Category: Week of Feb. 8-14, 2015

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Harlandale defeats Brack, finds way back to playoffs

Eagles force tiebreaker with win over Mustangs

AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Harlandale, Jefferson.

PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/communities/southside/article/Brackenridge-comes-up-short-6090843.php

 

Young teams from Brackenridge and Harlandale have seemingly been on a collision course all year, which eventually extended into the postseason.

Although Brackenridge struck the first blow, Harlandale won the next two games. Those included the one that put the Indians (16-17, 9-7) into the playoffs, a 61-53 triumph Feb. 13 at Lanier in the District 28-5A fourth-place tiebreaker game.

“Our first round (of district play), we were still trying to jell and get used to each other,” Harlandale coach Jackie Contreras said. “We were still making mistakes. Then we beat Brack, and that was huge for us. We lost a couple in the second round to Lanier and Sam Houston, when we couldn’t finish.

“We learned from the season and took it into Friday’s game. We’re very happy we came out on top. The girls were really ecstatic.”

Harlandale was scheduled to play District 27-5A champ San Marcos (29-6) Tuesday, Feb. 17 in a bi-district game. Other area playoff qualifiers were Brooks Academy, East Central, Highlands, Holy Cross, Lanier, Sam Houston, Southside and Southwest.

The Indians advanced to the tiebreaker game because of a 44-43 loss to second-place Sam Houston (18-8, 13-3) Feb. 10. Brackenridge (14-21, 9-7) blasted Jefferson (6-24, 3-13) 66-38 that day at Alamo Convocation Center to ascend to fourth.

“We’ve had a hard season,” Brackenridge coach Tamiko Matthews said after the win over Jefferson. “We’ve been injured., but I feel like now we’re on schedule.

“We started off the season young and inexperienced at all positions. Add to that the injuries, but we’re still fourth.”

Brackenridge had defeated the Indians 66-49 Dec. 16. The Indians gained revenge Jan. 23 with a 56-50 win. In their final meeting, Harlandale outscored the Eagles 12-0 in the first quarter and never trailed.

Kayla Nunez led the Indians with 21 points. Senior Elizabeth Herrera provided 12 points and Christi Ricondo finished with 11. Fawzieh Saleh added eight points.

“We did come out very strong,” Contreras said. “The girls were confident. We really wanted it badly. We took care of Skyler (Reyna). That was our main focus.”

Senior guard Clarissa Rodriguez led Brackenridge with 17 points. Reyna scored 14.

The Eagles outscored Jefferson 33-0 from three-point range. The hot shooting began after Brackenridge had established a 10-4 lead. Softball standout Alyssa Berlanga (16 points) came off the bench to add eight quick points, starting with a three-pointer from the right wing.

“We had another game against McCollum (where we shot like this),” said Rodriguez, who made a team-best five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. “We were more confident today. With Berlanga and I, as soon as we hit a shot, we get on fire.”

Mustangs guard Angela Hardcastle, who six straight points to bring Jefferson within 52-28 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter recorded a team-high 15 points.

“We only have one senior on the team,” Jefferson coach Tammy Beresford said. “It’s a whole new group. They’re still learning how to play with each other. We’re building for next year.”

Reyna contributed 12 points and Miranda Sandoval added seven for the Eagles.

“It’s my senior year,” Rodriguez said. “I just wanted to go to the playoffs.”

BOYS BASKETBALL: Hurricanes knock off Lanier, earn 20th-straight playoff bid

Voks’ 28-5A win streak ends at 14

AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Lanier, Sam Houston.

PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/communities/southside/article/Hurricanes-makes-it-to-the-playoffs-20-years-in-a-6090853.php

Sam Houston didn’t start the regular season the way it wanted to, or was expected to, but they couldn’t have finished it much better.

The Hurricanes (12-13, 10-6), in their final District 28-5A game, accomplished two memorable tasks. They handed Lanier (21-12, 14-1) its first district loss and qualified for their 20th-consecutive playoff appearance in the bargain.

