Out for NOW

ASHLEY ALEXANDER

I have watched Ashley grow since joining our program last season and with the much needed confidence she received to go along with talent, she became a key factor in helping Klein go from getting beat on by everyone to not being taken lightly and in the process, knocking off playoff bound teams such as MacArthur, Memorial, Stratford and topping all of that, TABC No. 24 in the State ranked Westside. She also helped Klein finish 3rd in the Spring Branch Tournament, for that feat she was selected to the All Tournament Team.

Ashley's season came to an abrupt end on January 8th against district rival Klein Forest when she went down wrong and banged her knee. As the ironies continue, this game marked the comeback for two of our other kids who went down with knee injuries last summer, Jasmine Rollins and Kierra Shepherd, who both started in their first varsity game.

girlzprepreport.blogspot.com/2010/01/acl-injury.html

Over the past season, we have had more serious injuries than the previous seven combined, but things happen. I know Ashley will come back stronger than ever, just like our other girl's however it takes work, lot's of hard work, but it can be done and I know she can do it.

Stratford vs Memorial

In an up and down game, Memorial hangs on to beat Stratford 60-49 in a packed Memorial gym on a cold and gloomy Friday night. It was a game in which the "Big Three" for Memorial, Kirby McDaniel (19) Ellen Anderson (18) and Kelly Wilson (10) scored 47 of their 60 points and stayed within striking distance of Elsik, they lost by 15 at home earlier this year and travel to Elsik on Friday.



Like the game, this season has been up and down for Stratford who was hoping to be competing with Elsik for the top spot in district, now finds itself either in 3rd, tied for 3rd or 4th place, Chronicle is screwed up. Rodneisha Milum(21) and Kelli Evans (17) led the charge for Stratford, scoring all but 11 of their points. The Dynamic Duo are averaging, Milum (16 ppg, 13 rpg) or close to , Evans (17 ppg, 9 apg) double-doubles and are finishing out their careers.




I've enjoyed coaching those two kids over the years, along with Ali Moses and Shanita Coleman, also from Stratford, Chelsea Robinson from Westfield, Taryn Gregory from Channelview, Ashley Pfaff from Canyon Lake and my Fantastic Five from Lamar, Alycea Price, Akilla Hayes, Marquissa Elam, Adreeana Broussard and Bionca "Beyonce to the left to the left" Johnson. Good luck in the playoffs, anything can happen!Great kids, great parents, it's been a pleasure!

The TREY is back!

YATES VS LEE

Having one undefeated team at this stage of the season is remarkable however Third Ward's own Jack Yates has the only undefeated basketball teams in the city and STATE on both the girl's and boy's side, based on http://tabchoops.org/ in fact the boy's are ranked No.1 in the NATION. Led by Mariah Lee and Joseph Young, dad Michael was also a star at Yates and later a founding member of Phi Slamma Jama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Slama_Jama






Both teams have the swagger and you know you are about to experience thirty-two grueling minutes on both ends of the court. I haven't seen teams sending three at you at one time and I mean it doesn't matter which three or which team, but both squads frustrate their opponents.




The girl's haven't truly been challenged and to be honest with you Region 3 in Houston is on the downside this season in both 4 and 5A, at least on the young ladies side. Nevertheless, it's still quite an accomplishment to go undefeated until February and remember in the playoffs it's who the best team is that particualr game is, which means anything can happen, trust me, I know.

The Yates boy's squad won state last year and have a shot at doing the same thing this year, however almost everyone in a somewhat packed Delmar Stadium was holding their breath when Young went down in the first period. Turned out he was okay and later returned to score 14 points, in fact 5 kids were in double figures and all 14 of Yates players scored in a rematch of the much publicized, good and bad, game in which Yates scored 170 points. It was also great to see Delmar having a crowd like back in the day.

Jack Yates has provided the "TREY" with lot's of history in both football and basketball over the years, turning out so many championships and college players, even I can't remember but if you ever run into King Arthur Prayther, he knows!

What Does Winning Mean?

I sort of dance to my own tune and some folks have problems with that, which is okay with me because it's my tune plus I look at things in a different light. I remember going to the Chronicle a few years ago, probably five or six, about doing a story on Lee High School Girl's Basketball, which hadn't won a game in years and even though Lee was playing 5A, they didn't have enough players for a JV or Freshmen team, in fact only seven (7) players were on varsity.

