JimThorpe

Isn't it crazy?  Somebody looking ahead with some concern about a potential meeting with HF?  Brave new world.

I'm sure those good ol' UIL folks are losing sleep over the disparity and fretting day and night about it.  Not doubt it will all be rectified in the very near future. 
In fact, I think I'll hold my breath till they do.   Excuse me for a moment.....   1...  2...  3....

I haven’t crayola’d them in.  I’ve chipped it in granite.  It’s like already a memory.  Yates hasn’t scored less than 100 since the end of November.  But all that running and pressing and high scoring is just window dressing.  They could play modest ball control game and still run away with it.
You do have to play the games, like stepping on the bases after a home run.
 

You get my point.  There wouldn’t have been any conceding if one bracket yielded a reasonable shot at making it to the the Region Tourney and the other led to oblivion.  And I believe that Yates could win Region 3 5A. 

Don't forget, we used to have Travis!  
I didn't mind him at all.  I appreciate teh passion.
What I do mind is the refs permitting coaches on the court during play.  If it was me they would be so gone so fast it would make their heads spin.  Not blaming the coaches because they are passionate guys.  It's such a simple fix, "You're outta here and don't ever let me catch you on the court during play again, got it?"  And if every ref did it, as they all should, the problem would be nonexistent.
 

It was going to happen sooner or later and I'm glad it was Hampshire-Fannett.  .  For the last four years HF has been the team that perhaps the Tigers have mauled the worst.  I seem to recall a 118 to 19 game if memory serves.  It was impossible not to feel good for them.  They looked like they had just won the championship.  It was a well deserved win by an enormously improved program.
 
 
 

Wow.  A barn burner.  Lumberton had to win this game and they did.  Great effort by both teams.

To make much noise in the playoffs you’ve got to win the district.  The runner up faces Yates in the second round.  
Honestly it would be better this year to come in 4th than 2nd.  1st and 4th are in the other sub bracket and wouldn’t face Yates till Region.
 

You pity the fool?

Silsbee got it up to a 10 point lead in the 4th.  At that point it could have gone either way, a close win or a comfortable win.  When it reached that point the issue was no longer really in doubt.  It was a 50/50 shot that it could have been a 20 point win depending on the bounce of the ball.
I was wrong too.  But why?  How good is Lumberton after all?  They are 2 - 4 in district.  HJ handled Lumberton without too much trouble, a 22 point win.  LCM and WOS beat them.  And their two wins against Bridge City and HF were close affairs.  Silsbee has beaten all those teams.  Our predicts were perfectly reasonable.   
There are only two possibilities. 
1. This team was playing a good bit over their heads tonight. 
2. This is an under achieving team.  
Based on what I saw on the court tonight I can't help thinking it's No. 2.  I think nobody in district has seen the real Lumberton team until tonight.  This is a good team.  A really good team, better than anybody except Hardin Jefferson and really they should challenge them in the next meeting.  They can and should win out against BC, HJ, LCM and WOS.  I think they should place third in district losing again only to HJ and to Silsbee.  In my opinion Brock Mcclure is clearly one of the best players in the district, maybe third behind Bush and Wirth.  And the supporting cast is competent.  And by the way, the Raiders showed no signs of wearing out.  They had legs the whole game despite the fact that Silsbee pushed them pretty hard.
Or maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe Silsbee is the only team they really really care about challenging and they really were playing over their heads.
 
 
 

What I like is it’s an away game that’s almost as close as a home game.  Stop by Burger King on the way home and have an impossible burger.   Which is kinda like what the Raiders will be chewing on.

What I like is it’s an away game that’s almost as close as a home game.  Stop by Burger King on the way home and have an impossible burger.   Which is kinda like what the Raiders will be chewing on.

