38-12 Tuesday at McCollum.

Senior Nathan Martinez and sophomore Tre Johnson each led 12 McCollum scorers with 13 points. Santiago Vasquez contributed 10 points and Joey Villarreal had nine. Freshman Roger Martinez scored eight.