Louisiana Report Card- State Playoffs-2nd Round

Let's see how our Louisiana correspondent did with forecasting the State High School 4A & 5A Divisions, and we'll also look ahead to the 2nd Round matchups.

In 4A, we were a whopping 13-16, and in 5A we were 13-16. If only we were in Vegas now, Baby!...lol 81% is pretty darn good.

Okay, here comes the 2nd Round.

Louisiana 5A

Huntington v St. Amant...Huntington
Mandeville v South LaFource...LaFource
Westgate v Hanville...Westgate
East Ascension v St. Thomas More...More

West Monroe v Carencro...West Monroe
Sulphur v St. Augustine...St. Augustine
Terrebone v Catholic...Terrebone
Thibodeaux v Ouchita...Ouchita

Louisiana 4A

Peabody v Franklin Parish...Peabody
Salmen v Abbeville...Abbeville
OP Walker v Istrouma...OP Walker
Edna Karr v Alexandria...Alexandria

Northside v Opelousas...Northside
McKinley v Bossier...Bossier
DeRidder v Grant...Grant
Ellender v Glen Oaks...Glen Oaks

UT-San Antonio 79 Lamar 72

Texas D-1 Ambassador Leslie Jackson was Mr. Instant Energy for UTSA last night.

Saturday evening was Homecoming at UT-San Antonio. Coach Brooks Thompson's Roadrunners did not disappoint the raucous crowd of 3128 faithful. With a berth in the Southland Conference at stake, UTSA wrapped it up with a come from behind win 79-72. Down by as many as 9 late in the 3rd they clawed their way back. This team has much more grit than last year's edition.

They were led by last year's Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year Devin Gibson. The Houston native has been slowed by injuries at different times during the season but he looked good last night, taking the Lamar guards off the dribble at will on his way to a team high 17 points.

Former Texas D-1 Ambassador Leslie Jackson also had a nice game as he brought instant energy off the bench. He had 7 points and 6 rebounds in his 15 minutes of play. Jackson originally signed with Louisiana Tech, but was so disappointed when the coaching staff was fired that he transferred to Blinn JC. This, his Junior Campaign is his first with the Roadrunners. Leslie, who played his high school ball for Coach John Reese at Bryan HS is one of the favorite all time kids I've coached as he always had intensity, gave 100% and showed the utmost respect to me as a coach.

Texas UIL Regional Quarter Finals Predictions

In round 2 of the UIL Boys 5A Texas Boys Playoffs I was 23/32 for 71%. The two Arlington schools blowing leads against their El Paso opponents hurt my predictions. However, it shows how the rest of the State is catching up and narrowing the gap between the DFW & Houston schools.

In Round 2 in the 4A classification I was 16-32. 50%. Yikess. I know, go ahead crucify me..lol Let this be a lesson to NEVER bet money on 16-17 year old kids. Keep it good clean fun.

Okay, well let's get on with the next round of battles.
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Boys 4A Regional Quarter Finals

Region 1
El Paso Andress v Canyon Randall....Randall
Legacy v Mansfield Timberview...Timberview
Amarillo Palo Duro v El Paso Chapin...Palo Duro
Fort Worth Dunbar v Everman...Everman

Region 2
Dallas Lincoln v Dallas Kimball...Kimball
Waco Midway v Waco University...Midway
Highland Park v Sherman...Sherman
Lancaster v Cleburne...Lancaster

Region 3
Beaumont Ozen v Huntsville...Ozen
Houston Washington v Houston Jones...Jones
Brenham v Livingston...Brenham
Houston Wheatley v Houston Yates...Yates

Region 4
Austin Reagan v Austin LBJ...Reagan
Roma v McCollum...Roma
Killeen v Lake Travis...Killeen
Corpus Christi Calallen v Mercedes...Mercedes

