TexasHoops Weekly: Looking ahead to district races (Jan. 7)

Tournament season is done and most teams in Texas are on to the battle for district supremacy. This week’s edition of THW looks at some districts that should be tight races, and some standout games that may wind up being de facto district championship matchups.

Last year’s region 4 champs Austin Westlake have already cruised out to a 6-0 record, with wins over their biggest two challengers for district in Austin Bowie and Lake Travis. But with Lake Travis losing DJ Thorpe for the year, and the emergence of Coleton Benson as a top tier scorer in the 2021 class, there’s a real chance that Austin Bowie pushes Westlake the distance rather than LT as it has been in years past. This is still Westlake’s title to lose, with Will Baker, Darius McBride and KJ Adams posing a stern challenge for just about anyone they line up against. But the lack of a high level scoring guard for Westlake may open the door for one of the other challengers to make things competitive.

After a surprise loss to Del Valle, the onus will be on Ryan Bormann and co. to knock off Bowie and claim a win against the monstrous frontcourt of Westlake, though they would still need to get a little help from somewhere else in the district. Lake Travis will have a chance to avenge their earlier 57-54 home loss to Westlake on January 22 when they make the return trip. Additionally, the meetings between Bowie and Lake Travis will be huge in how this district plays out, the first of which is tomorrow night at Bowie.

Playoff spots currently:

1- Austin Westlake, 6-0

2- Austin Bowie, 5-1

3- Lake Travis, 4-2

4- Del Valle, 4-2

This district was always going to be top heavy, and so far it has shaken out that way. Justin Northwest held serve as the top ranked school in 8-5A by defeating The Colony last week, but will have to stop the scoring force of nature that is RJ Hampton of Little Elm both home and away to reclaim their district crown. While district play hasn’t really opened up yet, don’t count out Denton Ryan or Denton Braswell from taking a game from any of these 3 teams, as both teams are talented led by Jay Wilson and MJ Leslie respectively.

Avery Anderson and Sam Freeman will see this as a great opportunity to prepare them for the gauntlet that the 5A Region 1 playoffs will be, but for Hampton and the Colony’s Bryce Okpoh, this could be a chance to announce their intent of getting to San Antonio. Little Elm travels to Northwest on Friday in a game that I’m sure that many around the region will keep their eye on.

Playoff spots currently:

T1- Justin Northwest, 2-0

T1- Little Elm, 2-0

T3- Denton Braswell, 2-1

T3- The Colony, 2-1

This might be the most heavyweight of the districts in the DFW, with both Dallas Jesuit and Allen having realistic title aspirations for the season. Right behind these two top-5 teams are a good Prosper team led by Josh Davis, and a still criminally underrated McKinney team. Behind them, Plano West with the Zambie brothers and Plano with big fella Stanely Joseph could both make moves into playoff contention after 1-2 starts to district.

As far as the race for a district title stands, Jesuit has taken the lead straight out of the gate by knocking off Prosper and defending state champs Allen, but still have to face one of the most productive scorers in the state that nobody seems to be talking about: McKinney’s Byron Schoby. Schoby can put up a 30-ball at the drop of a hat and will be dangerous no matter their opponent. Key dates to watch for this one include McKinney’s trip to Jesuit on Tuesday night, and then Allen’s chance at revenge on January 25th.

If we learned anything about Allen last year, it’s that if you give them time to gameplan, they will come up with a way to beat you. Whether or not the likes of Isaiah Stevens and Manny Obaseki can overcome the senior duo of Julius Marble and Max Abmas for the district crown remains to be seen, but be sure to circle this one on the calendar.

Playoff spots currently:

T1- Dallas Jesuit, 3-0

T1- McKinney, 3-0

T3- Allen, 2-1

T3- Prosper, 2-1