Area teams out to dominate tournament
Kinkaid girls heavily favored to claim SPC girls hoops crown
Talk to most coaches and they consider Kinkaid a slam dunk to claim the Southwest Preparatory Conference girls basketball crown.
But don’t lump Kinkaid head coach Stacey Marshall in with her colleagues. While Marshall recognizes that the Falcons are the obvious favorite, she believes anything can happen at the SPC Winter Championships this weekend. Kinkaid is co-hosting the three-day girls hoops tourney with Houston Christian on Thursday, Feb. 11, through Saturday, Feb. 13.
“There’s no question that we earned the (South Zone) No. 1 seed,” Marshall said, “but that doesn’t guarantee us anything.”
Marshall, who has already led Kinkaid to three SPC titles during her tenure, doesn’t want her squad to make the short drive home with no trophy in hand. She wants her players to maintain their focus every step of the way.
As the South Zone champ after going a sparkling 7-0 in conference play, Kinkaid was rewarded with a first round bye. The Falcons (27-7) will face the winner of the Episcopal School of Dallas-St. John’s game in the quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at Kinkaid’s Melcher Gym.
With two victories, Kinkaid will reach the SPC championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Houston Christian.
Marshall believes there are several other teams capable of challenging the Falcons, including No. 2 seed Episcopal and No. 4 seed Houston Christian from the South Zone as well as Tulsa Holland Hall and Dallas Greenhill, the top two teams from the North Zone.
Kinkaid may have the edge in one key area: guard play. The Falcons’ backcourt, featuring junior Alexis Johnson and sophomore Jasmine Smith, is the finest in the SPC, perhaps in the entire Greater Houston area.
But Kinkaid is hardly one-dimensional, with 6-foot-2 junior forward Chinaza Ndee providing the inside muscle.
“We have all the pieces, but we have to go out and execute our game plan,” Marshall said. Local teams have shot at titles
It could be amemorable weekend for Houston’s SPC teams, with several of them in contention for championships.
The boys basketball tourney will take place at Houston Christian and St. John’s. Austin St. Stephen’s is the reigning SPC champ and the South Zone’s No. 1 seed, but there are several other teams to watch. Episcopal, Kinkaid and Houston Christian are seeded Nos. 2-4 from the South Zone, while the North Zone is led by Oklahoma Casady and Dallas St. Mark’s.
The boys soccer event should be exciting. South Zone winner Kinkaid and tourney host Episcopal, the No. 2 seed, are formidable, along with No. 3 St. John’s. Houston Christian, the No. 5 seed, would love to pull an upset or two. The North Zone was equally balanced, with Dallas Greenhill, Tulsa Holland Hall and Irving Cistercian hoping to make some noise.
The girls soccer tourney will take place at three sites – Kinkaid, St. John’s and Episcopal. Austin St. Stephen’s is the No. 1 team from the South, but St. John’s, Kinkaid, Episcopal and Houston Christian were seeded Nos. 2-5. Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas Greenhill and Dallas Hockaday from the North Zone could wind up on top.
Two other competitions will be decided this weekend. The wrestling tourney will be at St. John’s, with the Mavericks aiming for their third SPC crown in four years and Kinkaid and Episcopal vying to finish in the top five. The swimming and diving meet will be the same day at the Conroe ISD Natatorium, with St. John’s girls and boys the biggest threats from Houston.