GAMES
RANKINGS
BRACKETOLOGY: Shadow Creek, Marshall, Stafford, Hitchcock are VYPE's State Favorites
Let’s start in Class 6A DI Region III, where it gets pretty dicey in the second round.
Cypress Creek and Seven Lakes would make for a tough second-round matchup along with Atascocita vs Fort Bend Travis, Bellaire facing Cinco Ranch, and Summer Creek against Pearland. That happens, if all goes to plan in the first round.
Seven Lakes finished 30-5 on the season and second in the district behind Jordan. Their two district losses came by a total of two points. Isaiah Santos is a STUD, and one of the top players in the state.
Atascocita ran the table in a tough district and coach David Martinez leans on captains Jase Mason and Jaylen Fenner. Fort Bend Travis won the FBISD and is led by coach Craig Brownson. The Tigers are balanced and deep with Dylan Campbell and Timi Ibikunle leading the charge. Bellaire is headlined by national recruit and Duke signee Shelton Henderson and Anthony Andrews. The Cards are senior-heavy. Ridge Point and Pearland is a toss up.
In Region II, Grand Oaks leads the way for the city, who opens up with a scrappy Nimitz squad. They would likely face district champ Klein in round two. Aldine is a wild story going winless last year and into the playoffs this year. Cypress Ranch should get by Klein Forest. Duncanville lays in wait for all comers in this bracket.
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The Class 6A DII Region III bracket is TOUGH.
Shadow Creek is THAT team. Houston’s No. 1 Class 6A team is loaded going 30-2 on the season.
The Sharks have the best line up with Michael Collins, Bryce Jackson (Houston), Aiden Law and Julian Cullier all dangerous on both ends of the floor.
They have the best shot at advancing to State from this Region, but don’t sleep on Katy Jordan, Clear Springs and CE King. Jordan is balanced in the backcourt with Jaden Holt and Elijah Black and have athletic size as well.
With that being said, it is Shadow Creek’s to lose. They are just too talented.
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In Region II, College Park is sneaky good with the backcourt of Ian Inman (Colorado) and Aiden Buckman. Cypress Springs has a puncher’s chance coming out of the lower side of that bracket.
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The Class 5A DI Region III bracket has Beaumont Westbrook looming, who is the favorite. Spring Woods has had a breakout season with brothers Tavionn, Trae and Torian Pickens leading the way, however, it might be Crosby who has the best shot in this bracket coming out of H-Town. Evan Egans, Phillip Jackson and Tyler Eaden are solid scorers and went 10-2 in district play.
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The bottom of the Class 5A DII, Region III bracket is not cool… at all. Fort Bend Marshall is the No. 2 Class 5A team in the State, while Friendswood and Kingwood Park both won their respective districts. Barbers Hill is TOUGH and long as well. Up top is Randle and Iowa Colony, who are also talented. VYPE’s prediction is that FB Marshall battles through the toughtest bracket in all of the UIL Tourney and earns their way to State.
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Houston’s most dominant team this season has be Class 4A DI power Stafford. It’s the year of the Spartan as they went 34-0 so far this season. Stafford should roll to State with a bouncy team, led by Skyler Holt. He is a human-highlight reel.
In Class 4A DII, it’s the familiar names of Yates, Wheatley, Silsbee and La Marque, who will challenge for a Final Four spot. La Marque comes out of Region IV, while everyone else is in Region III.
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Can Hitchcock win State for the third staight time? It would be unpresedented, if so. The ‘Dogs are 23-8 on the season and have the swag to hoist the hardware again. Gone are Lloyd Jones III and Kelshaun Johnson, who have already enrolled in college, leaving Elijah Sherwood to do the heavy lifting. It’s going to be a road, but it can be done.
Anthony Bates Jr. of Seven Lakes Hoops
TIME TO SHINE: Pivotal matchups in Round No. 3 of the UIL Basketball Playoffs
Given that information, here is the run-down of all the must-see games in this week's Regional Quarterfinals.
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FB Clements Rangers vs. Seven Lakes Spartans
2023-24 FB Clements Basketball
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
What a season it has been for Clements Hoops.
Following a 16-0 district campaign, which marked the program's first-ever district championship, it's safe to say that this is the best that the team has ever been. Even more stunning, the Rangers (32-0) have yet to defeated this Winter, which naturally has carried over into the postseason.
Senior guard Divine Ugochukwu has been the center-piece of coach Van Price's squad, as he currently averages 17 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game. He is complemented by sophomore Aziz Olajuwon (12 ppg) and senior Joshua Clark (10 ppg, 7 rpg), and they look to keep their momentum rolling after their recent 49-26 win over Stratford.
They will now face the tough challenge of facing perennial contender Seven Lakes.
