The Cooldown - Week 21
Cover Photo via @coppellhoops on Twitter
Last week saw some big upsets in district play as we start to get an idea of which teams can really hoop this season. I will be talking about some of those teams as well as a few district races to keep an eye on as we approach the halfway point of district play.
Arlington Lamar defeats North Crowley
Lamar took down North Crowley 44-34 last Friday to take sole possession of first place in District 4-6A. Holding North Crowley to only 34 points on its home floor is impressive enough and now the Vikings will get North Crowley on their home floor in the back half of district play. There hasn’t been much talk about this Lamar team up until this point, but the Vikings are officially a team to watch throughout the rest of the season.
Grand Prairie Wins Again
The Grand Prairie Gophers might be one of the best teams in the area. This team isn’t just one that has district championship aspirations in one of the most talented districts in the area, but this team could have a real shot at making a deep run in the playoffs. Grand Prairie just upset another talented district opponent in Waxahachie 62-60. Jaylin Posey led the way with 24 points and made the game-winning layup with just a few seconds remaining.
Grand Prairie is streaking right now. The Gophers have won 12 straight games and are undefeated in district play. As I mentioned earlier, District 7-6A is one of the most competitive in the area. Grand Prairie is at the top of the standings, followed by Waxahachie and South Grand Prairie, who each have 4-1 records with the only loss coming to Grand Prairie. Mansfield, Cedar Hill and DeSoto follow in the standings and only one of those teams will make the playoffs. Yes, there is a real chance DeSoto misses the playoffs.
District Races to Keep an Eye on
I mentioned 7-6A above and it is the race I am most excited about. Will DeSoto miss the playoffs? Will Grand Prairie finish district play undefeated? Will the Gophers win district? How will the seeding play out? Stay tuned to find out.
District 4-6A won’t be a super interesting race but the seeding of the four playoff teams will be. Arlington Lamar is the last standing undefeated team in the district. North Crowley has just the one loss to Lamar. Martin and Bowie will likely make the playoffs as well.
District 6-6A has five teams competing for four playoff spots currently. Coppell and Lewisville are the best teams in the district and sit at the top of the standings along with Irving MacArthur. Flower Mound and Marcus follow in the standings, but one of those five teams won’t make the postseason. Marcus has struggled at times this season but showed its potential in a big win over Lewisville last week.