There is something to look forward to after the Holidays: At some point, Westwood, Stony Point and Round Rock will have to start playing each other. Perhaps then and only then will we find out who is the top dog in Austin-area Boys basketball.
Or maybe not, since they’ll meet twice and might just fight each other to a draw. Plus, the other squads aren’t yet ready to concede.
But for now, they remain atop the pile. Westwood, the area’s only undefeated squad, was idle last week while the Tigers and Dragons tuned up with easy district wins. St. Michael’s continues to impress while early District 26-6A leader Westlake rounds out the Top 5.
The rest of the rankings saw only slight movement. Vandegrift and Dripping Springs crept up two spots while Rouse and McCallum entered on the ground floor.
Most teams will compete in various Holiday tournaments this weekend before the district races crank up for real. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
VYPE's Austin Boys Basketball Rankings
1. (1) Westwood Warriors (6A) – 18-0 (Idle)
2. (2) Stony Point Tigers (6A) – 16-2 (Def. Manor)
3. (3) Round Rock Dragons (6A) – 16-3 (Def. Hutto)
4. (4) St. Michael’s Warriors (TAPPS) – 17-2 (Def. LASAA)
5. (6) Westlake Chaparrals (6A) – 11-5 (Def. Austin High)
6. (7) Lago Vista Vikings (4A) – 15-1 (Def. Florence; Def. Northeast)
7. (5) Liberty Hill Panthers (5A) – 12-5 (Def. Lockhart; L vs. Glenn)
8. (8) East View Patriots (5A) – 14-5 (Def. Pflugerville Connally)
9. (9) Leander Lions (5A) – 13-4 (Def. Cedar Park; Def. Lehman)
10. (12) Vandegrift Vipers (6A) 13-5 (Def. Cedar Ridge)
11. (10) Brentwood Christian (TAPPS) 16-8 (1-2 in Faith Academy Classic)
12. (14) Dripping Springs (6A) 11-7 (Def. Bowie)
13. (11) Lockhart Lions (5A) – 15-4 (L vs. Liberty Hill; L @ Hays)
14. (NR) Rouse 11-7 (Def. Hays; Def. Cedar Park)
15. McCallum (NR) - 10-6 (N/A @ Crockett)
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THE POWER RANKINGS: Top-heavy talent leaves little margin for error in latest Austin-area Girls BB poll
24 Dec, 2024
How tough is the competition in Austin area girls high school basketball? Teams can slip a spot even when they win their games.
Round Rock, for instance, slips back to #3 behind Vandegrift despite the Dragons’ win over Hutto. That’s because, A) Vandegrift defeated a marginally tougher opponent in Cedar Ridge and B), the Lady Vipers edged the Lady Dragons earlier this season.
Similarly, Glenn jumped two spots with a huge road win at Liberty Hill – resulting in Georgetown slipping a spot despite sweeping both their games last week. Brutal.
Everyone mostly stayed put further down the rankings, although Manor New Tech and Rouse flipped spots and Crockett jumped back onto the chart after a nice road win at McCallum.
Look for one last round of tournament play over the Holidays for some teams then it’s non-stop district action the rest of the way.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hoopster Holidays!
VYPE's Austin Girls Basketball Rankings
1. (1) Vista Ridge Lady Rangers (6A) – 16-3 (Def. McNeil)
2. (3) Vandegrift Lady Vipers (6A) – 15-6 (Def. Cedar Ridge)
3. (2) Round Rock Lady Dragons (6A) 18-2 (Def. Hutto)
4. (6) Glenn Lady Grizzlies (5A) 20-2 (Def. Lehman; Def. Liberty Hill)
5. (4) Liberty Hill Lady Panthers (5A) – 19-2 (Def. Lockhart; L @ Glenn)
6. (5) Georgetown Lady Eagles (5A) – 19-3 (Def. Elgin; Def. Hendrickson)
7. (7) Bastrop Lady Bears (5A) – 23-2 (Def. Navarro)
8. (8) Westlake Lady Chaparrals (6A) – 13-6 (Def. Austin High)
9. (9) Cedar Park Lady Timberwolves (5A) – 16-3 (Def. Leander; Def. Rouse)
10. (10) Bowie Lady Bulldogs (6A) – 15-5 (Def. Dripping Springs)
11. (12) Manor New Tech Lady Titans (4A) 19-1 (Def. IDEA Kyle; Def. Eastside)
12. (11) Rouse Lady Raiders (5A) – 12-8 (L @ Hays; L vs. Cedar Park)
13. (13) Lake Travis Lady Cavaliers (6A) – 11-8 (Def. vs. Del Valle)
14. (14) Cedar Ridge Lady Raiders (6A) – 10-7 (L vs. Vandegrift)
15. (NR) Crockett (5A) – 13-9 (W @ McCallum)
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What is the best district in the city of Houston, athletically?
Katy ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, Humble ISD... Conroe ISD?
Have you ever heard of Lamar Consolidated ISD in Richmond-Rosenberg? Probably not.
The Randle Lions knocked off state power South Oak Cliff in the Class 5A DII State Title Game, 38-35, in Arlington, Texas to capture the school’s first title since opening three short years ago, under the direction of coach Brian Randle. Does the name sound familiar? Coach Randle is the son of Dr. Randle, the district's former superintendent, whom the school is named after.
“We are doing great things here,” coach Brian Randle said. “It’s sort of surreal to win it here. My father’s name is all over the building and we try to instill his beliefs in our guys. I’m extremely proud.”
But it hasn't just been Randle carrying the Lamar CISD banner. Fulshear volleyball advanced to the Class 6A DI State Title Game against back-to-back champ Grand Oaks High School, while the Foster girls water polo reached the State Finals this fall. The boys reached the State Semis.
In its first year of 6A football, the Fulshear Chargers fell to Atascocita in the Regional Semis, while the Randle girls' basketball team reached the State Final Four in 2024.
“We have had a really good year,” LCISD athletic director Devin Gabbard said. “It’s always great to win a State Championship, especially over a perennial power in football like South Oak Cliff. For a school like Randle that is so new, it gives them an identity... something to hang their hat on.
"Credit to those coaches and kids. Every week, you could see their confidence building. It’s hard for those kids to realize what they really accomplished. As a district, Lamar CISD is one the best-kept secrets in Houston.”
The district has grown exponentially with originals Lamar Consolidated, BF Terry and Foster. George Ranch, Fulshear and newcomer Randle have come on-line since 2010 and new school Tomas will soon open. An eighth school is on the slate north of Fulshear.
That makes eight schools sharing one football stadium…. ONE. After a failed bond in 2022, seven schools will play at one district stadium, including a State Champ for now.
“It’s a great mix of talent, coaches and tradition,” Grand Oaks coach Shaun McDowell said, who used to be the head coach of Foster. “The area is just having growing pains because of the rapid growth. The facilities need to catch up.”
For now, Lamar CISD will continue to do more with less in an ever-growing, competitive high school arms race.
The question is, for how long?
That is what makes Randle’s feat so impressive.
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