SAN ANTONIO GIRLS HS BBALL TOP 10 TEAMS 1-28-16

I am going to bring up last Monday's NBA match up between the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Yes, you might say the game really doesn't matter in the large scope of things but it does in some respects. The Warriors have won 40 straight at home and the Spurs have their own home winning streak going. Where would you want to play a 7 game playoff series? Most definitely at Home! Yes people counter with the fact the Spurs are a veteran team and they can overcome that. True, but it didn't work last year when they lost in the first round. 

Where am I going with this cause unlike the NBA, for the most part, High School teams don't have much of a home court advantage when they play in the larger venues, well playoff seeding does make a difference.

It's a long season, but every game has significance when things are so close. Last year the Spurs lost their last regular season game to the #8 seed and it cost them a higher seed as well as home court advantage in the first round. Things might have turned out different.

High School Girls Basketball is heading to the final stretch as teams are looking to clinch playoff berths and secure the best seeding possible. Would you want to face a team in the opening round of the playoffs thats a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th seed? The road in the playoffs is definitely easier the higher seed you land in District play.

In District 25-6A, Steele seems to have firm control on the District title with a 2 game lead and only 4 games left to go. But with both Judson and Wagner still lurking right behind, anything can happen.

In District 26-6A, Reagan and Johnson meet this weekend. If Reagan wins, they will have a heavy advantage to take the District title. Johnson with only one loss to Reagan in District play need a win to force a tiebreaker if they both can win out. I'm sure Madison is going to have something to say before it is all over. Churchill has the inside track for the last playoff spot by beating Lee earlier. Lee needs to win out including beating Churchill  the next time they meet to have a chance at the last playoff spot.

In District 27-6A, Six teams still have a viable shot at making the playoffs with only 4 slots available. Clark and Brandeis are both tied for first with one loss each and are virtually assured of two playoff spots with one of them seemingly the District Champ. They play each other next Wednesday, the 3rd of February. Out of both teams, Brandeis seems to have an easier schedule to finish out. 
Taft and O'Connor have the inside track for the last remaining playoff spots with a two game lead over Brennan and Stevens. But Taft has a tough schedule to end the season including a match up with Brennan. Brennan has a softer schedule but needs to beat Taft to strengthen their chances of making the playoffs. Stevens will need to beat O'Connor when they play each other next time they meet to have an outside chance, plus they need to win out as well.

In District 28-6A, Corpus Christi Carroll and Southwest sit atop the District lead with one loss each. They both face off on Friday for seemingly the District title if the winner can win out. East Central and CC Ray are sitting pretty for the final two playoff spots.

In TAPPS 2-5A, Antonian and Incarnate Word meet again next week to determine the District Champion. Both teams are locks for the playoffs.

This is the way I see it going into this weekend's play.
My Top 10 are as follows:

1) Steele- WINS: John Tyler, Argyle, Brandeis, Floresville, Brennan, O'Connor, Austin Bowie, Clemens, Judson, Wagner   LOSSES: Austin Bowie 
NOTES: Can anyone beat them from the San Antonio area? Only loss to Austin Bowie was avenged. The most consistent team plus loaded with talent. You better have some good guard play, strong inside presence and good shooting if you want to have a chance. That translates into Steele has a tough defense.

2) Clark-  WINS: Incarnate Word, Brandeis, Brennan LOSSES: Killeen, Argyle Liberty Christian, Taft 
NOTES: A very solid team with very strong guard play with a good inside presence. Didn't play many solid San Antonio teams outside their district which can hurt them once playoffs start. They have the talent to duplicate last years O'Connor great playoff run.

3) Incarnate Word- WINS: Westbury Christian(Twice), Kinkaid, Wagner, SA Cole, Johnson, Floresville, Antonian, St Stephens LOSSES: Georgetown, Westbury Christian, Richardson, Fayetville, AR 
NOTES: Strong guard play with a mixture of veterans and young talent. A lot of capable shooters. If their defense is on, they have a strong fast break that can finish inside and out. Savvy floor general along with a bona fide scorer provides you a solid 1, 2 punch.

4) Judson- WINS: RR Westwood, Killeen, O'Connor(Twice), Wagner, Clemens LOSSES: Cedar Vista Ridge, Madison, Clemens NOTES: Talented and athletic club. Their defense provides sparks fast break opportunities. They have players that can hit the long ball at a moments notice which opens up the middle. At times, their overall intensity can be scary to opponents. 

