Stony Point pushes district winning streak to 31 games
MANOR — Whether the district schedule continues to be a formality for Stony Point remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting that the Tigers have one of the more impressive streaks going in the Austin area right now.
Stony Point reeled off its 31st straight district victory Friday as it flexed some muscle for a 72-56 win over Manor in a game that was never in doubt at Manor High School.
It’s been a little more than two years since the Tigers last dropped a district contest — a 66-52 loss to Westwood on Jan. 12, 2022 — and though Stony Point has larger goals for down the road, what it has done this season has certainly been noteworthy.
Aside from edging out a 46-44 victory over Round Rock the week before Christmas, the Tigers haven’t had a district game closer than Friday’s 16point margin, with their average margin of victory being nearly 25.
That’s not a huge surprise after what they did in the nondistrict schedule, playing some of the best teams in the state — and even one of the top teams from Arizona — with their only loss of the season coming against undefeated Plano East, which is No. 1 in the Class 6A coaches poll.
In fact, their performance this year hasn’t been surprising at all if you’ve paid attention to what they’ve done over the past 26 months. But district games can sometimes get tricky, especially when teams meet for the second time.
That will start Tuesday for Stony Point with a critical week of games vs. Vandegrift and Round Rock, and District 25-6A in general doesn’t yield much slack with six teams that are playoff-caliber.
Tigers junior point guard Uzziah Buntyn, who played a big part in Stony Point going 14-0 in the district a year ago and had 13 points Friday, said adjustments are key when going through the district the second time.
“It’s different, as since we’ve already played teams before, they know what we do and have us scouted out,” he said. “Implementing more stuff and keeping our level of play up are the two main things that are important. We don’t want to take that first loss in district.”
Buntyn noted that the Tigers have put an emphasis on going undefeated again in district, and though coach Antoine Thompson noted that winning a district title is a critical focus for the team, he said the seven remaining games are further preparation for what Stony Point hopes is a lengthy playoff run.
“We need to focus on getting better and not allowing ourselves to get comfortable,” said Thompson, who is 57-3 in his two years leading the program. “The district is a huge piece for us, but it’s also what we do beyond that.”
Friday, the Tigers (25-1, 7-0) showed why they’re such a difficult matchup for anyone.
While senior Josiah Moseley, who finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks, is one of the best players in the state, Stony Point has plenty of options that allow it to run multiple offenses.
Buntyn and Junior Goodlet are do-itall guards, Landon Short is a sharpshooter from deep, and Alan Guyton can handle the ball with the best point guards in the area. Conversely, Davaughn Hueitt and Elijah Clemons allow the Tigers to play big if needed.
Moseley can also be a point forward, which caused Manor major issues at times.
Ultimately, the game was over quickly, with Stony Point opening on a 19-6 run and answering both times the Mustangs got within single digits in the third quarter.
Though Manor (17-8, 4-3) had three players finish with at least 13 points, it never had an answer for the Tigers on defense.
“That’s a really good team, and we have to fight some tendencies and slow the ball down,” Manor coach Derrick Davis said. “You have to give credit to Coach Thompson and his kids and staff for what they’re doing. … We’re not the only ones who had trouble with them this year, and I don’t think we’ll be the last.”