Elgin: Wildcats can win district title outright with two wins and a Manor loss.

Manor: Mustangs can win district title outright with two wins and an Elgin loss.

Connally: Cougars are in with a win Friday at Bryan-Rudder and a Bastrop loss to Hutto. If Cougars lose to Rudder, they would need to beat Manor and hope Bastrop loses its final two games to get in.

Bastrop: Bastrop is in with a win over Hutto and Hendrickson accompanied with one loss by Connally to either Rudder or Manor, or hope Rudder loses its final two games. If Bastrop loses to Hutto and Connally beats Rudder, Bears would need to beat Hendrickson and hope Elgin beats Rudder to force a one-game playoff for the final playoff spot.

Rudder: Rangers are in with a win over Connally and two Bastrop losses. If Rangers lose to Connally, they need Bastrop to lose to both Hutto and Hendrickson and defeat Elgin to get in.

Granted, the picture had the potential to become much clearer now that Tuesday’s games are over, but then again, maybe not.

I sat down Monday and went through the playoff scenarios for each of the two districts in our coverage area for boys and girls basketball.

The boys side of District 16-4A was probably the most convoluted.

The good thing is that the girls’ playoff picture for both districts was pretty much set in stone before Tuesday’s season finales. Even the boys District 23-3A wasn’t that hard to figure out. If Smithville beat La Grange on Tuesday, they were all but in.

District 16-4A is simply a mess.

What we know is that Elgin and Manor are already in, but that’s all we know.

Elgin clinched a playoff spot Friday with a win over Cedar Creek. Manor had a spot clinched on Jan. 31.

Both teams, separated by a half-game going into Tuesday, but if Elgin won the two teams would be tied.

After that, it’s like trying to figure out how to set up your new HDTV.

Of the four teams in the mix for the final two playoff spots, Hutto could have been eliminated from the race Tuesday with a lost to Elgin, but they would still need help with a win.

The likeliness of this being cleared up by Tuesday’s results are slim because Bastrop should have beaten Cedar Creek, Rudder should have beaten Cedar Ridge and Connally should have beaten Hendrickson.

Bastrop, Connally and Rudder are deadlocked going into the final three games of the season, but if all three won Tuesday (which was entirely possible) it will make the final two days of the season really interesting.
Bastrop holds a tiebreaker over Connally after sweeping the regular season series, but split games with Rudder.

Connally will make it more interesting if it completes the sweep of Rudder Friday because that could force a three-team playoff if all three teams end up tied.
Say that happens.

Bastrop would need to win its last three games just to  force a tie with Rudder for the final playoff spot.

If Rudder beats Connally, the Cougars would be tied with Bastrop after Friday – should Bastrop defeat Hutto – and have to defeat district-leading Manor in Manor Tuesday and hope Bastrop loses to struggling Hendrickson to get in.

Bottom line, Bastrop needs Rudder to beat Connally Friday in Pflugerville.

Should the Wildcats have defeated Hutto Tuesday, a team they beat by 31 points in their first meeting, the Hippos would be eliminated from playoff contention.

Elgin also has a game with Rudder in Bryan next Tuesday.

If you look at the schedules, it might be a little easier to figure out how this will play out if teams can duplicate their first round records against their final three opponents.

Let me preface this by saying the advantage has to go to the Bears.

Bastrop was 2-1 against its final three opponents in the first round, with a one-point loss to Hutto as the only hiccup.

All three of Bastrop’s remaining games are at home, which bodes well for the Bears.

Win all three and Bastrop’s playoff chances are very good because Rudder and Connally have to play each other and Connally still has Manor and Rudder still has Elgin.

Connally was 3-0 against its final three opponents in the first round, so one has to think the Cougars are in a nice position.

But not so fast.

Connally only defeated Rudder by one in the two teams’ first meeting and Manor by two.

If the Cougars can go 3-0 they are in and would take the third place spot, holding a one-game advantage over Bastrop.

It would also make Rudder’s final game with Elgin, a team the Rangers lost to by eight in the first round, mean a lot for both teams and Bastrop.

Bastrop would not like to have its rival win the district title, but should Rudder lose to Connally, they would need to be Elgin fans on Valentine’s Day because a Wildcat win would put them in the playoffs (Anyone else see the irony there?).

Like I said though, a Rudder win over Connally would be the best thing to happen for Bastrop, but a Ranger loss to Connally wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Bastrop would just have to be Elgin cheerleaders on Valentine’s Day.

Are you scratching your head yet?

We will know more Saturday morning.

Cameron Williams goes up for a layup on Jan. 31 at Wildcat Gym in Elgin in a game against the Wildcats. Williams and the Bastrop Bears are in a dead heat for a spot in the postseason. (Ken Daughtry/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

What needs to happen…
Bastrop: Bastrop will likely get some help from Elgin, which plays two of the Bears’ final three opponents as the season winds down. If Bastrop can win remaining three and get some help from its rival, or a Connally loss, they are in. Bastrop holds tiebreaker over Connally, which will be a big help if the Bears can win out and Connally loses one of its remaining three games.
Connally: Cougars went 3-0 against remaining three opponents in first round of district play, if they win all three, they are in. A win over Rudder would give Connally the tiebreaker over Rangers.
Rudder: Rangers have least favorable schedule among playoff contenders and were 1-2 against those opponents in first round. Rudder will need to win remaining three games to get in.
Hutto: Hippos are a game out of playoff picture, but will need to win all three remaining games and have some help to get in the playoffs.