5A Regional Quarter Finals

Region 1
El Paso El Dorado v El Paso Hanks...Hanks
Plano West v Duncanville...Duncanville
El Paso Montwood v North Crowley...Montwood
Cedar Hill v Irving...Cedar Hill

Region 2
Bryan v Mesquite...Bryan
Klein Forest v Klein Collins...Collins
Desoto v Mesquite Horn...Desoto
Cy-Woods v Tomball...Cy-Woods

Region 3
Alief Taylor v Houston Strake Jesuit...Jesuit
Fort Bend Elkins v Fort Bend Bush...Elkins
Kingwood v Houston Chavez...Chavez
Fort Bend Hightower v Port Arthur Memorial...Hightower

Region 4
San Antonio Stevens v San Antonio Wagner...Wagner
Weslaco v McAllen...McAllen
Converse Judson v Pflugerville...Pflugerville
Edinburg v San Antonio Southwest...Southwest

Texas Playoff Round Up Friday February 27th

2010 Jarrell Turner of Pflugerville hit the shot "Heard Round the Cen Tex/South Texas Area" last night. He calmly came around a screen and hit the three with no time left on the clock to propel Pflugerville to a 54-52 win over San Antonio Clark and on to a meeting with Converse Judson. Judson's only loss this year came to Pflugerville.

Texas UIL BOYS 4A
Pflugerville 54 San Antonio Clark 52

Austin Lake Travis 77 Schertz Clemens 46
Killeen 68 Boerne Champion 66 OT
Austin LBJ 73 Kerrville Tivy 52
Texas UIL BOYS 5A

San Antonio Wagner 65 San Antonio Madison 64
San Antonio Stevens 71 San Antonio Reagan 68
San Antonio Southwest 86 Harlingen 52

2009 G Brandon Thompson took care of business last night to lead his San Antonio Stevens squad to a 71-68 win over San Antonio Reagan.

2011 G Jake Kocher of Austin St. Michael's poured in 27 in a last second loss in TAPPS 5ATAPPS 5A Boys

Austin St. Michael's suffered a heart breaking loss to Addison Trinity Christian Academy 66-65. With a chance to ice the game leading 65-63, St. Michael's missed two free throws allowing Addison to hit a buzzer beating 40 foot shot to earn a berth in the TAPPS 5A State Championship Game.

St. Michael's was led by 2011 G 6'0" Jake Kocher who scored 27, likely on a broken foot. He's a player to watch as along with 2011 Deion Mitchell of Pflugerville are clearly the two most prominent scoring prospects in the austin area in the Class of 2011

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UIL 5A GIRLS

Region 1

Mansfield Summit 63 Irving MacArthur 59

Duncanville 64 Arlington Bowie 56

Region 2

The Woodlands College Park 65 Garland Naaman Forest 55

Cypress Fairbanks 54 Dallas Skyline 51

Region 3

Bellaire 55 Fort Bend Hightower 37

Aldine Nimitz 76 Fort Bend Dulles 59

Region 4

San Antonio Jay 51 McAllen 27

Pflugerville 57 harlingen South 41

UIL 4A GIRLS

Region 1

Arlington Seguin 47 Canyon 35

Mansfield Timberview 53 Amarillo Palo Duro 41

Region 2

Waco Midway 78 Dallas Lincoln 44

Frisco 58 Waxahachie 47

Region 3

Del Valle 46 Houston Washington 37

Buda Hays 48 angleton 44

Region 4

Corpus Christi Ray 46 Marble Falls 45

Cibolo Steele 78 Gregory-Portland 37

TAPPS 5A GIRLS

San Antonio Antonian lost their State semifinal matchup to defending State Champion Dallas Bishop Lynch 66-43. Antonioan was led by Liz Boyd with 14 points.

Louisiana High School Boys Playoffs

2010 G 6'5" Brian Williams of #2 Baton Rouge Glen Oaks brings his explosive game to the playoff opener v Tioga. Williams currently has offers in his pocket from Oklahoma State and LSU amongst others.