Fast forward to now, 2010 and with all the negative publicity Lee has received over the past months, from the kid who alledgedly hired classmates to kill his mother, the boy's team losing to No. 1 ranked Yates 170-35 and to the school struggling academically, Lee stands tall, and with a change in the administration, Paul Castro, former principal at Westside High School, hopefully something positive will happen.





For the girl's, the losing on the court continues, they were handled with ease by Yates yesterday however I can't say enough about kids who go out and compete, knowing beforehand they are going to get beat and probably by a huge margin, yet they still go out and give it their all.

During the Yates game, the girl's were totally exhausted by the fourth period, but they started and finished the games with only five players, FIVE players. Yates girl's, like their boy's team, is athletic and plays uptempo, this game was no different and I believe the above picture says it all. That picture also says something else, you all are winners.

National HS Top 25

Full Court High School Top 25: Week of January 27, 2010
By Simmie Colson
Correspondent
Credit: Full Court Press/Lee Michaelson©




The high school season is well under way, with leagues in all states now in active competition. But the task of selecting the best of the best hasn’t gotten much easier, particularly at the top, where the elite teams are busy knocking one another off.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) established itself as the team to beat by defeating St. Mary’s of Stockton to take the title in the premiere Joe Smith Division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Ladycats of Brea Olina recently knocked off the Mater Dei Monarchs, however. So why isn’t Brea No. 1? Well, turns out St. Mary’s beat them in the Nike semifinals. So which of these dominant teams is the best? It may take another head-to-head meeting to decide that question.

And why doesn’t another, among the several undefeated teams in the field, ascend to the top spot? Most haven’t faced top-ranked national competition thus far this season. So for now, with plenty room for discussion and debate, here are the Full Court Top 25 high school teams in the country.



1. St. Mary’s (Stockton, CA), 20-1
The Rams’ only loss so far was to Mater Dei in the finals of the Nike Tournament of Champions’ Joe Smith Division. St. Mary’s then took the title in the T-Mobile Classic in December and since then has been on a tear against California opponents.

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), 18-1
The Monarchs, who took the title at the Nike Tournament of Champions, were undefeated until they were recently beaten by Brea Olinda (see Brea Olinda Upsets Top-Ranked Mater Dei in Southern California Prep Shoot-Out). They quickly rebounded from the loss, beating St. Anthony’s, 66-34. Mater Dei jumped out to a 25-point first-quarter lead and never looked back.

3. Brea Olinda (Brea,CA),18-2
The Wildcats have won 12 in a row, including knocking off previous No. 1 Mater Dei in the Tony Matson Memorial Classic and most recently defeating Etiwanda, 61-47. Next up,Villa Park on 1/29.

4. Whitney Young (Chicago, IL), 17-0
The undefeated Dolphins have been challenged only once this season, taking a three-point victory over No. 12 Incarnate Word. They also own victories over teams from seven states.

5. Bolingbrook (IL), 15-1
The Raiders won their tenth game in a row, defeating Lincoln Way, 54-26. They host a national-quality team in Vincent (Milwaukee, WI) on January 31.

6. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, IN), 18-0
The Giants defeated Center Grove, 68-46, and Avon, 67-28, this past week. But despite their undefeated status, so far, their schedule has been relatively weak.

7. Poly (Long Beach, CA), 16-2
The Jackrabbits’ only two losses came back-to-back at the Nike Tournament of Champions at the hands of the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in our rankings.

8. Hoover (Hoover, AL), 24-1
The Buccaneers are tearing through Alabama and their only loss was to No.1 St. Mary’s 50-44 in a game that was close from start to finish.

9. Murry Bergtraum (New York, NY), 15-1
The Blazers have won 10 in a row since losing their only game to No. 7 Poly.

10. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburg, PA), 15-2
The Blue Devils’ two losses have been to No. 1 St Mary’s and No. 3 Brea Olinda. They are currently on an 11-game winning streak after beating Canon-McMillan, 75-39.

11. Mac Arthur (Irving, TX), 30-1
It’s hard to rank the Texas teams, as most do not travel out of state. It’s also hard to argue against a 30-1 record, especially against other Texas teams loaded with nationally ranked talent. The Cardinals’ 27-game winning streak was stopped recently by district rival Cedar Hill. Since that loss, MacArthur has handled South Grand Prairie and Irving and most recently, Duncanville.

12. Incarnate Word Academy (St Louis, MO), 16-1
The Red Knights have gotten back on track after their first (and only) loss to No. 6 Whitney Young, 52-49. Most recently, Incarnate Word has defeated Hazelwood East and Notre Dame during the past week. Next up: They travel to undefeated Fort Zumalt West.

