GAMES
RANKINGS
VYPE SETX Girls Basketball Breakdown
Girls (Regional Semi-Finals)
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3A
Hitchcock (25-5) vs Orangefield (28-12) 2/25 at Liberty High School
Area Round: Orangefield 55, Anderson-Shiro 53; Hitchcock 66, East Chambers 58
Winner will face either Maypearl or Franklin in the regional semifinals later this week.
Notes: Hitchcock brings an undefeated district title (24-3A) and senior leadership with Breanna Birdow and Jimile Johnson. Both teams beat their only common opponent East Chambers, Hitchcock 66-58 and Orangefield 55-44 so look for a close game tonight with free throws and foul situations coming into play.
Prediction: Hitchcock 65, Orangefield 55
Hitchcock advances.
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4A
Hardin-Jefferson (23-8) vs WOS (21-12) 2/25 at Silsbee High School
Area Round: H-J 82, LaMarque 26; WOS 79, Houston Kashmere 32
Winner will face either Gatesville or Rusk in the regional semifinals later this week.
Notes: In a intra-district matchup H-J takes on WOS, on paper this is a mismatch of epic proportions. H-J dominated WOS in their two earlier games this season winning both games by a combined 88 points. H-J dominated District 22-4A and will be hard not to look forward to next weeks game vs the winner of Gatesville vs Rusk.
H-J (Girls) is gunning for their 3rd state title and first since 1989; From 1983-1991 HJ made 5 state tournaments, they have made seven in total, all in 3A.
VYPE Prediction: Hardin Jefferson 77, West Orange-Stark 42
H-J advances.
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6A
Summer Creek vs Beaumont United at Channelview 7:30pm
Area Round: Summer Creek 56, George Ranch 45; Beaumont United 61, Clear Falls 56
Notes: BU won an earlier head-to-head matchup earlier this season 71-64. Summer Creek is 6-0 against common opponents while BU has losses to North Shore and Ridge Point. BU is 14-2 at neutral locations this year while Summer Creek is 10-1.
Winner will face Cypress Creek who beat Houston Heights 104-65 Monday night.
VYPE Prediction: Beaumont United 69, Summer Creek 63
BU advances
United, PAM, Silsbee headline VYPE's Preseason Top 10
Let's tip it off.
The 2019-20 hoop season is underway and we've witnessed some serious individual exploits already.
Southeast Texas is loaded with state contenders, so let's get to the rankings.
No. 1 Beaumont United
Coach David Green returns Justin Pleasant, Kasen Harrison and Jaylen Subject. These guys can ball and Green is one of the best in the state. The Timberwolves reached the third round last season before falling to George Ranch.
No. 2 Port Arthur Memorial
The Titans reached the Regional Semis. Don't forget PAM won the STATE title just two years ago. These guys are big and athletic, headlined by Kenneth Lofton (La Tech) and Nathan Clover (Oral Roberts). Amaree Abram will need to come up big as the lead guard.
No. 3 Silsbee
Coach Joe won back to back state titles in 2017 and 18. The Tigers reached the Regional Finals a year ago. Bray Bush can SCORE in bunches. He just broke the Silsbee single-game scoring record with 65 points early this season. K'Drain Cartwright and Christopher Martin Jr. will also play big roles. Can they get back to state? They have to get past Yates.
No. 4 East Chambers
The Bucs reached state last year before falling in the Semis. Coach Todd Sutherland has built a power program in southeast Texas. Kam Smith and Ernest Ceasar will be the headliners along I-10 this season.
No. 5 Nederland
The 'Dogs fell in the second round last season after a third place finish in district play. Can Texas A&M-signee Hayden Hefner lead this team to new heights? He can shoot, jump and run the point with the best of them. Coach Brian English will need Tyler Jackson and Joseph Gipson to step up big.
No. 6 Hardin Jefferson
Coach Clay Davis and his crew finished second in district a year ago before falling ot Yates in the second-round of the postseason. Nothing to be ashamed of there. Post Michael McIntosh and Jayston Davis will play post and forward, respectively. What about their guard play though?
No. 7 Huffman-Hargrave
Hargrave reached the third round of the postseason last year after running through district play. However, they were senior heavy. Guard Gage Hulse, a first-team, all-state selection has graduated. Now who is going to take the big shots? Returners include Jacob Harvey, last year's Offensive MVP, Luke Thomas, Cody Oliphant and Grey Soileau.
No. 8 Lumberton
The Raiders made the postseason for the first time in 19 seasons. Senior Jaden Wahl and Brock McClure return to give Lumberton a shot in getting to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. They finished third in district play a year ago.
No. 9 West Brook
The Bruins finished third in the district but fell in the first-round to Humble. The senior of the bunch is post Joseph Lucien. He will get help from Ike Nwaobi and Jaquan Yates, who will run the point.
No. 10 Orangefield
The Bobcats were third in district play last season and beat Diboll and Van Vleck in the postseason. Remington Bryant will run the point while Tyler Greenwood can play. Orangefield should reach the postseason again with hopes of making the leap to the Regional Tournament.
Others receiving votes: Buna, Big Sandy, Evadale