“We had a talk and realized we could still accomplish this,” said Sam Houston senior center Devin Allen, who scored a game-high 20 points. “We just had to work hard and play together.”

Sam Houston, which reached the Class 3A state finals last year, established a commanding 17-6 lead in the first quarter and were prepared for the Voks’ response. Lanier was within two points 6:11 from the end, but the Hurricanes rallied to win 72-60.

They had lost their first six games of the season and their initial three district games to set up a long, hard climb.

“To be able to come back from that took a lot of effort,” first-year Hurricanes coach Erik Coleman said. “To make the playoffs is definitely a good feeling for us.”

Lanier had already clinched its fifth-straight playoff bid as well as a first-place finish in 28-5A. The Voks had an 11-game winning streak.

“A lot of people have told me one loss now isn’t really a bad thing,” first-year Lanier coach Joseph Martinez said. “I definitely didn’t let the kids know that.

“I thought it was a little bit of a maturity issue. Give credit to coach Coleman. Sam Houston stuck to their game plan and played well. They really outplayed us.”

Sam Houston sped up Lanier at the outset to grab the double-digit lead. Jawon Anderson (15 points) and Robert Christian (11 points) each contributed four points as the Hurricanes ran off 12 in a row.

“At practice all this week, we worked on taking care of the basketball,” Coleman said. “We were running the ball very well. We pushed their pace.”

Lanier regrouped in the second quarter, with guards Joe Soto (10 points) and Brian Laque (11 points) driving to reach the free-throw line. The Voks outscored the Hurricanes 24-15 in the third quarter behind three-point shooting from Raul Solis (15 points) and Luis Martinez (14).

“I’m pretty sure nobody in Bexar County thought we’d be 14-1 at this point,” the Lanier coach said. “The kids deserve all the credit for where we’re at.”

A three-point shot from Solis closed Lanier’s deficit to 57-55. Hurricanes defensive specialist Raymonte Prime scored the next four points, starting a 15-3 finishing run. It was punctuated by Allen’s dunk with nine seconds to play.

“We just played hard and played together,” Allen said. “We didn’t give them a lot of second and third chances. We just crashed the boards.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Area playoff results (thru Feb. 21)

 

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Games of Feb. 16-21

Monday games

CLASS 6A

BI-district round

O’Connor (29-4) 64, East Central (13-18) 50

 

CLASS 5A

BI-district round

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (24-8) 45, Southside (21-13) 39

 

Tuesday games

CLASS 6A

BI-district round

Brandeis (23-11) 60, Southwest (23-10) 40

 

CLASS 5A

BI-district round

Highlands (27-9) 57, Boerne Champion (19-13) 25

Kerrville Tivy (28-5) 57, Lanier (20-13) 37

San Marcos (30-6) 52, Harlandale (16-18) 39

Floresville (17-14) 73, Sam Houston (18-9) 54

 

CLASS 3A

Bi-district round

Jarrell (30-3) 69, Brooks Academy (8-14 ???) 38

 

Thursday’s game

CLASS 5A

Area round

Georgetown (27-5) 52, Highlands (27-10) 34

 

Saturday’s game

TAPPS CLASS 4A

Bi-district round

Austin Regents (24-14) 52, Holy Cross (19-14) 37

BOYS BASKETBALL: Area rankings (thru Feb. 11)

Through February 11

TOP 15:

 

Rank-Team-Last Week

1. Lanier – 2

2. South San – 1

3. East Central – 3

4. Sam Houston – 4

5. Central Catholic – 6

6. Brackenridge – 7

7. Edison – 9

8. Southwest – 8

9. Burbank – 5

10. Highlands – 12

11. McCollum – 10

12. Harlandale – 11

13. Kennedy – 13

14. Southside – 15

15. Jefferson – 14

 

NR = not ranked

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Area rankings (thru Feb. 11)

Through February 11

TOP 15:

Rank-Team-Last Week

1. Highlands – 1

2. Southwest – 2

3. Southside – 3

4. East Central – 4

5. Sam Houston – 5

6. Lanier – 6

7. Harlandale – 7

8. Brackenridge – 9

9. Holy Cross – 8

10. Kennedy – 10

11. South San – 11

12. Young Women’s Leadership Academy – 12

13. Burbank – 13

14. Edison – 14

15. Brooks Academy – NR

 

NR = not ranked

GIRLS BASKETBALL: YWLA’s first 20-win season ends early

Cardinals ineligible for postseason

AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

PLEASE RETURN TO THIS STORY THURSDAY FOR A LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:

 

Young Women’s Leadership Academy finished the season with its best record in its three-year history but, rather than advancing to the playoffs, played its last game before January ended.

