The Hot Corner
What a year it has been for Scurry County high school basketball teams.
The girls’ teams wrapped up regular season play Tuesday night and the boys have just a few games left. The basketball season has been full of highlight moments, bad nights and good nights, and some great rivalry games.
The Snyder Lady Tigers did not win the district title, but the 2019-2020 regular season was still a good one for head coach T’Leah Eicke and her team.
The Lady Tigers feature a blend of senior leadership and younger talent, but it is a group of athletes that enjoy playing together and can put up some startling numbers. Some of the regular season highlights include junior Kamiah Davis’ 38-point performance against Fort Worth Paschal in the Peaster Tournament and an overtime win over Farwell. The Lady Tigers finished the season 19-14 and went 6-2 in District 5-4A play. They will face Burkburnett in the bi-district playoffs on Monday, a team they defeated 47-25 in the Burkburnett Basketball Tournament back on Jan. 3.
With one game remaining, the 2019-2020 Snyder Tigers’ season was one of highlight dunks and dominant victories. Head coach Lee Scott led his team to a 16-13 record and are currently in a tie for first place in the district.
Friday’s opponent, Big Spring, is 18-13 and is currently in third place in the district standings. It will be a big game for the Tigers as they return to Tiger Gym.
We saw what the Tigers are capable of in January’s 72-32 win over Sweetwater. The Mustangs had no answer for the Tigers’ speed and athleticism. Seniors Teafale Lenard, Jayden Samaniego and sophomore Eber Murillo did whatever they wanted to in the big home win.
Scott knew he was going to lean on Lenard and Samaniego this season. The emergence of Murillo as a scoring option and the consistency of junior Zach Miller have taken the Tigers to the next level.
The Hermleigh Lady Cardinals have continued to do what they do, spending the entire season ranked in the top 20 and sweeping District 13-1A play en route to a third consecutive district title.
Senior Makia Gonzales continues to be a dominant force for Hermleigh head coach Duane Hopper and senior Ryleigh Benitez, sophomore Sarah Murphy and freshman Aubree Myers have emerged and become a big part of the Lady Cardinal attack. They will look to continue their streak of long playoffs runs in 2020.
As for the Cardinals, first year head coach Kia McCarty and his team have developed a penchant for dramatics. The Cardinals are at their best when time is running low and the game is close. Four games since the start of 2020 were decided by two points or less. That clutch gene will come in handy during postseason play and it will be interesting to see what happens with that group going forward.
The Ira Bulldogs have known firsthand the sting of the Cardinals’ late-game magic. Twice, the Bulldogs have taken the Cardinals down to the wire and come up just short, but Ira is a confident team that has had a lot of success this season. A 13-game winning streak in the early part of the season set the tone and the Bulldogs added two tournament trophies to their trophy case this season already. They find their season hanging in the balance however, as they currently sit in third place at in district play at 3-4. They will be on the road against district champion Westbrook Friday hoping to keep their post-season hopes alive.
The Lady Bulldogs were one of the bigger teams in District 13-1A play and the core of seniors Jessica Heiskell, Haylee Gruben and Breauna Hall is one that will be missed going forward. They saw their season come to a close Tuesday night.
All these teams are capable of making noise in the playoffs and it will be intriguing to see who they will face.
Gear up folks, because the fun has just begun.
Reed Graff is the sports editor for the Snyder Daily News. Comments about his column may be sent to sports@snyderdailynews.com