So the playoffs are here with 2 exceptions, Jay vs Clark and Johnson vs MacArthur having to settle 4th place ties this coming Friday.
Clark took care of Jay to be in the drivers seat only to lose and get upset by Marshall to be in this predicament. Clark is playing without starting PG because on an injury making their task a little bit tougher. The winner gets a shot at the city's Top Ranked 5A team, Steele.
How Johnson is in this situation is beyond any reasonable explanation. They were preseason State Ranked and now are fighting for their lives to make the playoffs. They beat down OConnor, took care of Brandeis, Churchill twice and beat District Champ Reagan once pretty convincingly only to lose to Madison twice, Roosevelt twice and to MacArthur once. Winner of Johnson vs MacArthur gets a shot at Wagner. Let's see, the way this works is Johnson might be able to beat Wagner if they get a shot but might lose to MacArthur to prevent them a shot at Wagner. Confused, well that was the point.
In the first round with games already set, some interesting match-ups:
Churchill vs New Braunfels - Has anyone won more close games than Churchill. It seems half of their District games were decided by less than 5 points. They beat Roosevelt 26 to 25 to secure second place. That means two things, either the clock is going to eventually strike midnight and it will be time to go home or will the experience and challenges of playing close games going to prepare them mentally for a long run. New Braunfels should not be overlooked. They played Judson pretty tight and had a good showing against Wagner.
Judson vs Roosevelt - Judson needs to get some consistent scoring to make a good run in the playoffs. Against Roosevelt, they play against a team that has nothing to lose which can lead to trouble if Judson doesn't have the right mindset.
OConnor vs Southwest - This should be an entertaining game to watch. They both have an up tempo feel when they play and they both like to set up traps on opposing guards. Southwest in a full court setting while OConnor likes to trap at half court. Both teams have streaky shooters especially beyond the arc. Southwest can't fall behind if they are to have a chance.
As a potential 1st round game, Wagner vs Johnson would be a nice match up with the amount of college bound players on the court at the same time. But that is getting ahead, Johnson still has to take care of business against MacArthur. The same team that they lost to once and barely beat by 3 in their first meeting.
That leaves some intriguing potential games for the second round. If all the favorites win, we should see Steele vs Judson, Stevens vs Churchill, Reagan vs OConnor, Wagner vs Brandeis.
Which leads me to this, I will only rank the previously 8 mentioned teams. Everyone else is Honorable Mention!
8) Churchill - On paper, they are overachieving which is a credit to their coach and top players. Their strengths are their guards. Can they ride their guards to a run? Can they get more contributions from an inside presence and from their bench?
7) Judson - They seem to be missing something that prevents you from stating they are playing like a well oiled machine. They have very talented and capable players. They have guards that can penetrate and create and an inside presence. They need to find their shots from the outside to open up the inside. This team has the players that can put the clamps on opposing teams with their defense, rebounding and intensity. Now is the time if they want to make a run. A lot of seniors in the starting roster.
6) Brandeis - On paper, they have one of the deepest teams. Capable, smart, savvy point guard, at least 3 legit posts, capable abundance guards especially in Freshman Gabby Connally who is able to get to the rim, hit beyond the arc, create and get to the line if need be. They will be tested early. If they can get a signature win, they can make a deep run.
5) OConnor - This team has some great wins but some losses that have not been good. A good or great inside game in basketball is like having a great running attack in football. It is quite possible that their guards can carry them far but it would be a lot easier if they can get the inside game going in a consistent manner. They are better when their defense creates offense. Out of all their wins, beating Brandeis twice impresses me most. Which team is going to show up in the playoffs?
4) Reagan - When I saw Reagan lose to Johnson, one thing that struck me besides the play of Wendy Knight, was the fact that all the young supporting cast played with a demeanor that radiates CONFIDENCE. Although they lost, they shot, they attacked, they played like they were veterans even though they are only sophomores. Going back to Wendy, she put on a show against Johnson with her game on the court and in how she conducts herself as a team leader! To go back to State, the young ones are going to have to keep playing like veterans.
3) Stevens - Does this team have a bad loss? They are healthy again and looking to make a run. One of a few teams that can literally match up against anyone in the city. They have a lot of weapons on offense and a lot of weapons on defense. Can this be the year they go to State?
2) Wagner - They are healthy again which makes them a dangerous team. They beat Steele without their complete roster. They have the most entertaining pregame ritual than any High School team I have seen. How is that important to the game? That shows me they have chemistry, a bond, trust in one another. They have in my opinion more overall players that on offense can create for themselves and/or team. If a team plays them man to man, they don't need to run plays. Spread the court and someone is going to have an advantage. You play them zone, they can light up with 3's. Can everyone stay on board for a Team Goal greater than individual performances?
1) Steele - They have shown some kinks on their armor. Even a loss to Wagner still doesn't knock them down. When you are the defending Champ, you get some latitude. Playoffs are a complete different platform than the regular season. Everything gets magnified in the playoffs. When push comes to shove, you get the sense this team's intensity will go up a lot of notches if this team feels a challenge coming on in the playoffs. Which to me still will make them the team to beat to get to State in Class 5A.
In conclusion, Brennan starts their march to State in Class 4A. Yes, these rankings are for 5A teams but there is something to be said when Brennan has BEAT 6 of my top 8 teams including ALL my top 5!
Preparation, Commitment, Experience, Skilled, Well Coached are some of the attributes that make this team tough to beat.
It would have been interesting to see what they would have done if they were in this years Class 5A Brackets.