HIGH SCHOOLS
As the focus shifts to basketball, 10 things to watch for on the hardwood this weekend.
Spring captures Medina title
1The tournament-filled holiday season produced several big winners in the Houston area, including the Spring boys basketball team, which went 4-0 at the Eric Medina Memorial tourney in Pasadena, capturing the championship with a 63-59 win over Hightower. The Lions (12-8, 1-1) also knocked off Stafford, Pasadena Memorial and Dulles, giving them some much-needed momentum in their return to District 16-6A play, where they won 71-50 on Tuesday at Aldine. Junior Keionte Cornelius led Spring at the Medina tournament, averaging 21 points per game with 15 3-pointers. The lefthanded combo guard scored 11 of his game-high 30 points against Hightower in the fourth quarter, going 6-for-6 from the freethrow line in the final minute. “He shot the ball so well, and he really made teams come out and play him,” Spring coach Cody Glass said. “He was knocking down shots two or three feet behind the 3-point line, and guys were setting him up, but he was also creating on his own. He did a good job of getting to the basket, creating fouls and getting some easy looks early on, and he was just hot. For four games in a row, he was knocking it down.”
Falcons soar
2Clear Lake picked up a tournament championship in Cedar Park, beating Dallas Lake Highlands 68-54 in the final to cap an impressive run in the Leander ISD Holiday Tournament, including wins over Austin Lanier (83-77), Round Rock Stony Point (86-58) and Pflugerville Hendrickson (9381). The Falcons (18-4, 1-1), led by MVP Ajare Sanni, averaged 82.5 points in Cedar Park. Sanni, a senior guard, supplied 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against Hendrickson. He scored 20 points in the final and averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the tourney. Riley Abercrombie and Jeremiah Maldonado joined Sanni on the all-tournament team. Clear Lake, No. 24 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ Class 6A boys rankings, returns to 24-6A play Friday at home against Clear Falls.
Wilson, Davis nab MVP honors
3Atascocita’s Kobe Wilson and Tomball Concordia Lutheran’s Josh Davis also secured Most Valuable Player awards after leading their teams to tournament championships last week. The Eagles (16-5, 2-0) won Kingwood’s Insperity Holiday Classic, which they hosted because the Mustangs’ campus still is closed, with Wilson supplying 23 points in a 55-46 win over Seven Lakes in the final. Davis led the Crusaders (28-1, 1-0) to the Conroe Christmas Classic title with 20 points, four assists and four steals in a 72-68 victory against Cypress Ranch in the championship game.
10 local teams in state rankings
4The latest TABC 6A rankings feature 10 Houston-area high schools, with defending 6A champion Cy Falls (16-3, 1-0), which placed third at the prestigious Neosho Holiday Classic in Missouri, leading the way at No. 3. Denton Guyer is No. 1, Austin Westlake No. 2 and Dekaney (19-3, 2-0) No. 4. Elkins (16-10, 5-1) is H-town’s highest-ranked 5A at No. 12, and in 4A, Yates (11-2, 3-0) is fourth and Brazosport (15-5, 1-0) is fifth.
Oilers reversal
5The Pearland girls basketball team’s dramatic turnaround culminated in a title at the Brazoswood Holiday Classic, where the Oilers — who started the season 1-8 — beat Mineral Wells 56-34 in the final for their eighth consecutive win last Saturday, sending them to 13-3 in their last 16 games. The duo of post De’Yona Gaston and guard Macy Braswell led them in the tourney, with Gaston averaging 20.4 points and Braswell 25.2.
Collier, Eagles roll
6Charli Collier averaged 37.8 points per contest at the Gulf Coast Classic, including one 50-point effort, helping host Barbers Hill capture the championship with a 56-26 rout of Manvel in the final. The Texas-bound forward dropped 39 on College Park in the semifinals and 28 against Manvel, sending her past 3,000 points for her career.
Jersey Village tops locals in rankings
7Jersey Village, which hasn’t seen the postseason since 2009, leads the Houston-area’s Class 6A girls with a No. 4 ranking. The Falcons are 20-2, 3-0 after finishing fifth at the Sandra Meadows Classic in Duncanville. Cy Creek is 11th and Cy Ranch is 13th. Barbers Hill is third in 5A, followed by Madison at seventh.
Dekaney vs. Spring boys 7 p.m. Friday, Spring
8After finishing fifth in the Whataburger Classic in San Antonio, the Wildcats, led by high-flying 6-7 sophomore guard/forward Micah Peavy travel to rival Spring for a 16-6A showdown.
Bush vs. Travis boys 7 p.m. Friday, Wheeler Fieldhouse
9Defending district champ Bush takes on rival Travis, which finished second last year, in a pivotal 20-6A contest. The Tigers claimed back-to-back titles before Bush rejoined their district last season.
Cy Springs vs. Cy Creek girls 7 p.m. Friday, Cy Creek
10The Cougars, headed by fab freshmen Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter, look to break an early four-way tie for second in 17-6A. They’re 2-1, along with Springs, Ranch and Langham Creek.