5) Antonian-  Wins: Johnson (Three times), Brennan, Brandeis, Amarillo, St Stephens Losses: Johnson, Devine, Boerne, Incarnate Word NOTES: Overall its hard to find a team that gives you more effort and all out drive to compete than this group. They have shooters to compliment their aggressive defense.  If you happen to play them, you better have some able guards cause you are going to be in for a long day if you don't.

6) Johnson- WINS Antonian, Wagner, Brandeis, Lee, Taft LOSSES: Antonian (Three times), Taft, Incarnate Word, Brennan, Reagan NOTES: A solid and very athletic front court. That is the key to their success. Offensive rebounds for second chance opportunities and defensive rebounds to start the fast break with a very capable point guard leading the way. They are most effective when they run the court getting to the bucket.

7) Wagner- WINS: Brandeis, Brennan, Plano Prestonwood, Clemens LOSSES: Incarnate Word, South Grand Prairie, Galena North Shore, Johnson, Richardson, Cedar Hill, Plano, Judson, Steele NOTES: Guard play are playmakers extraordinaire. Injuries have hurt as well as of lack of depth.

8)Brandeis- WINS: Amarillo, Taft, Brennan, O'Connor Losses: Antonian, Steele, Wagner, Brennan, Judson, Johnson, Clark, Clemens 
NOTES: Another exceptional playmaking guard with some some nice solid players to go along with. They have taken their lumps early on in the season but seem to be clicking.

9) Reagan- WINS: Johnson, Clemens LOSSES: Wagner, Johnson, Brandeis, Brennan, Steele, RR Westwood, Pfurgerville, Killeen 
NOTES: Solid and very capable starting unit inside and out. Another team that took their lumps early on but is clicking at the right team. Strong Senior leadership provides an essential ingredient of going deep in the playoffs.

10) Clemens- WINS: Judson, Brandeis LOSSES: Johnson, Brandeis, Wagner, Steele, Judson NOTES: Even if they come out as a 4th seed, look out for them. They can still make some noise.

GAMES OF NOTE:

FRIDAY

CC Carrol at Southwest 630pm

Judson at Wagner 7pm

Steele at Clemens 7pm


SATURDAY

Reagan at Johnson (LITTLETON GYM) 130pm

O'Connor at Clark (TAYLOR FIELDHOUSE) 2pm


GO SUPPORT GIRLS BASKETBALL!!!!!!

SAN ANTONIO GIRLS HS BBALL TOP 10 TEAMS 1-13-16

Once upon a time, the Antonian vs Incarnate Word game would be a big deal in the Private School community. This season, it's turning out to be one of the biggest games in the city!

How did Private Schools get to the point here in San Antonio where they are able to compete against any team in the Public School system?

Take a look into both Antonian and Incarnate Word rosters and you will find most kids are also involved heavy into the AAU/Club basketball scene that runs pretty much as soon as High School season is over. The majority of both teams rosters actually started playing Varsity competition in their Freshman season. 
A lot of these kids will be playing at the next level as well.

What makes this matchup interesting and very intriguing is the fact that most kids playing were teammates in Private School ever since elementary as well as teammates in AAU/Club Organizations either right now in the present or at different stages of their playing career. 

It is rare in the Public School setting that a lot of the Parents know each other from opposing teams. 
You cannot say that in this Private School setting, especially of some of the friendships that were formed as way back to when the players were enrolled in Day Care!

On Thursday 6pm at the Alamo Convocation Center, both teams will finally face off in their first matchup of the season. And for sure there is going to be the thrill of victory for one team and for at least a little while, the agony of defeat for the other!
But make no mistake, both teams have made themselves proud by their overall play and how they have represented their respective schools, family, friends and fan base all season long!

They have made Private Schools a Cool place to be! ........And to me that's a pretty cool thing!

Here are my Top 10 teams as of this week:

1) Steele- WINS: John Tyler, Argyle, Brandeis, Floresville, Brennan, O'Connor, Austin Bowie, Clemens, Wagner   LOSSES: Austin Bowie

2) Antonian-  Wins: Johnson (Three times), Brennan, Brandeis, Amarillo Losses: Johnson, Devine, Boerne

3) Clark-  WINS: Incarnate Word, Brandeis LOSSES: Killeen, Argyle Liberty Christian, Taft

4) Incarnate Word- WINS: Westbury Christian(Twice), Kinkaid, Wagner, SA Cole, Johnson, Floresville LOSSES: Georgetown, Westbury Christian, Richardson, Fayetville, AR