The reason that the Cardinals’ season came to a screeching halt Jan. 27, is that they competed as a UIL independent this season. In the previous two years, they were members of District 28-4A.

YWLA (21-12) won far more games than in those years combined, but knew before the season that the postseason was not an option. If the Cardinals had competed in a district, the top four teams would reach the playoffs, but they were outside that structure.

“I’m the kind of person that, if I can’t change that moment,” YWLA coach La Rhon Fields said, “I’ll deal with the hand that’s been dealt.”

Nonetheless, Fields is a little frustrated when he looks at Fox Tech, also a 28-4A member, and other teams in District 26-3A. The Cardinals defeated SAISD rival Fox Tech three times and fashioned a 5-2 record against members of the six-team district.

There’s little doubt that YWLA would have had a good shot to qualify for the playoffs in 26-3A.

“The way it was presented to us,” Fields said, “we could either move up to 5A or go our own way (as an independent). In our three-year history, we had one win (in 28-4A) and we wanted our girls to achieve some success. Fox Tech stayed in and was allowed to choose a level it could compete at, but we were not given the same option.”

YWLA finished 3-25 in 2012-13 in its first varsity season. Last year, the Cardinals were 1-26. In those seasons, they won one of 31 28-4A contests.

They closed this season by winning seven of their last nine games, with TAPPS 2-5A representative St. Anthony responsible for both losses.

Sophomore guard Olivia Balderas currently is the No. 2 scorer in the San Antonio area with a 23.3 average.

Valeria Serenil (6.5 points a game), Julianna Lopez (6.4), Jylian Bolton (5.9) and Karease Williams (5.6) are juniors who stepped up their level of play. Newcomer Meg Garcia became a post presence in her first organized exposure to the sport.

“We’d have liked to be in Class 3A,” Fields said. “We competed mostly against 3A and 4A teams. There’s no doubt there were a couple of teams in 28-5A we could have beaten, but we don’t have the depth to be truly effective against those schools.

“We had a chance in every game. There was not one game we went into thinking we’d be blown out, and we were only blown out once.”

If at all possible, Fields would like to have the chance to reach the postseason next year. He said one option YWLA might investigate is whether TCAL competition is more feasible.

Five of the six Cardinals juniors have participated in three sports throughout their careers and he wants that potential reward to be available to them. He also hopes to play in either a summer or fall league for the first time.

“Our mindset will be, ‘Let’s prove (this) year was not a fluke,’ ” Fields said. “We have to prove ourselves again.”

BOYS BASKETBALL: Unheralded Buttons beating ranked opponents

Central Catholic regroups after Lewis injury

AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Central Catholic.

PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/communities/southside/article/Unheralded-Buttons-beating-ranked-opponents-6062042.php

Central Catholic has been rebuilt from the ground up without its five leading scorers from 2013-14, but the Buttons have come up with a winning playing rotation.

The Buttons (18-14, 2-1) have picked up the tempo and relied a bit more on their depth in fashioning a three-game winning streak that includes a pair of TAPPS District 2-5A victories. Central Catholic moved into second place with a 73-47 win at Brownsville St. Joseph (17-8, 1-2) Jan. 31 that finished the first round of district play.

The Bloodhounds were No. 24 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches large private school rankings, but had been ranked several notches higher earlier in the season. Central Catholic is unranked.

“That was really a fun trip for us,” Central Catholic coach Bruce McConaghy said. “The kids played really well. I think they’re really excited about the way they’re playing.”

