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On the road with Texas Hoops: Texas Invitational Day One

Pasadena - Pasadena Dobie hosted McKinney in one of eight 9am games to tip off the McDonald's Texas Invitational. TexasHoops.com Analyst Blue Zertuche covered the first day of action around Pasadena and brings you notes from Day one.

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Senior Royce Hunter came out and lit up the nets scoring 20 points in the first half of the Dobie/McKinney match up. Leading 39-36 at half, the Dobie Longhorns kept finding the 6-foot-2 athlete and Hunter scored another 25 points to give him 45 for the game. Hunter made five three-pointers and connected on 12-15 from the charity stripe.

Teammate and senior point guard Jeremy Williams added 16 points and dished out plenty of assists. Williams broke down the McKinney Lions defense and stepped into the paint to lay it in. He was explosive in the open court and showed different speeds to his game.

On the losing side was the Lions’ unsigned scoring point guard E.J. Clark who scored 30 points in the 85-75 loss.

Clark did a great job of keeping the game close and taking the ball to the basket. He played physical and absorbed contact in the lane. The Lions have been known for their fast paced and multiple scorers on the court, but it will be a team who relies on Clark and his skills and ability to score. He was able to show that he could run a team and that getting by his opponents wasn't an issue.

Fellow Lion, Dominic St. Leon nailed three three-pointers and was able to get open on the perimeter.

Javonne Lowery scored 2-points against Kingwood, and came back to score 16 against North Crowley
Javonne Lowery scored 2-points against Kingwood, and came back to score 16 against North Crowley

Pearland Oilers had to fight their way to a 39-33 win over a pesky Kingwood Mustangs team who is always looking to wear down their opponents, forcing them to play defense because the Mustangs are very precise offensively. At the half, Pearland went into the locker room holding a three point 13-10 lead.

Pearland was led by senior Javon Hedgeman and his 13 points and Kenny Brown chipped in with 11. Pearland has many long and intriguing prospects, but it was sophomore Javonne Lowery who caught the TexasHoops.com staffers eye. Lowery is an athletic built forward who runs the floor and made one move to finish smoothly at the rim. That were his only points of the game for the sophomore, but keep in mind that the Oilers are a senior-heavy team with more experience than Lowery. -But he certainly passes the eye test.

There was a nice battle between Houston Cougars signee Fabian White and sophomore standout Drew Timme during the afternoon boy’s session at the Texas Invitational.

The two bigs nearly matched each other point for point with Atascocita’s White going for 20, and Timme from Pearce finishing with 22 of his own.

Atascocita won the game 60-55 and it was due to the experience of White and his teammates. White was tough around the paint and played with his usual bounce.

For Pearce, Timme, a member of the class of 2019 is a back to the basket post that has a good face up game and will step out to hit the occasional three-pointer. Watching Timme, it's clear that he understands how to play in the post and works by pinning his opponents in the paint to score over his shoulders. Timme showed flashes (even last year) of elite post player moves. He also had 13 rebounds in the contest and he grabs the ball off the rim. Timme battles against athletes at each end and is active. The 6-foot-9 Timme has offers from Oklahoma State, SMU, Creighton and most recently, TCU.

It's always fun to watch TJ Starks of Lancaster as he hits tough shots, creates separation with his step-back from behind the arc and how easy he makes scoring 30 points can look. Versus Clear Brook the future SEC guard did all those things listed except he didn't go for 30, he finished with 29. Starks has his own style with the beefed up frame and his lefty stroke. Down one (31-30) headed into the half, Starks did his part to keep his Tigers in the game by hitting 3-threes and scoring 19. He added one more three plus a fadeaway short corner jumper and a few layups to push the team to a win 68-50.

Clear Brook’s David Azore went for 35 when he played College Park and added 20 to end the night while matching up against Lancaster. Azore proved to be a steal for UT-Arlington as a versatile wing and a high-power scorer.

Finally, the night ended at the Fort Bend Bush/Duncanville game as we caught the final few minutes. With the game tied 62, junior PJ Byrd slung a pass to his open teammate William Chivas (19 points) to get the 64-62 win.

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