Remaining schedules
Elgin: Hutto, Hendrickson, Rudder
Manor: McNeil (ND), Cedar Ridge, Connally
Rudder: Cedar Ridge, Connally, Elgin
Bastrop: Cedar Creek, Hutto, Hendrickson
Connally: Hendrickson, Bryan-Rudder, Manor
Hutto: Elgin, Bastrop, Cedar Creek

District 16-4A girls
District championship: Rudder has clinched title
Already in: Rudder, Cedar Ridge, Connally
On the bubble: Hutto, Hendrickson

What needs to happen…
Hutto: Lady Hippos got in with a win Tuesday against Elgin
Hendrickson: Lady Hawks needed Hutto to lose Tuesday and defeat Connally

Potential playoff matchups:
Rudder vs. Lancaster/ Mesquite Poteet
Cedar Ridge vs. Ennis
Connally vs. Waxahachie
Hutto vs. West Mesquite

District 23-3A boys
District championship picture: Navasota can clinch a share of the district title with a win and will win it outright with a win over Rockdale or a Rockdale loss.
Already in: Navasota
In contention: Rockdale
On the bubble: Smithville, La Grange

What needs to happen…
Rockdale: Tigers are in with a win in final three games.
Smithville: If Smithville wins against La Grange, they are in.
La Grange: La Grange needs to win remaining three games and hope Smithville loses one of its remaining games.

Remaining schedules
Navasota: Giddings,  Rockdale, La Grange
Rockdale: Caldwell, Navasota, Smithville
Smithville: La Grange, Caldwell, Rockdale
La Grange: Smithville, Giddings, Navasota

District 23-3A girls
District championship picture: Giddings has clinched title
Already in: Giddings, Navasota, Smithville
On the bubble: none

Potential playoff matchups:
Giddings vs. Columbus
Navasota vs. Brookshire-Royal
Smithville  vs. Sealy

However, it wasn’t one that would have been expected that did the most damage.

Abel Zapata was on fire from three-point land, making 5 of 7 attempts en route to 20 points to lead Elgin over Cedar Creek 81-43 at Eagle Gym.

This game was never in question as Elgin went on an 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the game before Cedar Creek (5-28, 0-14 District 16-4A) could score a point.

Tracy Haywood scored seven of the first 11 points of the game as Cedar Creek was unable to play with the run-and-gun Wildcats.

Jose Vasquez scored the Eagles’ first points of the game with 4:16 left in the first quarter and hit his second shot shortly thereafter.

Elgin (24-4, 11-2) took a hit to its lineup when second-leading scorer Troy Nash left the game at the 3:16 mark in the first quarter with an ankle injury and wouldn’t return.

It didn’t matter as his brother Trey Nash helped the Wildcats close the quarter on a 14-3 run with Cedar Creek’s only other points coming from a three from Marcus Perez.

Elgin didn’t let up in the second quarter as Zapata started taking to the air from three-point land.

The senior guard hit three of his five three-point field goals in the second quarter and scored 11 of his points in the period as the Wildcats led by 19 going into halftime.

Cedar Creek, however, was able to match Elgin point-for-point in the second period as Vasquez scored seven of his team-high 20 points and Kyle Spencer added five.

Elgin fired on all cylinders to open the third quarter as eight players got involved in the Wildcats’ offense to give Elgin a 32-point lead going into the final quarter.

The Wildcats got a lot of playing time from its bench, which contributed over half of Elgin’s points for the game.

Elgin won the battle on the boards by outrebounding Cedar Creek 34-18, but both teams had an off night at the free-throw line.

Vasquez was 10-for-12 from the charity stripe and Zach Daniel was a perfect 5-for-5, but, as a team the Eagles were 15-of-21.

Elgin was 13-of-23 from the free-throw line. Marquis Wilson was 4-for-5.

Haywood had 15 points  and Trey Nash scored 10.

Other scorers for Elgin were Wilson (6), Troy Nash (2), Armando Guerrero (4), Te’Rel Simmons (3), Aundoy Thomas (2), Jalen Tolbert (7), Anthony Nash (2), Matt Valdez (6) and Robert Wissen (4).
Daniel was the second-leading scorer for Cedar Creek with 10 points.

Other scorers for the Eagles were Marcus Perez (5), Jose Cantu (3) and Spencer (5).

Elgin 81, Cedar Creek 43
Elgin    25    15    24    16    -    81
Cedar Creek    7    15    11    10    -    43
Elgin (24-4, 11-2): Abel Zapata 20, Tracy Haywood 15, Trey Nash 10, Armando Guerro 4, Te’Rel Simmons 3, Jalen Tolbert 7, Matt Valdez 6, Robert Wissen 4, Aundoy Thomas 2, Anthony Nash 2, Troy Nash 2.
Cedar Creek (5-28, 0-14): Jose Vasquez 20, Zach Daniel 10, Marcus Perez 5, Kyle Spencer 5, Jose Cantu 3

Elgin’s Tracy Haywood, right, fouls Cedar Creek’s Jose Cantu during a shot attempt Friday at Eagle Gym in Cedar Creek. (Larry Overall/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

The Rattlers stayed perfect in District 23-3A and moved their magic number to one to clinch the district title.