2011 P 6'7" Tre Drye is likely the best sophomore in the State of Louisiana. He'll be a big part of #2 Baton Rouge Glen Oaks as they attempt to get to the Cajun Dome for the Final 4.2010 G Ronald McGhee brings his sweet stroke to the table as he leads Baton Rouge Istrouma into the 4A playoffs v Lee. Hello to all our friends down on the Bayou. We just don't cover Texas Basketball folks, we drop into Louisiana from time to time as well. Unlike Texas, the Louisiana model for the playoffs is a seeding system based on a formula that may be as confusing as the BCS. This process allows the top 32 teams to play in each classification.

In Texas, your playoff pairings are decided in advance based on your placement in District & Region. Something I do like about the Louisiana Model is that it does theoretically allow the best teams to meet in their Final 4. In Texas, there may be 2-3 teams from Houston or Dallas that have to beat it up on their way to Region with only one of them making it to the Drum for State.

So, along with the assistance of our Louisiana correspondent here are our picks for the playoffs.

5A Playoffs

1. Huntington v 32 West Jefferson....Huntington

16 St. Amant v 17 West Hammond...St. Amant

9 Jesuit v 24 Mandeville...Jesuit

8 South LaFource v 25 John Ehret...South LaFource

5 Westgate v 28 Lafayette...Westgate

12 Hanville v 21 Airline...Hanville

13 East Ascension v 20 Brother Martin...East Ascension

4 St. Thomas More v 29 Covington...Thomas More

3 West Monroe v 30 Woodlawn...West Monroe

14 Carencro v 19 Dutchtown...Dutchtown

11 Sulphur v 22 Ruston...Sulphur

6. St. Augustine v 27 Central...St. Augustine

7 Terrebone v 26 v Natchitoches...Terrebone

10 Catholic v 23 Scotlandville...Catholic

15 Thibodeaux v 18 East St. John...St. John

2 Ouchita v 31 Slidell...Ouchita

4A Playoff Pairings

1 Peabody v 32 Shaw...Peabody

16 Franklin Parrish v 17 East Jefferson...Jefferson

9 Salmen v St. Martinville..Salmen

8 Abbeville v 25 Northwood...Abbeville

5 OP Walker v 28 St. Michael...Walker

12 Istrouma v 21 Lee...Istrouma

13 Edna Carr v 20 Carroll...Edna Carr

4 Alexandria v 29 Franklinton...Alexandria

3 Northside v 30 Beau Chene...Northside

14 Minden v 19 Opelousas...Opelousas

11 LaGrange v 22 Mckinley...LaGrange

6 Bossier v 27 Leesville...Bossier

7 DeRidder v 26 Zachary...DeRidder

10 Grant v 23 Teurlings...Grant
15 McDonogh v 18 Ellender...McDonogh

2 Glen Oaks v 31 Tioga...Glen Oaks

Converse Judson 57 Austin Westlake 54

Westlake's 2010 duo of PG Cody Doolin had their high school season cut short by Judson last night despite great performances by both.2009 duo Ned Cox & Alex Lewis just would not quit and willed their Judson team to victory.

Big Chris Wacker dropped 16, including 6-7 from the free throw line for the Rockets.

Texas Basketball Inc. will be at New Braunfels Canyon HS tonight for the 2nd Round UIL 5A Boys matchup between Austin Westlake and Converse Judson. The game will be streamed LIVE & FREE at http://www.texasbasketballinc.com/ Click on the "MAX AUDIO" tab and enjoy!

PREVIEW

Austin Westlake looked extremely crisp in thumping a very solid San Antonio Lee team in the 1st Round. 2010 PG Cody Doolin led the way with 30 points and 2010 W 6'6" Conner Kemper added 20 and did yeoman work on the boards.

Converse Judson has lost only once all year to Pflugeville. Unlike Lee they'll have plenty of height and depth to toss at the Chaps. They'll be led by 2009 G Ned Cox an 2009 Chris Wacker who has signed with St. Edward's.

