Steele undefeated in district

Cibolo - TABC's No. 3rd ranked team in the state, Steele Knights, came into Friday night's 25-6A (3-0) matchup against the Wagner Thunderbirds (10-12, 0-3) with a 19-1 record. Steele was coming off an emotional road win Tuesday night, as they beat their rival, Clemens at the buzzer. The Knights shared the ball in their 89-49 team win, with four Knights scoring in double figures.

The Knights were led by Rivals four-star, sophomore Gerald Liddell and his 23 points. Senior guards Elijah Payne scored 15 while Kijana Love added 14. Junior forward Kolbe Littlefield chipped in with 10.

Wagner started the game with their only lead, 2-0 on a bucket by Tristan Gage. Following those two points, the Knights went on a 36-12 run to end the half and went into the break with a margin of 43-23. As the lead grew for Steele, so did their confidence. Wagner had no answer for the Knights swarming defense or their penetration to the paint on the offensive end.

"That's what we are known for," said head Steele coach Lonny Hubbard. "We have been scoring a decent amount of points but our thing is defense, and the team wasn't happy after giving up 83 points to Clemens. I knew that the kids were going to come out and be ready to play. As coaches, we had to get them focused and ready, and they responded."

When the third quarter started and the lead at 20 for the Knights, Payne came out on fire scoring seven straight points for Steele. Payne, as he did all game, drove by the Thunderbirds' defenders.

"Our coach tells us to always play hard and I tried to come out in the second half and do just that," said Payne who got to the free-throw line nine times. "The gaps were open to the rim and I tried to attack them as much I as could."

"[Elijah] is a major energy factor for us," said Hubbard of his senior guard. "Teams prepare for Gerald and Kijana, but Elijah is one of those guys that can put points on the board."

During the second quarter Liddell went to the bench with two fouls, and for over four minutes the Knights went without a field goal.

"He's a threat, and everyone we play knows who Gerald is," added Hubbard. "But the good thing is we have guys that can shoot the ball and fill in for him. That stretch shows how important he is to this team and how he can make the players around him better."

"This game was big," said Liddell. "Every game is tough in this district and we always have to come out to play. We are taking things one game at a time and we didn't want to take Wagner lightly, and we always have to go out there and prove ourselves."

The game came easy for Liddell Friday as the 6-foot-7 forward wasn't challenged by any size from the Thunderbirds squad. He scored from inside the paint and once past the arc. Liddell used his length to score over defenders but missed a few point blank lay-ins. During the first half, Liddell showed off his athleticism when he grabbed a pass off the backboard and slammed it in. But the most impressive move of the night came when Liddell took the ball the length of the court and made a hesitation move to drive by three Wagner defenders at mid-court. He then proceeded to take the ball to the rim where he laid it in. Liddell is thin but has long arms and is a nice rebounder.

A bright spot for Wagner was freshman point guard Jalen Jackson, who has been averaging nearly 16 points per game. The 5-foot-9 Jackson is the one player on the Thunderbirds team that can go out and get his shot. Jackson stepped to the line 14 times, but only made 7 (50%).

TexasHoops.com Jukes and Jumpers

• Steele collected their 20th win of the season.

• Wagner went to the line 29 times and made 14. While Steele made 21-32.

• Steele's defense only allowed Wagner two made field goals in the fourth quarter.

• Out of a combined 138 points scored (89-49), only seven three-pointers were made