Despite being held practically in its own back yard, the Austin ISD is not a familiar face when the UIL Boys State Basketball Tournament tips off in March. That could change this year.
That's because
Austin and
Bowie (Austin) are ranked Nos. 20 and 24, respectively, in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches/Tex Preps Basketball Magazine state rankings for Class 5A. The District 15-5A rivals squared off last weekend with the Austin High Maroons rallying to knock off the Bulldogs, 61-54, in a district opener.
The game was knotted at 45 heading into the fourth quarter, but thanks to 12-for-14 free throw shooting in the final stanza, Austin High was able to prevail despite making only two field goals in the period. Bowie had one last chance to tie the game down 57-54, but a Mareik Isom 3-point effort was short.
Alex Reinking grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court rather than stalling or waiting for a foul. His bucket with 29 seconds left upped the lead to 59-54.
Eric McClellan led Austin High with 25 points as the Maroons improved to 20-2, 1-0, dropping Bowie to 19-3, 0-1.
Back to the point about a possible representative from the Austin ISD playing in the state tournament at the University of Texas' Erwin Center. The last time the district featured a school in the state's largest playoff
classification came in 1960 when Austin High represented Class 4A and fell in the championship game to Beaumont South Park, 41-36.
FORT WORTH ISD ALSO STEPS UPLike Austin, the Fort Worth Independent School District has not been a well-known participant in Austin other than the legendary Fort Worth Dunbar Flying Wildcats that made trips down I-35 to Austin with regularity under Coach Robert Hughes. Dunbar's program is currently down by its lofty standards, but a pair of juggernauts has risen in Class 4A in No. 6
Arlington Heights (Fort Worth) and No. 7
Trimble Tech (Fort Worth).
Heights got the best of Trimble Tech in a District 6-4A collision by a 67-59 margin.
Marquis Jackson led the way for the winners with 23 points while
Travis Williams chipped in 21.
Tech staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter but came up short. How furious, you ask? Glad to answer. Consider that at halftime Heights held a 29-9 lead and owned a 41-20 lead after three periods.
The teams went into racehorse mode in the final eight minutes as Tech put up an unbelievable 39-point outburst but still ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Arlington Heights is now 18-3 while Tech is 19-4.
Both teams are deep and talented and look to be the cream of the crop residing in Region 1.
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