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2024-25 Alief Taylor Girls Basketball
TOP OF THE FOOD-CHAIN: Gray is bona fide star for No. 25 Alief Taylor
25 -- ALIEF TAYLOR LIONS
Alief Taylor took their lumps in their previous district (22-6A) a year ago, but still managed to punch their ticket to the playoffs, before advancing to the Area Round to conclude their season with a respectable record of 20-15.
Now that they move over to District 20-6A in the realignment, the Lions have an even greater opportunity, as the only other legitimate contender for the title will be Fulshear this time around.
Coach Brandy Jones has the luxury of bringing back the majority of her stars from the 2024 roster, beginning with nationally-recognized talent Nataliyah Gray. The senior forward and recent Mississippi State-commit was named the district’s Offensive MVP after averaging 20.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game last winter, and should only improve against some newer competition.
She’s joined by first-team, all-district selection Madison Bush-Lewis (Sr. G), who put up some solid numbers (12.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3 rpg) of her own. Also keep an eye out for junior Mya Rhea (second-team), as well as honorable mentions Morgan Maldonado (Sr. G) and Trinity Hamilton (Jr. F).
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Cy Springs' Jemini Mitchell
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Nationally-recognized Mitchell continues to make name for himself
IT TOOK NO TIME AT ALL FOR AUDIENCES TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME JEMINI MITCHELL.
Standing at 6-foot-2, Cy Springs’ newest star made one the most utterly dominant freshman debuts that the state has seen, having scored 538 points, with 219 rebounds, 70 assists and a team-leading 46 blocks.
This would obviously result in a District 16-6A Newcomer of the Year selection, but she’s much more than just a big body.
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“Most people might lean more towards their shooting ability, which I do think I’m skilled in that area,” said Mitchell. “But, I like to think that my greatest strength relates to my versatility as a player. Sure, I have the size, but I’m able to play inside and outside the paint and I feel that my defense has gotten better over the years.”
Entering her sophomore year, Mitchell is listed as a five-star recruit who’s the No. 1 ranked player in Texas and No. 13 in the nation in the Class of 2027.
That instantaneous level of success, coupled with her growing confidence, could arguably be attributed to the landscape she’s developed her game in.
“Being in this program has really allowed me to grow as a person, even though I’m only entering my second year,” she said. “On and off the court, I feel like my coaches and teammates push me to be better. You have to mature at a rapid pace in order to compete at this level, which is something that really sticks with me.”
Teamwise, the Panthers enjoyed yet another tremendous season this past winter, going 30-3 overall, which included an undefeated district title. They reached the UIL Class 6A Region II Semifinals.
However, they were ultimately thwarted by the eventual State Champs Duncanville, in a tight 48-40 defeat, clearly fueling them for this season.
“I don’t want to go back into the locker room like we did last year,” Mitchell said. “I hated the feeling after what happened in Round 4. If we want to improve on last year’s result, we need to take everything seriously, whether it be in practice or the classroom. There’s some unfinished business here, so it’s going to be about going hard every rep, and doing what we need to do.”
Given the unquestionable talent returning for coach Taneisha Rogers in 2024 – particularly Mitchell and South Carolina-commit Ayla McDowell – it’s likely that the vision they’ve set for themselves might very well come to fruition.
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