13. Redan (Stone Mountain, GA),16-0
The Raiders beat Atlanta’s Douglass, 61-45, at home to stay undefeated, then took to the road against rival King (2-5) Tuesday night for another victory, 64-49. Up next: Luella, on Friday, January 29.

14. Norcross (GA), 15-2
The Blue Devils stumbled at the Nike Tournament of Champions against top-notch competition. Since then, they have continued to roll, most recently beating Collins Hill and Peachtree Ridge.

15. Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville, FL), 21-4
The Lions have suffered several setbacks, dropping losses most recently to No. 3 Brea Olinda (66-78) and to a national-quality team in Start (OH) (58-61). But they have recovered nicely by knocking off previously unbeaten Shabazz (62-52) and Trenton Catholic Academy by 25 (70-45).

16. Shabazz (Newark, NJ),12-1
The previously undefeated Bulldogs were down by as much as 51-35 to No. 15 Potter’s House Christian (FL) at home, but managed to cut the gap to down to six in the last quarter before losing, 60-52.

17. North Little Rock (Little Rock, AR), 19-0
One of the best, if not the best, team In Arkansas has won every game by 11 or more points. They might be ranked higher, but have played only Texas and Arkansas opponents.

18. Lake Taylor (Norfolk, VA), 16-0
Lake Taylor has had one scare this season, a close call Princess Anne in which the Titans managed to pull out a 48-45 win, to go along with a number of lopsided victories, including a 111-8 win over local rival Granby.

19. South Broward (Hollywood, FL), 17-0
The undefeated Bulldogs started the season with a two-point victory, 50-48, over Nova. Since then, with the exception of a four-point win over Jupiter, no one has come closer than 14 points. South Broward might be ranked even higher had they played anyone outside Florida.

20. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, MI), 9-0
The undefeated Yellowjackets, led by sophomore Aerial Powers’ double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, beat the second-best team in the state, East Lansing, 73-55.

21. Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, TX), 26-2
The Wolves are a 4A school and their two losses have come against a pretty good West Mesquite and No. 25 Duncanville. In the plus column, they have beaten a quality opponent in No. 24 Cy Fair, who together with Duncanville, are both 5A schools and favorites to make it to the Texas State Tournament Final Four.

22. Cy Fair (Cypress, TX), 23-1
The Bobcats are the best team in the Houston area and maybe even the state of Texas. They continue their quest for a fourth straight trip to the state championships in Austin. Led by the consensus No.1 player in the country, Chiney Ogwumike, their only loss was to Mansfield Timberview.

23. Oregon City (OR), 16-0
The Pioneers took home the title in the Mike Desper division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. Since then, they have remained undefeated, winning both their games this week by huge margins—Lake Oswego, 83-29, and Lakeridge, 87-54. Next up is a cupcake opponent in Putnam (4-10) at home on January 29.

24. Neptune (Neptune, NJ), 12-1
The Scarlett Fliers have one loss against undefeated No. 9 Murry Bergtraum. Mostrecently, they took a 91-25 win over Freehold Boro (NJ), but apart from an occasional venture into New York, they have met only in-state opponents.

25. Lakeville North (Lakeville, MN), 16-0
The undefeated Panthers are the top-ranked team in Minnesota and have won all but two of the their games by double digits.

http://fullcourt.ehclients.com/index.php/news_articles/view/full_court_high_school_top_25_week_of_january_27_2010/

18-5A

ELSIK VS HASTINGS

Crystal Porter is second only to Akunna Elonu in scoring and has almost half of the teams blocked shots.

The game started off sluggish, in fact Hastings jumped out to an early lead and finished the first period ahead 14-12. Elsik outscored them 16-10 in the second period but the killer was Hastings couldn't buy a bucket after that, scoring only 10 the whole second half.

Led in scoring by Ocanas(19) and Elonu (22), Elsik continues to lead their district with an undefeated record of 8-0. Hastings was led by Earl (14pts) and stays in striking distance of a playoff spot, half a game behind Alief Taylor and Stratford, based on chron.com

STRATFORD VS TAYLOR

As I said in the pre-season, it's documented, the fate of Stratford would rest in the hands of the "DYNAMIC DUO" of Evans and Milum. They are averaging 17 and 16 ppg respectively.




Last night, Taylor jumped out to a double digit halftime lead and cruised to a 54-44 victory and tied Stratford for third pace in district behind Elsik and Memorial. Both teams are half a game ahead of Hastings.