This one should be a dandy. Westlake will come with full court pressure against a team that is highly structured offensively, well coached and not easily rattled. Role players may well be the difference. Wildcard: Westlake Freshman 2012 6'6" Drew Wikelius. Can the frosh grow up in a hurry and compete against Judson's Big front line? Prediction: Westlake by one....at the buzzer.

GAME

This was an extremely well played high school basketball game. You can hear it in it's entirety at http://www.texasbasketballinc.com/ as it's archived on the "MAX AUDIO" portion of our site. My special guest at half time was Texas State head Coach Doug Davalos.

Westlake was behind 2-0 before the whistle blew as theyreceived a tech for dunking in the warm ups. After Westlake made it 3-2, Judson never trailed. Their lead flucuated from 4-8 points for most of the game until Westlake went on a 4th quarter run to tie the score at 45-45. It was then that Senior Alex Lewis took over scoring 2 big reverse layup baskets in traffic and then hitting several free throws down the stretch to keep the Chaps from closing in.

Westlake was led by 2010 W Conner Kemper with 18 points & 6 rebounds and 2010 PG Cody Doolin with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. 2009 Cliff Houston finished his high school career with 13 points including three triples that keyed the Westlake 4th quarter run.

The Judson Rockets pushed their record to 35-1. 2009 PG Demarcus Richardson dropped 7 dimes, 2009 Alex Lewis had 9 pts including 7 down the stretch, & St. Mary's signee Chris Wacker added 16 to keep his high school career alive. The heart and soul of Judson on this night though was 2009 G Ned Cox.

Along with Leander's Joel Smith, and Stevens Brandon Thompson, Cox is one of the best unsigned seniors in the area. Not sure of his academic situation but D-1's and Jukes need to definitely have a look. He can catch and shoot with the best of them, with a smooth stroke. Cox finished with 16, including 4 three pointers. he suffered a scary injury with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and was assisted to the locker room. As Westlake was making it's run, the crowd let out a roar as he returned to the bench with about 5 minutes to play. Even though you could see a limp and he was not that effective, I believe his toughness translated over to his team mates as he willed them to victory. We pray that he's healthy to play again next Wednesday.

Texas UIL 5A Boys- Super 64 (2nd Round)

Let's see if I can improve on my 78% correct picks in Round 1, in the 5A Boys Division.

Region 1

El Paso El Dorado v Arlington Bowie....Bowie
Arlington Martin v El Paso Hanks...Martin
Hurst LD Bell v Plano West...West
Duncanville v TBD....Duncanville

Midland v North Crowley
Mansfield Summit v El Paso Montwood...Montwood
Coppell v Cedar Hill...Cedar Hill
Irving v Lewisville Flower Mound...Irving

Region 2

Garland Lakeview Centennial v Bryan....Bryan
Mesquite v Garland Naaman Forest....Naaman Forest
Klein Forest v Leander....Leander
Langham Creek v Klein Collins....Collins

Garland v Desoto....Desoto
Mesquite Horn v Richardson Lake Highlands...Horn
Spring Westfield v Cy Woods...Cy Woods
Round Rock McNeil v Tomball....McNeil

Region 3

Alief Taylor v Austin Eisenhower...Eisenhower
Houston Madison v Houston Strake Jesuit....Jesuit
Galena Park North Shore v Fort Bend Elkins...Elkins
Fort Bend Bush v LaPorte....Bush

Alief Elsik v Humble Kingwood...Kingwood
Houston Chavez v Katy Seven Lakes...Chavez
Deer Park v Fort Bend Hightower
Fort Bend Travis v Port Arthur Memorial....Travis

Region 4

San Antonio Reagan v San Antonio Stevens....Stevens
San Antonio Madison v San Antonio Wagner...Wagner
Laredo United v Weslaco....United
Harlingen South v McAllen....McAllen

Austin Westlake v Converse Judson....Westlake
San Antonio Clark v Pflugerville...Pflugerville
Laredo Alexander v Edinburg...Edinburg
Harlingen v San Antonio Southwest....Southwest

Texas UIL Boys 4A Super 64 (2nd Round)

Here we go again stepping into the deep water to pick the 32 games being played over the next 2 days in 4A Boys playoff action.

