By Terry Carter
Basketball playoffs are upon us. Here is a roundup of our 5A teams.
The Paetow Panthers are dominating in boys’ basketball this season, entering Friday’s District 19-5A play with a perfect 14-0 mark. They are riding a 10-game winning streak currently with four players who are 6-5 or taller.
It’s been a great year so far as the 5A Panthers (26-5, 14-0) have bested numerous 6A teams, including Morton Ranch 72-43, Cy Woods 56-55, Klein Forest 56-48, Mayde Creek 68-59, North Shore 62-50 and College Park 72-60. Paetow closes out its regular season with district contests at College Station (12-18) on Friday and at home against Rudder on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Paetow will be the district champion, and it looks like A&M Consolidated and Jordan will also be certain playoff teams. The fourth spot appears to be between Magnolia West and College Station. Jordan (20-10, 11-4) is led by 5-11 junior Shawn Mitchell, who is averaging nearly 16 points per game, and 6-4 Trevor Martz, averaging 13.2 points.
In their Tuesday game against Brenham, Paetow won 68-45 with a 45-28 rebounding edge. The Panthers thrive playing full court defense and crashing the boards, and with their height, it’s a powerful play.
Panther guard Kamren Ingram kept the Paetow close with field goals and 3-point bombs when fouls provided the host Cubs with a 12-9 first-quarter advantage. Strong forward Charles Chuckwu added dunks and dominant inside play to hand the Panthers the lead for good in the second quarter.
Guards Elijah Roberts, Trevor Frank and inside force Chuckwu powered strong second- and third-quarter runs, 22-10 and 21-10, to give the Panthers a comfortable lead. Paetow has not be seriously challenged in District 19-5A play this season.
Boys’ basketball playoffs are set to start Feb. 21 with regional tournament slated for March 4-5. The Texas UIL State Basketball Tournament will be held March 10-12 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, according to information on the UIL website.
GIRLS’ 5A BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
The Paetow girls’ team (13-17, 5-10) posted a 66-60 win over Brenham and converted 43 percent of the Lady Panther 3-point shots. Paetow also controlled rebounding by a 44-36 margin and converted 64 percent of free throws in Tuesday’s contest.
Paetow just completed its season. The Jordan Lady Warriors (4-16) played an independent team this year before joining Katy ISD’s 6A district in the fall. Both Paetow and Jordan willl be 6A teams in the fall. During their basketball season, Jordan scored wins over numerous teams, including Clear Lake 40-39, C.E. King 30-21, Sharpstown and Sam Rayburn.
College Station, A&M Consolidated, Rudder and Magnolia West earned playoff spots from District 19-5A. The girls’ playoffs begin Monday and Tuesday.