5) Judson- WINS: RR Westwood, Killeen, O'Connor(Twice), Wagner LOSSES: Cedar Vista Ridge, Madison, Clemens

6) Clemens- WINS: Judson, Brandeis LOSSES: Johnson, Brandeis, Wagner, Steele

7) Johnson- WINS Antonian, Wagner, Brandeis, Lee, Taft LOSSES: Antonian (Three times), Taft, Incarnate Word, Brennan

8) Wagner- WINS: Brandeis, Brennan, Plano Prestonwood, Clemens LOSSES: Incarnate Word, South Grand Prairie, Galena North Shore, Johnson, Richardson, Cedar Hill, Plano, Judson, Steele

9)Brandeis- WINS: Amarillo, Taft Losses: Antonian, Steele, Wagner, Brennan, Judson, Johnson, Clark, Clemens

Tied for 10): O'Connor, Brennan, Reagan,

Games to Watch
Friday 1/15/2016
Steele vs Judson 7pm

GO SUPPORT GIRLS BASKETBALL!

SAN ANTONIO GIRLS HS BBALL TOP 10 1-3-16

As I was watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I thought I had a better chance of finding out where Luke Skywalker was hiding than trying to figure out what the city's Top Ten teams look like.

One thing for sure, the dynamics of District races has changed through the years. It was almost a given to predict which teams were coming out from each District into the State playoffs. In some cases, it was a given in what numerical seeds those teams were going to be as well.

But with the emergence of Club ball around the city as well as with a lot of quality trainers, High School teams are getting more and more competitive because there are more quality players around the city.

For the record, in my opinion, the term "Elite Player" is used too loosely by some.

But it's almost starting to feel like the days where a team that fielded an "Elite Player" or "Players"  that would just walk through all the competition are over for now. So many quality players all around the city are making a difference and also making it interesting in predicting who is going to win over who. 

Looking at the box scores, many teams on the outside looking in have come close to posting so called upsets.

But in reality there is no such thing as upsets this High School girls basketball season because PARITY has taken hold.

Team A beats team B by 30pts and then Team B beats a team that beat Team A! What!!!!

But thats the beauty of sports, as long as you have a chance no matter how small and minute, your team has RELEVANCE!!!!

Most like and cherish the underdog role but deep down aim and long to be the TEAM to beat!
It's just Human Nature.
Aren't the best movies or stories about overcoming all odds and coming out on top!

Isn't that why Star Wars movies and characters are so adorned!

So District play has started for most teams and your team might be down or they might be up, remember the most important stretch is upon us!

I have some advice to all the teams 
"May the Force be with YOU!"

Here are my Top 10 teams for the City....

1) Steele- Wins: John Tyler, Argyle, Brandeis, Floresville, Brennan, O'Connor, Austin Bowie Losses: Austin Bowie

2) Clark-  Wins: Incarnate Word, Brandeis Losses: Killeen, Argyle Liberty Christian

3) Antonian-  Wins: Johnson (Twice), Brennan, Brandeis, Amarillo Losses: Johnson, Devine, Boerne

4) Incarnate Word- WINS: Westbury Christian(Twice), Kinkaid, Wagner, SA Cole, Johnson, Floresville LOSSES: Georgetown, Westbury Christian, Richardson, Fayetville, AR

5) Johnson- WINS Antonian, Wagner, Brandeis, Lee LOSSES: Antonian (Twice), Taft, Incarnate Word, Brennan

6) Wagner- WINS: Brandeis, Brennan, Plano Prestonwood, Clemens LOSSES: Incarnate Word, South Grand Prairie, Galena North Shore, Johnson, Richardson, Cedar Hill, Plano

7) Clemens- WINS: Judson, Brandeis LOSSES: Johnson, Brandeis, Wagner

8) Judson- WINS: RR Westwood, Killeen, O'Connor(Twice) LOSSES: Cedar Vista Ridge, Madison, Clemens

9)Brandeis- WINS: Amarillo, Taft Losses: Antonian, Steele, Wagner, Brennan, Judson, Johnson, Clark, Clemens

Tied: O'Connor, Brennan, Reagan, Taft

Special Shout Out to Devine and Floresville girls basketball teams playing some great basketball as well!

Games of note:

Tuesday January 5th, 2016
Clemens at Steele 7pm
Wagner at Judson 7pm
Taft at Clark 630pm
Johnson vs Reagan 630pm

Friday January 8th, 2016
Steele at Wagner 7pm

Don't underestimate the Power of Girls Basketball, its force is great!

GO SUPPORT GIRLS HS BASKETBALL!!!!!!!