Central Catholic was a senior-laden team last year, when they fashioned a 25-8 record that included a 20-game winning streak. The Buttons’ leading scorer Tony Lewis, a University of Santa Clara signee, was the only junior among the top-five scorers, but a stress fracture limited the 6-foot-10 center to 3 ½ games this season before he was shut down for the year.

At the time, senior guard Jaime Nava also was injured, but the No. 6 scorer a year ago has returned to help lead the resurgence. Nava scored 22 points in the win over St. Joseph.

Eleven players scored for the Buttons, including Julian Rodriguez (9 points), Will Galindo (8) and Raul Aguilar (8).

“(The bench) has been really good,” McConaghy said. “We’ve had to change our style of play because of Tony’s injury. We’ve had some kids pressed into action, and they’ve responded.”

Central Catholic began the week with a 54-44 win at No. 23 Austin St. Andrew’s Jan. 27. Robert Elizondo scored a team-high 14 points. Aguilar and Tanner Nagel each scored 10.

“The quickness and tenacity of our kids got to them,” McConaghy said. “They weren’t used to playing against that. Any time you beat a team on their home court, it’s a feather in your cap.”

The Buttons rebounded from back-to-back losses to No. 4 Austin St. Stephen’s and No. 15 Antonian. McConaghy could trace the win back to the second half of the St. Stephen’s game, after the home team had established a 30-14 lead.

“We weren’t playing very well in the first half, and they’re good,” he said. “They have a 6-10 or 6-11 kid the University of Texas is interested in. We were missing a lot of shots in the first half, but then we started converting turnovers and getting to the rim.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Area playoff pairings (complete)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Games of Feb. 16-21

Monday or Tuesday games

CLASS 6A

BI-district round

Southwest (23-9) vs. Brandeis (22-11) at South San, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

East Central (13-17) vs. O’Connor (28-4) at Judson, Monday, 7 p.m.

 

CLASS 5A

BI-district round

Harlandale (16-17) vs. San Marcos (29-6) at Steele, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Lanier (20-12) vs. Kerrville Tivy (27-5) at Alamo Convocation Center, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Highlands (26-9) vs. Boerne Champion (19-12) at New Braunfels, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Sam Houston (18-8) vs. Floresville (16-14) at Univ. of the Incarnate Word, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Southside (21-12) vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (16-7 ???) at Beeville, Monday, 7 p.m.

 

CLASS 3A

Bi-district round

Brooks Academy (8-13 ???) vs. Jarrell (29-3) at Luling, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Area playoff picture (thru Feb. 16)

Boys basketball playoff picture

These are the area teams that have a chance to qualify for the playoffs (in alphabetical order):

Through Feb. 16

ALREADY QUALIFIED: Brackenridge (16-12, 10-6), Burbank (23-10, 10-6), Central Catholic (19-15, 3-2), East Central (19-11, 7-2), Lanier (21-12, 14-1), Sam Houston (12-13, 10-6), South San (24-6, 7-2).

POSSIBLE QUALIFIERS: Fox Tech (13-18 ???, 3-6).

Remaining games for contenders

(district records in parentheses; area teams in boldface)

District 26-3A

FOX TECH (3-6) – Tuesday, at Cole.

NATALIA (3-6) – Tuesday, at Marion.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Area playoff picture (final)

Girls basketball playoff picture

These are the area teams that qualified for the playoffs (in alphabetical order):

Through Feb. 13

QUALIFIERS: Brooks Academy (8-13 ???, 3-7), East Central (13-17, 3-7), Harlandale (16-17, 9-7), Highlands (26-9, 16-0), Holy Cross (19-13, 10-5), Lanier (20-12, 12-4), Sam Houston (18-8 ???, 13-3), Southside (21-8, 12-2), Southwest (23-9, 8-2).

