Hunter92

I'm not going, but I would love to see Lipan. That starting lineup is ridiculous and sounds more like the lineup for some prep school rather than a tiny 1A. Its hard to imagine a school that small being so stacked with size. And it sounds like those boys live and breathe basketball..... Those small schools that live and breathe the game are fun to watch, and are usually good enough that they could compete for the 2A or 3A title. 

Very correct statements. There are two primary reasons that Kountze has the ability to make it to Regionals every year:   A.) Joubert is a great coach and he implements a playing style that does not rely on superstar performances, but it rely's on hustle and teamwork.  B.) The kids at Kountze have such a strong confidence after 20+ years of winning at a high level that they literally believe they can make it to state every year no matter what the roster looks like.
If you take this same group of kids, put them with a mediocre coach, and take that "Kountze Confidence" away from them, then they are probably going out in the 2nd round of the playoffs. That's not meant as a knock on this group of kids, but it is a testament to their extreme confidence and Joubert's ability as a coach.  

Your last comment is exactly the point I made earlier. They were 3 pts away from playing silsbee in the 4A title game a year ago

I'm hoping for the best for Buna, but they are certainly the major underdog in this one. From what I have read in other threads, it sounds like La Marque is more like a legit 4A team rather than a good 3A team. Unbiased observers who have seen both Buna and La Marque say that La Marque is on another level.
Buna is kinda screwed either way because IF they get past La Marque, then they will most likely get # 3 Jarrel in the Regional Semis. Its probably safe to say that Buna has the toughest road to the Regional Finals out of any SETX team..... Two top 5 teams in their bracket. They should have just let Kountze have the 1 seed lol.
Nevertheless, this is the playoffs and Buna is a solid team, so I guess anything is possible. 

I'm hoping for the best for Buna, but they are certainly the major underdog in this one. From what I have read in other threads, it sounds like La Marque is more like a legit 4A team rather than a good 3A team. Unbiased observers who have seen both Buna and La Marque say that La Marque is on another level.
Buna is kinda screwed either way because IF they get past La Marque, then they will most likely get # 3 Jarrel in the Regional Semis. Its probably safe to say that Buna has the toughest road to the Regional Finals out of any SETX team..... Two top 5 teams in their bracket. They should have just let Kountze have the 1 seed lol.
Nevertheless, this is the playoffs and Buna is a solid team, so I guess anything is possible. 

This is the recipe for beating kountze. If a team is fundamentally sound, can break the press, and defend the 3 ball, they can beat Kountze. You don't need a team of superstars or some magical formula to beat them, you just have to handle the pressure and not turn the ball over. Problem is that most teams can't handle the press consistently for 4 quarters. Best of luck to Kountze. 

It sucks when stuff like this happens. Tough break for Buna, and possibly all of region 3.
Now back to Kountze vs. Newton! lol

Those are the teams I think of when I think of Kountze basketball, 06'-10'. Roman Walker, Devin Bray, Domingo... all those guys. It felt like we were playing a friggin college team when we played them. They literally beat us by as much as 60 pts some games lol. It was downright sad. 
I loved watching them play EC with Vance McDonald and Tramain Thomas. It felt like you weren't even watching high school basketball when they played. 

I've heard Michael McMahon was friggin bad to the bone. And I played against the 7 ft. Marks guy in an alumni game a few years ago. That's the biggest human I have ever stood beside. 

Both coaches are great. Joubert's record the last 10+ years speaks for itself. You can't be a legit state tourney contender every single year for over a decade without great coaching. The last couple years he has had to deal with a severe depth issue and even a lack of physical size compared to the kountze teams from several years back. Nevertheless they went to state 2 years ago and nearly returned last year. Nobody should question this man.
Whitmire inherented a CRAPPY program when he was only 24 or 25 yrs old. We had some 4 & 5 win seasons right before he took over, so it was bad. It took a few years but he has turned it around and made Buna a well respected program again. 2 years ago he broke a 12 or 13 year playoff drought, then last year led the team 3 rounds deep after losing 4 starters and 2 key bench players from the year before. He is still very young and still learning and will only get better. 
I expect to see some GREAT basketball between these two teams for years to come if these two coaches stay put. Gone are the days of Kountze running away with the district title year after year. 

EC is the more complete team and should come away with a hard fought win tonight. However, Buna definitely has what it takes to come up with the upset, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they go home with the W tonight. 
As for the future, Buna is here to stay. Kudos to Whitmire for        resurrecting that program from utter shame just a few years ago. They have 2 freshmen playing major minutes (one of which is arguably their best player), and they will return most of the team, including most of the starters next season (only losing 3 seniors I believe). They also have some good talent at the junior high and freshmen levels that will be moving up over the next couple years. 
I believe 23 3A will be the premier basketball district in the state for years to come, with Buna, EC and Kountze battling it out every year. As I said, Buna is here to stay, and we all know that Kountze and EC aren't going away either.
I predict Buna to win the district outright and make a strong push for the state tourney next season.