GAMES
RANKINGS
Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy rumbles past Silsbee in Class 4A State Semi
By Carter Vesta
Special to VYPE Media
The Class 4A State Semifinals between the Silsbee Tigers and Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy Eagles packed in quite the crowd on Friday afternoon. Whatever the Tigers' squad lacked in size, they made up for in fight.
As for the Oak Cliff side, they had a number of advantages that they utilized from the jump en route to a 70-62 victory.
Oak Cliff FFA, the No. 1-ranked Class 4A team in the State of Texas, came out fast and confident jumping out to a 20-9 lead after one quarter of play. Their length and athleticism were overwhelming for this young Silsbee team. The Eagles led the first half in blocks (5), along with a number of deflections that resulted in points at the other end.
Although the first half seemed to be dominated by Oak Cliff's size and speed, Silsbee was able to string together multiple runs to get within five points or less. Those runs were fueled by a high-intensity defense that forced five turnovers in the second quarter alone. A perfect 3 for 3 from the field by sophomore standout, Dre'lon Miller helped Silsbee outscore Oak Cliff FFA 22-19 in the second quarter.
The second half was much of the same story.
And here’s one of them. pic.twitter.com/Lx1Z4gwytw
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Oak Cliff dominated the paint and free throw line, followed by Silsbee turning good defense into easy offense, just for the Eagles to diffuse the run before it became too threatening.
Silsbee finished the game going 3 for 25 from beyond the arc, whereas Oak Cliff went 4 for 10. Miller had a tremendous performance, finishing with 28 points.
The Tigers have a lot to look forward to in this young man and other sub-senior pieces like Jared Harris (14 points) and Jerrick Harper (8 points). For the Eagles, scoring was evenly distributed among the veteran squad led by senior guard, TJ Caldwell (18 points), junior forward, JT Toppin (15 points), and senior forward, Brandon Walker (13 points).
Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy will face Wichita Falls Hirschi in the 4A State Championship on Saturday, March 12 at 7:00PM inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
SEMIFINALS PREVIEW: Oak Cliff Faith Family takes on Silsbee in fourth-straight state tourney appearance
The big stage of Texas high school basketball is not something that is totally unfamiliar to the Dallas Oak Cliff Faith Family boys basketball team. In fact, their appearance in the state tournament this season marks their fourth-straight appearance. VYPE DFW takes a look at their run towards the tournament and what fans can expect heading into the semifinals:
Season In Review
Typically at the top of their district, it was no surprise to any of the Eagles fans when the team posted a 10-0 district record to finish on top. Despite an early preseason loss to Dallas Kimball, Faith Family continued to play strong and post incredible victories over the likes of Dallas St. Mark's, Keller, Lancaster, Kennedale, Ranchview, Williams Prep, and more throughout the season. The Eagles have outscored their opponents by over 800 points this season.
Led by UT-Arlington signee Brandon Walker and Ole Miss signee TJ Caldwell, Faith Family took the playoffs by storm as they eliminated Spring Creek Academy, Aubrey, Dallas Lincoln, Van Alstyne, Kaufman, and most recently Dallas Carter. The team is headed into the state semifinals as poised as ever.
What To Expect
Playing in the semifinals is not going to be a cakewalk. Faith Family is looking to earn their second state title in the time-span of four years against Silsbee who won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. Although the Eagles have posted incredible victories, Silsbee just might prove to be their toughest opponent yet. Caldwell can be expected to be ready to go from the start. With high game IQ and the ability to score often, the Eagles offense is set up for success. The defense- known for being phyiscal- can be expected to be at their peak performance. Fans can expect a great game.
Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.