It was Raymond Baltrip #30.  He hounded Doucette for the last minutes of the first and most of the second.  Pretty much shut him down mostly by denying him the ball.  0# wasn't much of a factor in the second half.  Super job.  Baltrip is fast and quick and a good leaper at 5'11.  He was tenacious and very focused.  Will he be the one Silsbee  brings in and puts on the shooter? 
The most interesting thing about this game for me was that the Tigers scored 90 and Bush scored 26 of those.  I'll say it, only 26.  It really was a team effort.

I wouldn’t trade the last four years for anything.  But I have to say it’s more fun when you don’t know how it’s going to turn out.  
These two are so close that it feels like we just saw game one of a best of three mini-series. 
It’s important to win that series because the winner doesn’t face Yates till the region tourney.

You gotta love that kid.  My personal interest is that he reminds me of my grandson.  He's going to end up about the same height and build, maybe a little taller.  He's quick and agile but he's not going to be any kind of specimen.  I'd like him to see Wirth play in a big game.  Actually I'd like to see a lot of kids 10 to 13 year olds see Wirth play.  
I remember a few years ago when Silsbee met Hudson in the Regional Semi Final.  Hudson had a kid who looked a lot like Wirth.  In warm ups I just dismissed him as just a guy that maybe gets to play from time to time.  They announce the starting line up and low and behold.  Then the the game starts and this guy proceeds to light it up.  The Tigers were just about helpless to stop him.  And he was absolutely not fast.  He was smooooooooth though.  Deceptive.  He led Hudson to a 3 point lead at the half.  The Tigers were a little shell shocked but they came out turned it on and ran way to a 19 point win.  He didn't have that much help either.  If there had been one more like him on the court for the Hornets it would have been a question. 

We're always impressed with Bush.  But I've got to say that I"m very very impressed with Wirth as well.  I don't know how important he is from game to game but last night he was the essential element.  Without Wirth they lose by 15.  What a great basketball sense he has.  Right place at the right time.  And when push came to shove he wanted the ball and he delivered.  Is that what it's like with him all the time?  And the thing is that when they run out for warm ups he's the LEAST likely looking kid bet be the backbone of the team.  Just an average, forgive me but I have to say it, scrawny looking kid.  There's nothing scrawny about his game.
Our Tigers are a little bit better but this is a really good team.  I predict they will make it to the Regional Tournament or to Yates, whichever comes first.  The silly kids are always chanting "overrated" at Silsbee but when it comes to Hawks I'll chant "underrated".

Lived up to it’s billing.  
Tigers made lots of mistakes in the last minutes to blow a lead.  Hawks had a lot to do with that and capitalized.
I go back to my contention that the Hawks deserve to be in the top 25.

HJ has more and Silsbee has more lately.  That's fair.

And magnet schools and charter schools.  How about this.  Force charters and magnets to compete at or above 5A.  They can have as many kids as they want but they aren't permitted to compete below 5A.  Hows that for a rule change?  Give the small schools a shot.  
Of course if you'd given Liberty Hill any more of a shot they'd be the reigning state champs.

PG was a powerful team.  Deserved No 1 ranking.  Don’t feel the same way as last year.  Silsbee would have beaten last year’s PG.  That’s why I was disappointed by the semi loss last year.  Not the same this year.

Reminds me of one of the local teams.

Reminds me of one of the local teams.

Will be there with grandchildren who are bringing their Harry Potter wands just in case.

Really?  After the drubbing Wimbo handed to Navarro?  It really was an impressive beat down.
I guess they understand the significance of that 4th quarter last Friday.  They know the drill with WOS, get a 10 point lead that feels like 30 and hold your opponent at bay for the rest of the game.  But Silsbee wasn't having it and those 18 unanswered points in the 4th quarter were astounding.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  
 
 

Really?  After the drubbing Wimbo handed to Navarro?  It really was an impressive beat down.
I guess they understand the significance of that 4th quarter last Friday.  They know the drill with WOS, get a 10 point lead that feels like 30 and hold your opponent at bay for the rest of the game.  But Silsbee wasn't having it and those 18 unanswered points in the 4th quarter were astounding.  I've never seen anything quite like it.