Texas: Fort Worth Dunbar boys reach playoffs for 36th consecutive season

Of the hundreds of teams participating in the Texas boys and girls basketball playoffs, one name that has come to be expected as not just a participant but a frequent visitor to Austin and the state tournament is that of the Fort Worth Dunbar boys.

Yes, once again Dunbar will be among the schools in Class 4A battling it out for the right to call themselves state champions, but this year’s Wildcats did not find their 36th consecutive appearance in the tournament to be an easy one. Dunbar, anchored by Texas football signee Darius White, knocked off Fort Worth Southwest, 92-66, in a tie-breaker game to decide the fourth and final playoff position out of District 7-4A.

So once again coach Robert Hughes Jr. and his team will be on the playoff stage. But as evidenced by what Dunbar had to accomplish to reach the postseason, no one should ever take making the playoffs for granted.

Before looking at some playoff notes, we would like to congratulate the following schools, first from the girls side: San Angelo Lake View, Tyler John Tyler, Mexia, Amarillo Highland Park, El Paso Hanks, El Paso Austin, Mercedes, Samnorwood and Newton.

On the boys side, congratulations are in order to the following: Fort Worth Southwest, Kerens, Clint Horizon, Kilgore, Orange Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Ennis and Nocona.

These are the known schools who in fact lost in tie-breaker games to decide a final playoff position. Congratulations on outstanding seasons!

Points pinball in first-place seeding game

While heartbreak was etched on those who just missed the postseason, some teams decided to play for higher-seed positioning. One such contest took place for first-place district seeding between Houston Wheatley and Houston Jones. By the time the scoreboard operator hit the final numbers from his weary fingers, the tally showed Wheatley with a riveting 125-119 overtime win over their rivals. Both teams entered the contest with 12-2 district marks and played the extra game to settle the seeding. The score was 97-97 after regulation and in the extra session Wheatley outscored Jones 28-22. Lakeytrick Quinn led the winners with 27 points while Kenneth Payne chipped in 25.

Cy-Fair looks to defend title

Behind sensational senior Chiney Ogwunmike, Cy-Fair out of the Houston area looks to defend its Class 5A title. Coach Ann Roubique’s squad bolted from the playoff gates with wins over Round Rock Stony Point, 67-30, and Spring Dekaney, 70-48. In the Dekaney game Ogwumike notched 26 points, 18 rebounds, 7 steals and 3 blocks for her 28-1 team. Cy-Fair matches up in the regional quarterfinals against district foe Cy Creek with the winner facing Dallas Skyline or Mesquite Horn.

Another tantalizing quarterfinal contest comes when District 7-5A rivals Irving MacArthur (35-1) and Duncanville (33-3) face off. That winner draws another strong opponent from the victor of Mansfield Summit and North Crowley.

While scanning the remainder of the Class 5A bracket, we also see Bryan versus DeSoto from Region II and San Antonio Wagner versus Pflugerville from Region IV as must-see games.

Canyon rolls on

Despite moving up to Class 4A two years ago, Canyon and coach Joe Lombard have continued to run roughshod over opponents. This year’s team stands at 32-1 heading into a quarterfinal game against upstart El Paso Irvin and Coach Rita Minjarez, whose team is 31-2. Interestingly, while Irvin won a District 1-4A title, Minjarez’s brother, David Ortega, guided the Canutillo boys to a District 1-4A championship as well.

Back to Canyon: While the team is in the lower half bracket out of Region I, defending state champion Mansfield Timberview sits in the top part of the bracket and meets Stephenville’s Honeybees in the quarterfinals, with the winner getting either Plainview or Amarillo Palo Duro.

Are we there yet?

There is always excitement come playoff time. You have the UIL brackets to ponder and analyze possible matchups. You get contests played on home courts and you get contests played at neutral sites. Inevitably, you’ll even get a mix-up.

Such was the case when the La Feria girls prepared to face Sinton in bi-district action at Riviera Kaufer High School. Only problem was the referees thought the game was being played at Brownsville Rivera High School, and thus a wait for over one hour ensued before the teams could locate some officials from the nearby Kingsville area to call the game, which La Feria won 63-59. The officials, by the way, never made it.

McAllen leader Teresa Casso steps down

McAllen coach Teresa Casso, an icon in the Rio Grande Valley, stepped down after her team’s bi-district loss against Laredo Alexander, ending a 32-year career with McHi that resulted in 841 wins, 29 winning seasons, 25 playoff appearances and 15 district championships. Casso, 64, said the decision was made prior to the season. She has been with the McAllen ISD for 42 years and graduated from McAllen High School in 1980.

R.V. Baugus is editor and publisher of Tex Preps Basketball magazine and www.texprepsbasketball.com.