I recall this while contemplating the possibilities for the several area basketball teams in the playoffs. That includes four district champions. Having three or four local teams win district titles, along with Pleasanton boys basketball setting a wins record and McMullen County girls winning 20 straight games, leads one to wonder if this could be the best ever regular season in the Atascosa and McMullen Counties. This could only be topped if most of these teams have spectacular postseason runs.
The aggression that Pleasanton’s boys basketball team shows in its full court press defense is difficult to counter. Teams that are so good running that type of defense are often only forced to rely on halfcourt defense for the majority a game when they play the best teams.
Their speed and discipline in running this defense indicates they could keep it up deep into the playoffs. Combining that defense, which creates numerous turnovers, with a high-scoring offense means the Eagles have incredible playoff potential.
That validates the fact that they are the highest ranked Region IV team in the Texas Basketball Coaches Association poll. And being the highest ranked in the region indicates they could go very far in the playoffs.
Jourdanton’s girls basketball team put itself in an admirable position for having a high playoff seed after winning all 10 district games. But the way the District 3A-29 tiebreaker series played out, with Aransas Pass losing 39-37 to Odem in the opener and winning the last game against Mathis to take fourth place after being third during much of the district stretch, dealt the Squaws an daunting matchup in terms of length and speed.
The fact that the Squaws won less than half of their non-district games and then went unbeaten in district in both volleyball and basketball is remarkable. Despite its early postseason exit, that run will be memorable for fans of the red and white.
Charlotte’s girls basketball team basketball team also met a first-round exit after it had a nine-game winning streak to make the playoffs for the first time in several years.
McMullen County’s basketball teams have fascinating playoff potential. The Cowgirls reached the regional quarterfinal last year with 28 wins and could go deeper this year with the combination of Caeli Taylor’s spectacular run of scoring and substantial complementary pieces around her. Since an opponent cannot focus all of its energy on her, that makes the Cowgirls hard to stop.
Whenever I watch the Cowboys, I think about how great they could be in the playoffs because of their length and speed. Whereas the Cowgirls are rare in their wealth of scoring options for a 1A team, the Cowboys have a surprising amount of size for that level.
Jourdanton’s boys basketball team will have a tiebreaker game on Friday against Cotulla for second place in District 3A-30. As it was for the Trojanettes, this is major for the Indians in getting a favorable bi-district matchup. Being able to play George West (10-14) would be far more enjoyable for Jourdanton than Aransas Pass (23-12). After losing a heartbreaking overtime area round game to Schulenberg last year, the Indians would need to pour a lot of energy avoid the possibility of a brief playoff bout.
But, as Keating would say, what would it look like to “suck the marrow of life” in the playoffs? It could be the way Pleasanton catches opponents’ passes with ease and quickly turns them into fast break points. It could be Jourdanton and McMullen’s boys teams showing they can dial in their high energy during big games. It could be McMullen County’s girls cutting up opponents with four or five girls scoring off of scissor action.
All four of these teams will be great to watch in the postseason and can raise their game with each next round.
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