BOYS BASKETBALL: This week’s results (thru Feb. 14)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Games of Feb. 8-14

Monday’s games

No games scheduled

Tuesday’s games

District 28-6A

East Central (18-11, 6-2) 98, Corpus Christi Ray (10-19, 0-8) 62

South San (23-6, 6-2) 44, Southwest (12-15, 1-7) 42

Corpus Christi Carroll  (23-5, 7-1) 72, Corpus Christi King (18-12, 4-4) 59

District 27-5A

Alamo Heights (19-7, 11-3) 68, Kerrville Tivy (22-10, 9-5) 55

Kennedy (9-21, 2-12) 63, Memorial (7-24, 0-14) 53

San Marcos (15-15 ???, 9-5) 84, Lockhart (13-16 ???, 5-9) 68

Seguin (15-15 ???, 11-4) 62, Boerne Champion (14-16 ???, 5-9) 43

District 28-5A

Brackenridge (15-12, 9-6) 64, Jefferson (9-18, 2-12) 52

Sam Houston (11-13, 9-6) 76, Harlandale (14-17, 3-11) 71

Highlands (11-18, 6-8) 67, McCollum (13-16, 5-9) 56

Edison (12-17, 7-7) 54, Burbank (22-9, 9-5) 51

District 29-5A

Southside (11-16 ???, 6-6) 70, Eagle Pass Winn (5-20 ???, 2-10) 53

Laredo Martin (14-9 ???, 10-2) 59, Medina Valley (11-18 ???, 2-10) 41

Laredo Cigarroa (14-9 ???, 7-5) 90, Somerset (17-11, 7-5) 82

Laredo Nixon (22-8 ???, 12-0) 86, Uvalde (9-19 ???, 2-10) 51 

District 26-3A

Fox Tech (13-17 ???, 3-5) 51, Brooks Academy (4-17 ???, 0-8) 40

Randolph (24-2 ???, 8-0) 55, Marion (19-7, 5-3) 44

Cole (15-8 ???, 5-3) 71, Natalia (8-7 ???, 3-5) 40

TAPPS 4-4A

Victoria St. Joseph (7-16, 1-10) 51, Holy Cross (8-24 ???, 3-10?) 49

Laredo St. Augustine  (10-20 ???, 4-7 ???) 59, Cornerstone Christian (14-14 ???, 5-8 ???) 49

Wednesday’s games

No games scheduled

Thursday’s games

TAPPS 2-5A

Central Catholic (19-15, 3-2) 49, St. Anthony (6-14 ???, 1-4) 39

Friday’s games

District 28-6A

Corpus Christi Ray (11-19, 1-8) 55, Southwest (12-16, 1-8) 48

South San (24-6, 7-2) 66, Corpus Christi Carroll (23-6, 7-2) 51

East Central (19-11, 7-2) 95, Corpus Christi King (18-13, 4-5) 86

District 27-5A

Alamo Heights (20-7, 12-3) 68, Kennedy (9-22, 2-13) 34

Floresville (22-10, 11-3) 65, Kerrville Tivy (21-10, 8-5) 61

Lockhart (14-15 ???, 6-8) 67, Seguin (13-16 ???, 9-5) 45

Boerne Champion (15-14 ???, 6-7) 61, Memorial (7-23, 0-13) 48

District 28-5A

Edison (13-17, 8-7) 54, McCollum (13-17, 5-10) 40

Burbank (23-9, 10-5) 66, Harlandale (14-18, 3-12) 53

Sam Houston (12-13, 10-6) 72, Lanier (21-12, 14-1) 60

Highlands (11-18, 6-8) 82, Jefferson (9-19, 2-13) 63

District 29-5A

Somerset (18-11, 8-5) 69, Laredo Martin (14-10 ???, 10-3) 61

Laredo Nixon (23-8 ???, 13-0) 84, Southside (11-17 ???, 6-7) 51

Laredo Cigarroa (15-9 ???, 8-5) 64, Medina Valley (11-19 ???, 2-11) 52

Uvalde (10-19 ???, 3-10) 46, Eagle Pass Winn (5-21 ???, 2-11) 42

District 26-3A

Marion (10-7, 6-3) 81, Fox Tech (13-18 ???, 3-6) 42

Randolph (24-2 ???, 9-0) 62, Natalia (8-8 ???, 3-6) 34

Cole (15-8 ???, 5-3) at Brooks Academy (4-17 ???, 0-8) (score unavailable)

