San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
No surprises
Top four girls basketball teams in 28-6A grab playoff spots.
The first day of the District 28-6A girls basketball tournament confirmed what many believed — Reagan, Clark, Johnson and Brandeis are by far 28-6A’s top teams.
They each recorded blowout wins Friday to secure playoff berths. Reagan defeated Roosevelt 63-13, Clark beat MacArthur 58-34, Johnson downed Churchill 78-24, and Brandeis blasted Madison 72-32.
All justified their spots in this week’s Express-News area rankings, with Reagan, Clark, Johnson and Brandeis occupying the 3-6 spots in that order.
The tournament is being used to determine the district’s four playoff teams. It’s an unconventional but necessary approach after North East ISD paused the girls and boys basketball seasons for a month in mid-December. The stoppage didn’t allow for two complete rounds of district play.
District 28-6A members Clark and Brandeis of Northside ISD also stopped play. Both clinched playoff spots as part of a doubleheader Friday at Northside Sports Gym.
“We’re so excited to get into the playoffs,” Brandeis senior Sophia Haberer said. “We’ve been working hard all season to get to this point, and we’re finally here.”
Clark (12-1) rode big first and fourth quarters in the victory against MacArthur. The Cougars never trailed and led 22-3 after one quarter. They outscored the Brahmas 20-7 in the fourth to finish it out.
Senior guard Sydney Solitaire had 12 points on four 3-pointers to lead a balanced attack. Marissa Rummel, Hailey Adams and Aaliyah Roberson each had eight
points for the Cougars.
Clark nailed eight 3 -pointers, with Solitaire hitting three of hers in the second half.
The Cougars will face Johnson (14-4) on Tuesday at Northside Sports Gym or Paul Taylor Field
House.
Although Clark has secured a playoff spot, Cougars coach Rihana Houy wants her team to strive for more.
“There is a little bit of peace of mind that at least you know you
are in the playoffs, but at the same time, that’s not good enough,” Houy said. “We’re not settling. We want to fight to the bitter end with all of these teams.”
Clark, a district champion last year, defeated the Jaguars 68-39 on Dec. 12.
“We hope we can come back with the same ammo we did against Johnson and hopefully get an opportunity to reclaim another district championship,” Houy said. “I think that would mean a lot to the girls, especially this season with everything we’ve had to fight through.”
Houy said MacArthur’s physical style offered ideal preparation moving forward. The Brahmas, led by senior guard Aimee Quan’s 13 points, used that style to outscore the Cougars in the second (11-6) and third (11-10) quarters.
“We knew coming in what to expect,” Houy said. “Aimee Quan is a phenomenal shooter and a phenomenal point guard. She was a difficult matchup for us. It re-emphasized to the girls that there’s not a cakewalk at all at this point.”
Brandeis rolled past the Mavericks thanks to big efforts from Haberer (17 points, 12 rebounds), junior Alexis Parker (16 points) and junior Marisa Seaton (11 points, three 3-pointers). Freshman guard Rian Forrestier had 11 rebounds and four points.
Most of those numbers were generated in the open court.
“We always get and go,” Parker said. “We take off as soon as the person gets the rebound. We try to get that fast break and open looks. We’re just a fast team all around.”
Brandeis will play Reagan (15-2) on Tuesday at Littleton Gym.
“I think this is one of the toughest districts in Texas, if not the toughest district,” Haberer said. “It’s going to be pretty tough, but we’re ready to go.”