Stakes are high for Seguin and Lamar: Girls HS basketball preview

The High School basketball playoffs resume Tuesday night with six local teams still active, and the stakes raised for the two remaining girls teams. Both Seguin and Lamar are now one step away from their respective regional tournaments, but both will face an uphill climb to get there.

Seguin (26-9), which knocked off 10th-ranked Aledo Friday night, now must take on Mansfield Summit, a team the Lady Cougars are very familiar with. Summit (31-3), the district champion of 7-4A, has already beaten Seguin twice this season in district play. But Seguin may have taken on the role of a team of destiny after overcoming a 12-point deficit to beat Aledo. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. at Mansfield Legacy.

Lamar, the only remaining local 5A team, will have its hands full with Amarillo (28-6), the team that dispatched Bowie, 68-41 Friday night. The Lady Vikings (25-12) used a balanced attack to eliminate El Paso Bel Air, 69-41, Saturday afternoon in Midland. Four Lamar players tallied in double figures, led by Janay Keys’ 17. The game is slated for 6 p.m. in Burkburnett.

The boys kick off their playoff run Tuesday night with four local teams in action. Bowie (15-18) opens Bi-District play in the first game of a double-header against Odessa Permian. Tip-off for the game is set for 6 p.m. at Jim Ned High School in Tuscola.

The Vols, who finished third in 4-5A, have a knack for winning close games, as four of their wins this season were by six points or less. Malcolm Hughes, Jeremy Senglin and Jordan Versey all scored in double figures in last week’s 54-48 win over Arlington High in the district finale.

Permian (23-6) will be a challenge for Bowie. The Panthers were second in District 3-5A and have won 11 of their last 14 games. The attack is led by Keouvion McCalop and Dominique Krumnow, each of whom averaged better than eight points per game.

Martin (24-7) plays the second game of the double-header in Tuscola, battling Midland Lee (13-18) at 7:30. The Warriors, who have won nine of their last 10, do not have a lot of size, but play well as a team and make the most of what they have. Senior guard Myles Johnson leads the team in scoring, just ahead of seniors R.J. Salter and Devonte Fields.

Midland Lee, the third-place finisher in 3-5A, overcame a slow start that saw the Rebels enter district play with a 5-14 record. The Rebels feature a strong post player in Jarrod Johnson and an accurate outside shooter in Anthony McCoy.

Lamar (12-16) travels to Clyde to take on a formidable San Angelo Central team at 6 p.m. The Vikings, who were fourth in the district with an 8-6 record, fell to Dallas Triple A Academy, 81-64, in a warm-up game last Friday. The Vikings are led by the one-two punch of DaQuan Thomas and Brandon Sneed.

Their opponent, San Angelo Central (29-5), is celebrating its first district title since 1991 and its first playoff appearance of any kind in six years. The Bobcats feature two strong inside players in senior Deon Morgan and junior Zach Whitlock.

Seguin (28-5), the District 7-4A champions will travel to Midlothian on Tuesday to take on Waco at 7 p.m. The Cougars, winners of 12 consecutive games, have an imposing front line, led by 6-9 senior Kelvin Downs, 6-7 junior Greg Wesley and 6-4 junior Brandon Parrish.

Waco (14-18) was the fourth-place finisher in 8-4A, and only made the playoffs after beating Stephenville in last Tuesday’s district finale.