TAPPS 4-4A

San Antonio Christian (32-6, 12-0) 59, TMI (24-15, 12-2) 57 (OT)

Saturday’s games

TAPPS 2-5A

Antonian (27-9, 5-0) 55, Brownsville St. Joseph (17-10, 1-4) 35

TAPPS 4-4A

Corpus Christi John Paul II (15-12, 8-4) 82, Victoria St. Joseph (7-17, 1-11) 64

Cornerstone Christian (15-14 ???, 6-8 ???) 63, Corpus Christi Incarnate Word (12-18, 5-8) 54

GIRLS BASKETBALL: This week’s results (thru Feb. 14)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Games of Feb. 8-14

Monday’s games

No games scheduled

Tuesday’s games

District 28-6A

Corpus Christi Carroll (28-4, 9-1) 75, Corpus Christi King (9-25, 2-8) 21

Corpus Christi Ray (23-9, 6-4) 51, East Central (13-17, 3-7) 28

Southwest (23-9, 8-2) 54, South San (12-20, 2-8) 38

District 27-5A

Kennedy (10-19 ???, 5-10 ???) 45, Memorial (1-28 ???, 0-15 ???) 18

Boerne Champion (19-12 ???, 10-6) 53, Seguin (12-20, 5-11) 51

Kerrville Tivy (27-5 ???, 15-1) 49, Alamo Heights (14-11, 8-8) 46

San Marcos (29-6, 15-1) 76, Lockhart (4-21 ???, 1-13 ???) 24

District 28-5A

Brackenridge (14-20, 9-7) 66, Jefferson (6-24, 3-13) 38

Burbank (13-19, 6-10) 50, Edison (7-25, 2-14) 36

Highlands (26-9, 16-0) 54, McCollum (3-23, 2-14) 43

Sam Houston (18-8 ???, `13-3)  44, Harlandale (15-17, 9-7) 43

District 29-5A

Laredo Nixon (18-12 ???, 9-5) 61, Uvalde (3-28 ???, 1-12 ???) 32

Laredo Cigarroa (32-4, 14-0) 89, Somerset (9-19 ???, 4-9 ???) 42

Southside (21-8, 12-2) 59, Eagle Pass Winn (0-15 ???, 0-12 ???) 29

Medina Valley (12-19, 6-8) 56, Laredo Martin (10-16 ???, 7-7) 47

District 26-3A

Marion (20-11, 8-2) 58, Randolph (11-15 ???, 6-4) 48

Cole (30-2, 10-0) 68, Natalia (12-15, 3-7) 28

Brooks Academy (7-13 ???, 3-7) 51, Fox Tech (2-29 ???, 0-10) 29

TAPPS 4-4A

Victoria St. Joseph (30-6, 13-1) 60, Holy Cross (17-12, 9-5) 41

San Antonio Christian (25-7, 10-4) 56, Corpus Christi John Paul II (8-20, 7-8) 37

TMI (5-22 ???, 2-13 ???) 40, Providence (1-31, 0-14) 25

Laredo St. Augustine (13-16 ???, 5-10) 35, Cornerstone Christian (12-16 ???, 6-9) 27

Wednesday’s games

No games scheduled

Thursday’s games

No games scheduled

Friday’s games

TAPPS 4-4A

San Antonio Christian (26-7, 11-4) 56, TMI (5-23 ???, 2-14) 27

Holy Cross (18-12, 10-5) 52, Providence (1-32, 0-15) 19

Victoria St. Joseph (31-6, 14-1) 72, Corpus Christi John Paul II (8-21, 7-9) 27

District 28-5A

Fourth-place tiebreaker

Harlandale (16-17) 61, Brackenridge (14-21) 53

District 26-3A

Fourth-place tiebreaker

Brooks Academy (8-13 ???) 43, Natalia (12-16) 39

Saturday’s games

TAPPS 4-4A

Corpus Christi Incarnate Word (24-9, 14-1) 53, Cornerstone Christian (12-17 ???, 6-10) 25