Texas Two-Step

[glenn]

Chris Hansen takes a look at the ultra-competitive state of Texas - which will be better this year, Dallas or Houston:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=3709135

[themamba]

Look for some of the HOUSTON questions to be answered this weekend at the MCDONALDS TEXAS INVITATIONAL. Headlined by BELLAIRE, CY-FAIR, COLLEGE PARK and SUMMITT, this could be a break of dawn shootout. With the likes of NORTH SHORE, PFUGERVILLE and SA MADISON joining them, TEXAS is the only state big enough to have such a bonanza this early in the season. Throw in DUNCANVILLE, EL PASO EASTWOOD and CINCO RANCH and the DIVISION 1 bracket is loaded.

BELLAIRE and CY-FAIR are on opposite sides, but nothing is guaranteed in TEXAS. CY-FAIR likely will face SA MADISON in round two with the winner likely playing NORTH SHORE/PFUGERVILLE winner. The bottom half has BELLAIRE probably sliding by CINCO RANCH into a BELLAIRE-COLLEGE PARK/MANSFIELD SUMMITT showdown. All bets are off. The final will be played in Pasadena at the PHILLIPS Arena which had to recover from HURRICANE IKE itself. This time if the roof blows off the mother, the fans should rejoice. After all it's TEXAS b-ball and it's only November.

The first seven teams are 7 of the best 12 in 5A. And with the first five mentioned possibly 5 of the best 10 in all of TEXAS. themambas other 5 rounding it out; DULLES, LINCOLN, MIDWAY, NAAMAN FOREST and DUNCANVILLE.

FRISCO, NIMITZ, MACARTHUR, TIMBERVIEW are my next four followed by DESOTO, HIGHTOWER, CANYON, PFUGERVILLE, SA MADISON and CIBOLO STEELE.

themambas prayers go out to those in South Texas that have worked hard and continue to work hard getting their lives together. The same prayers go out to Louisiana, where still some are still recuperating four years later. Crazy.

[scoutnwhoops]

Didn't Nimitz beat North Shore by a convincing margin this past week?

I remember a lot of Texas insiders saying Griner didn't have any guard help to make a big splash but I believe North Shore is one of the favored teams in Region 3. That would be a pretty big early season win for Nimitz. Maybe the summer circuit took Griner to the next level in terms of carrying a team and making her teammates better.

[themamba]

NIMITZ beat NORTH SHORE and LAUREN FLORES by nine 47-38. GRINER as evidenced by her 25 blocks in an earlier game can save NIMITZ anything from 30-50 points a game. Great perimeter shooting might do it, or early foul trouble. NORTH SHORE (27-5) last year will still be in the thick of things come March. SHORE also has a another talented player in COURTNEY WILLIAMS.

CY-FAIR was also shocked early by HIGHTOWER by two in a buzzer-beater. Again its early, the'll be around in the early spring. They lost two last year during volleyball then ran off 34 straight and dusted a nice DESOTO team 50-33 in final. True they have gone from two OGWUMIKE's to one, but with PEOPLES and ANDERSON the BOBCATS will surely represent H-TOWN when it's all said and done.

TEXAS is just so thick.

DULLES, probably the baddest of 'em all, faces the aforementioned HIGHTOWER at high noon. Somewhere it's high noon. 7:00 Central, tonight.

[scoutnwhoops]

Let us know how it goes if you are at the game. The Dulles-Cy-Fair game in teh regionals a year ago was a fantasticly competitive game.

[themamba]

Wasn't there but I can tell you this. DULLES jumped out to 20-8 first quarter lead and never looked back. The VIKINGS prevailed 75-61 over a talented HIGHTOWER team who beat CY-FAIR three days ago. DULLES goes to 3-0 with a 37 point win against CINCO RANCH and a 23 point win in the opener against WESTFIELD. KELSEY BONE scored 28 and JAS HENDERSON had 16. DIAMOND FORD led HIGHTOWER with 21.

CY-FAIR got past CINCO RANCH 50-43 behind CHINEY UGWUMIKE and her 17 points to go to 2-1. CINCO RANCH (0-3) no doubt has had the toughest schedule thus far after facing BELLAIRE as well as DULLES and CY-FAIR. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, CINCO looks to regroup and find some light on the horizon.

[themamba]

btw, GRINER had 8 DUNKS last night in NIMITZ win.

[themamba]

FRISCO takes a bullet early and goes down to ABILENE WILEY,3A, tonight in TEXAS. FRISCO sports three D-1 players in COONEY-WILLIAMS (PEPPERDINE), MOORE ('10 class) and SIMON (ABILENE CHRISTIAN), but it's tough in TEXAS. Now powerhouses such as DESOTO, CY-FAIR, MANSFIELD SUMMIT and NORTH SHORE all have taken early l's. Texas tough.

note; MOORE sat out, but a dissapointing loss for the RUNNIN' RACCOONS nonetheless. WILEY was led by talented junior SARAH STANLEY with 22. SHAY COONEY- WILLIAMS, '08 CLASS 4- DIST 9 MVP, led FRISCO with 15. FRISCO who lost in states against DUNCANVILLE by 2 a with a chance to win at the buzzer in '07, also dropped a last second heartbreaker in REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP to LINCOLN last year. FRISCO, one of the top 5 4A teams in the state will regroup and wait to reload with MOORE.