Video: Zach Bates's highlights vs. Wylie East
Watch the senior shooting forward in a 68-54 win.
Eight weeks are in the books for the Texas boys basketball season. There are plenty of strong teams in the state and four ranked in the Xcellent 25. We look at the top 11 schools, there's a three-way tie, according to their strength of schedule.
Allen, 18.8 – The Eagles have the toughest schedule in the state and are still ranked No. 2 in Texas and No. 9 nationally. Allen started 11-1 and upped its record to 16-3 after straight wins. One of the Eagles' losses is to Lakeview Centennial (Garland), a Top 10 team in Texas, and Westfield.
The Allen Eagles have the toughest boys basketball strength of schedule in Texas.
Photo by Jim Redman
– The Raiders picked up their first victory of the season on Dec. 30, beating Wylie East (Wylie) 68-54. North Garland is now 1-7 after key losses to top teams Allen and Coronado (Lubbock).
Westbury Christian (Houston), 17.7 – The Wildcats' 3-10 record is quite deceiving. The team has lost five games to out-of-state competition, including La Lumiere. Westbury Christian also fell to No. 4 Houston Math Science & Tech.
Dallas Jesuit (Dallas), 17.7 – The Rangers are having a tough stretch, losing five of their last eight games. The team has a 9-6 record, but has been playing tough teams early.
Lake Ridge (Mansfield), 17.5 – A 9-1 start went to the wayside after four consecutive losses, but the Eagles aren't going down without a fight. During the team's losing streak, it has dropped three games by single digits.
DeSoto, 17.5 – After a 1-2 start to the season, the Eagles are soaring with an 11-4 mark. The team has two quality losses, falling to Westlake (Austin) and Whitney Young (Chicago).
Pflugerville, 17.2 – At 13-8, the record doesn't look impressive for the Panthers. However, six of those losses are by five points or less. Pflugerville lost by eight points to No. 3-ranked Wagner and by three to No. 5 Midway (Waco).
Westlake (Austin), 17.0 – The Chaparalls are off to a 15-5 start and played some solid teams this season. Westlake has fallen to national power Findlay Prep as well as Lakeview Centennial.
Lakeview Centennial (Garland), 16.8 – The Patriots have split a pair of early-season games with No. 2-ranked Allen. Lakeview Centennial also has an impressive victory over Westlake.
McNeil (Austin), 16.8 – The Mavericks opened the season with a big eight-point victory over Westlake. That set the pace to a 4-0 start, and the team is now sitting at 11-5.
Lancaster, 16.8 – The Tigers are sporting a 7-2 record early in the year. The team fell to Pearland, which is a Top 25 team in Texas.