The Spartans (35-2) claimed their third-consecutive district title in undefeated (16-0) fashion, which was followed up by impressive victories over Ridge Point (72-56) and Cypress Creek (58-57) through the first two rounds of the playoffs to claim a school-record 35 wins, thus far.
Head coach Shannon Heston has a variety of dynamic athletes he can turn to, whether it be Brett Norton, Anthony Bates Jr., Nasir Price, or Tillman Jaramillo.
This could be the most pivotal matchup of the postseason, and H-Town fans aren't going to want to miss it.
2023-24 Seven Lakes Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Bellaire Cardinals vs. Katy Jordan Warriors
Some of the stars of 2023-24 Bellaire Basketball
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
It's no secret that Bellaire has been among the top teams in Houston ISD -- and citywide, for that matter -- in recent memory. That trend hasn't changed in 2024.
The Cards (29-6) are coming off a pair of postseason victories against Jersey Village (65-42) and Fort Bend Travis (54-38), which was preceded by an undefeated (12-0) district title acquisition. They now look to keep their win-streak intact when they face off against Katy Jordan -- which could be a revenge game, after narrowly falling to the Warriors 46-45 in last year's Area Round.
Coach Bruce Glover will look to his key play-makers -- namely juniors Shelton Henderson (22 ppg, 4 apg, 8 rpg), Anthony Andrews (16 ppg, 2 apg, 7 rpg), and Kohlman Dutton (12 ppg, 2 spg) -- to do so.
On the Katy Jordan-side, the Warriors (29-8) enter Round No. 3 on the heels of wins over Fort Bend Elkins (36-30) and Cy-Fair (55-40, and they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Junior guard Jaden Holt (14 ppg, 4 apg) headlines coach Charlie Jones' deep roster, followed by fellow juniors Elijah Black (11 ppg, 4 apg), Rayan Fadika (10 ppg, 2 apg), and Jude Oluokun (6 ppg, 6 rpg).
After reaching the fourth round of the 2023 playoffs, the Warriors should be plenty motivated to repeat that effort, and then some. However, Bellaire shares that same mentality, so it will be intriguing to see who will advance.
2023-24 Katy Jordan Basktball
Doug Brown (VYPE)
FB Marshall Buffaloes vs. Friendswood Mustangs
2023-24 FB Marshall Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Per the usual, the Marshall Buffs (33-2) dominated in district-play, as they extended their undefeated district win-streak to 44, en route to a third-consecutive title and ensuing playoff berth.
Legendary coach Ronnie Courtney hasn't skipped a beat from last season's tremendous performance, which saw the Buffaloes reach the Regional Finals, and that is the standard we've come to expect from his program.
Air Force-commit Chris Catchings has played brilliantly throughout the Winter. He is complemented by junior forward Kevin Sargeant and junior guard Eian Lowe, among others, which bodes well for the Fort Bend ISD representatives.
Following statement wins against Galena Park (78-22) and Barbers Hill (69-39), Marshall now looks to keep their hot-streak rolling, when they face Friendswood this Tuesday.
The Mustangs (25-10), under the direction of coach Danny Russell, are on a bit of a hot-streak themselves.
After taking silver in District 18-5A, Friendswood proceeded to defeat Nederland (59-41) and Fort Bend Kempner (40-38), which marks seven-straight wins for the team.
Russell has a relatively young squad to work with on the court, however the veterans of the group -- namely Alex Francescon, Luke Ballard, Jack Taylor, and Luke Hinchcliffe -- should provide the experience necessary to propel the Mustangs forward.
Cypress Ranch Mustangs vs. College Park Cavaliers
2023-24 Cy Ranch Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
After placing third in District 16-6A, Cy Ranch is the last Cy-Fair ISD representative standing, through two rounds of the postseason.
It shouldn't come as a shock, considering the numbers that coach Mason Huffmeister's group has been putting up as of late.
Sophomore combo guard Jacob Williford is playing at a top-tier level, which was evidenced his recent performance (23 points, 3 assists) in the Mustangs' 59-43 victory over Westfield. Similarly, Josh Goodwin Jr. (10 pts, 6 rebounds vs. Westfield) has enjoyed an exemplary sophomore campaign this Winter.
College Park (33-4), on the other hand, is coming off their third district championship (15-1) in the last four seasons.
Head coach Clifton McNeely can utilize a number of weapons within his arsenal on any given day, such as Aiden Buckmon (20 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg), Martez James (14 ppg, 11 rpg, 3 apg), Ian Inman (13 ppg), and Dalyn Johnson (9 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 spg).
The Cavs enter the third round fresh off the heels of defeating Dekaney (72-43) and Langham Creek (64-37) and look to keep surpassing last year's mark of reaching the Area Round.
It will all be decided when these two programs face off on Tuesday.
2023-24 College Park Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)