Milum lead Stratford with 15 points, while Taylor was led by Williams (19), Victorian (13) and Obokwelu (11)

The Next Level

Brianna, Sydney, Jada and Christian

For years I have told parents and players how important it is for to go out and watch older and better female basketball players, this way they will know what they have to do if they want to make it to the to the next level. The ones in middle school need to be watching as much good high school basketball as possible and in a city like Houston, there is no excuse to not catch as many college games as you can. A couple of our club kids took a road trip down to College station on yesterday to watch us, well it's my daughter's team, so yes us, against Texas Tech. Parents have your daughters keep working and watching, it's hard, but it can be done.

HISD ACTION

REAGAN VS WALTRIP

In an overtime thriller, Reagan held on to sole possesion of second place, two games behind Yates with a 43-41 victory of Waltrip. Waltrip was trying to move into a second place tie in district 21-4A and was led by Minisha Matthews 12 points. Reagan stays within striking distance of Yates but for all practical purposes, Yates has the district title in the bag. Reagan was led Brittany Reasons 15 points. Both of these teams have been energized and turned it around, congratulations to both coaches on doing an outstanding job.

I love seeing officials smile, that means parents aren't acting up!

WESTSIDE VS LAMAR

Before the season, I truly thought Lamar had a shot at winning district however they find themselves in the fourth and final playoff spot after losing to Westside 61-46. Sophomore sensation Tiffany Davis leads the way for Westside with 21, while Alycea Price and Bionca Johnson wer high scorers for Lamar with 14 and 11 reaspectively. Westside stays within striking distance of first place Bellaire in 20-5A, and would have been in first place themselves, but couldn't hang on to an earlier 23 point first half lead against the Cardinals.

Region 2-5A

13-5A

As the second round started, the districts are becoming a bit more interesting. In 13-5A leader Dekaney knocks off Klein Collins as Alexis Durley leads the way with 22 points. Klein Collins beats Tomball in a thriller at home, 49-47, and pulls into a tie with Tomball for second place, both are two games behind Dekaney. Westfield stays in striking distance of moving up by beating Klein 51-31. Even though Dekaney is leading the district, they have to face Klein Collins, Tomball and Westfield on the road, so it should be interesting.

15-5A

CY RANCH AT JERSEY VILLAGE

District 15-5A will be close as three teams will fight for the two remaining playoff spots. The team many believe will be in Austin for fourth straight year, Cy Fair, will win the district, that's a done deal. They beat the team that was in a three way tie for third, Cy Woods, by 31 last night. The second place team, Cy Falls, knocked off another one of the three in that tie for fourth, Cy Creek 41-31.That leaves the third of the three, Jersey Village, who find themselves alone in third place after edging Cy Ranch 39-37.

Another bright spot in the class of 2012 is Alexis Chandler who scored 11 in the loss, Jersey Village was led by Victoria Salazar with 15.

VIDEO

KIKI TO BASKET

KiKi Devane is averaging close to a double-double and this Cy Ranch team should be a force to be reckoned with in district next season. Led by Chandler and Hillary Morris who both score around 12 ppg, Devane is not far behind at 11 points. Throw in sharp shooting freshman Kristen Kech at a little over 10 ppg and you have four kids in double figures.

14-5A

College Park traveled to Lufkin last night in first place, a game in front of both Lufkin and the Woodlands, however wakes up to be in a three way tie after falling to the Panthers 68-57. The Woodlands held on to beat Conroe 48-45 at home and New Caney defeated Oak Ridge, improving to 2-3 in district and a game lead over Conroe for the fourth playoff spot. One of these two teams might make the playoffs with a losing record, in both season and district.

23-5A Austin vs Marshall

Nicole Blaskowsky is all smiles and she should be. Her team has has improved tremendously, she is one of the cities top players and she loves the game.








Nia Bradford has kept Marshall respectable this year and both teams could do well in the playoffs.

23-5A has been one of if not the toughest district in Region 3 ever since I can remember, or started paying attention. Super players and athletes have graduated from the various schools that make up the district and I see nothing has changed. Both of these teams have given the team many thought would represent R-3, Hightower, big scares, Hightower in fact lost to Dulles last night, but the bottom line is by playing competitive games during district, you may see two of these four that make the playoffs in Campbell Center for the Final Four.

Anyway, Region 3-5A has gone haywire and even though I like North Shore, you probably have at least 10 teams that could get hot and make a F-4 run. I haven't looked at the brackets but this is crazy and good for a number of reasons.