Region 1

Andress v Wolfforth Frenship.....Frenship
Canyon Randall v El Paso Austin....Randall
Wichita Falls v Legacy....Legacy
Mansfield Timberview v Azle...Azle

El Paso Burges v Amarillo Palo Duro...Palo Duro
Abilene Cooper v El Paso Chapin...Chapin
The Colony v Fort Worth Dunbar....Dunbar
Everman v Denton Ryan....Everman

Region 2

McKinney v Dallas Lincoln...McKinney
Dallas Kimball v Denison....Denison
Longview v Waco Midway...Longview
Waco University v Whitehouse..Whitehouse

Dallas Highland Park v Dallas Carter...Carter
Dallas Woodrow WIlson v Sherman
Jacksonville v Lancaster...Lancaster
Cleburne v Pine Tree...Pine Tree

Region 3

Manor v Ozen....Ozen
Houston North Forest v Huntsville...North Forest
Houston Washington v LaMarque...LaMarque
Angleton v Houston Jones....Angleton

Brenham v Crosby...Crosby
Livingston v Del Valle....Livingston
Houston Wheatley v Lamar Consolidated...Wheatley
Texas City v Houston Yates...Yates

Region 4

Austin Reagan v San Antonio Alamo Heights....Reagan
Kerrville Tivy v Austin LBJ...Tivy
Floresville v Roma...Roma
Corpus Christi Flower Bluff v San Antonio McCollum...McCollum

Killeen v Boerne Champion...Champion
Schertz Clemens v Austin Lake Travis...Lake Travis
Medina Valley v Corpus Christi Calallen...Medina Valley
Mercedes v Port Lavaca...Port Lavaca

Texas UIL Girls 4A & 5A Sweet Sixteen

In 4A they are down to 16 teams vying for the State Championship. 7 of those teams are from Central/South Texas

Region 1

Canyon v Arlington Seguin
Amarillo Palo Duro v Mansfield Timberview

Region 2

Dallas Lincoln v Waco Midway
Frisco v Waxahachie

Region 3

Del Valle v Houston Washington
Buda Hays v Angleton

Region 4

Marble Falls v Corpus Christi Ray
Cibolo Steele v Gregory Portland
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In 5A they are also down to their Sweet Sixteen. 4 of those teams are from Central/South Texas.

Region 1

Mansfield Summit v Irving MacArthur
Arlington Bowie v Duncanville

Region 2

Garland Naaman Forest v Woodlands College Park
Dallas Skyline v Cypress Fairbanks

Region 3

Bellaire v Fort Bend Hightower
Aldine Nimitz v Fort Bend Dulles

Region 4

San Antonio Jay v McAllen
Pflugerville v Harlingen South

Coach Max's Prognostication Report Card

After stepping out on a limb, and forecasting ALL 128 1st Round Games in the Boys UIL 4A-5A playoff bracket there were mixed results.

In 4A I picked 75% of the winners correctly. 48 of 64.

Biggest upset losses of the opening round were suffered by the following District Champions.

2-4A El Paso Ysleta
10-4A Carrolton Newman Smith
28-4A San Antonio Brackenridge
30-4A Corpus Christi Miller

In 5A I picked 78% correctly 50 of 64.

2-5A Midland Lee
5-5A Keller Fossil Ridge
14-5A The Woodlands College Park
20-5A Houston Bellaire
24-5A Galveston Ball

CONCLUSION: It appears I have a little more insight than a trained chimpanzee, but how much we're not sure...lol Stay tuned as I pick the 2nd Round Games.