The loss didn’t really do too much damage to the Tigers’ playoff hopes, but closed the gap to one game between them and La Grange.

Smithville fell behind by five in the first quarter, but trailed by three going into halftime.

The Tigers tied the game going into the final quarter, but came up just short.

Joe Crank led Smithville with 12 points, going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.

Oscar Kenebrew had 10 points while Coltyn Brown continued his slump, scoring six points while going 2-of-5 from the floor.

Smithville played La Grange Tuesday and clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Leopards.

If the Tigers lost, they would need to win one of their final two games to force a tie for the final playoff spot.

Navasota 45, Smithville 43
Smithville    6    10    18    9    -    43
Navasota    11    8    15    11    -    45
Smithville (16-9, 4-3): Joe Crank 12, Oscar Kenebrew 10, Coltyn Brown 6, Khalil McCathern 6

Elgin defeated rival Bastrop 66-46 Tuesday at Wildcat Gym in Elgin to clinch a spot in the postseason and complete the season sweep of the Bears.

The Wildcats are 6-3 against Bastrop in team sports for the school year.

And Elgin’s student section let Bastrop know about it as they chanted, “just like football” late in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats concluded dismantling the Bears big men.

This game wasn’t all Elgin early on as it looked as though Bastrop was going to give the Wildcats everything they could handle.

John Thorne scored the first six points of the game as he and Cameron

Williams combined for 12 in the first quarter to give the Bears a 13-11 lead going into the second period.

Elgin (23-4, 10-2 District 16-4A) took its second lead of the game early in the quarter when Tracy Haywood connected on his first of two three-point field goals for the game.

The Wildcats didn’t pull away from the Bears despite never giving up the lead for the remainder of the first half.

Chis Young tied the game at 21, but Da’Trean Simmons quickly gave Elgin the lead back by making 1-of-2 free throws.

When it was all said and done, Armando Guerrero connected on a three-point play to give Elgin a 27-24 lead at halftime.

The game would continue to stay close in the third quarter, but Bastrop (19-15, 7-6) didn’t get the lead back until the 3:21 point when Thorne made a pair of free throws to give the Bears a 36-35 lead.

However, Elgin closed the quarter with an 8-0 run to lead by five.

The Wildcats forced Bastrop out of its zone defense, which was giving Elgin a lot of trouble all night.

But that played to Elgin’s strength as the Wildcats held Bastrop to just two field goals for the entire fourth quarter.

“(Thorne) is the best big man in the district,” said Elgin head coach Dave Schmitt. “Our game plan was to not let him touch the ball, and we did that in the second half, but he came out and scored the first six points of the game.”

Both of Bastrop’s buckets were scored by Thorne, who finished the game with a team-high 14 points to go with 12 rebounds. Williams had 11 points to go with 11 rebounds while Young also finished the night with 14 points.

Both teams struggled from the free-throw line as Bastrop was 12-of-21 from the charity stripe and Elgin was 10-of-21.

Trey Nash led Elgin with a game-high 22 points while Troy Nash had 17 and Haywood had 13.

“They just out played us in the second half,” said Bastrop head coach Tim Davis. “The loss doesn’t change anything on paper for us.”

The Bears are right in the playoff mix with Hutto and Connally for the final playoff spot in 16-4A. All three teams are separated by a half game.

Bastrop is open Friday and will host Cedar Creek Tuesday and will play the most pivotal game of the year Feb. 10 at home against Hutto.

Elgin is still in the running for the district title and is tied with Manor for the district lead and will take on Cedar Creek Friday and host Hutto Tuesday.

Elgin 66, Bastrop 46
Bastrop    13    11    12    10    -    46
Elgin    11    16    16    23    -    66
Bastrop (19-9, 6-6): John Thorne 14, Chris Young 14, Cameron Williams 11, Dontray Kinsey 4, Shawn Lemon 2, Daniel Hill 1
Elgin (24-4, 10-2): Trey Nash 22, Troy Nash 17, Tracy Haywood 13, De’Trean Simmons 4, Armando Guerrero 4, Te’Rel Simmons 2, Aundoy Thomas 2, Matt Valdez 3

Bastrop’s John Thorne (33) defends Elgin’s Trey Nash (3) Tuesday as Nash goes up for a shot at Wildcat Gym in Elgin. (Ken Daughtry/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

Elgin's Tracy Haywood (33) defends Bastrop's Shawn Lemon (3) Tuesday at Wildcat Gym in Elgin. (Ken Daughtry/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

Bastrop's Malik Matthews drives through a group of Elgin players for a shot Tuesday at Wildcat Gym in Elgin. (Ken Daughtry/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

After a missed three in the fourth quarter, one he heard about from the Connally fans, Matthews drained two three-pointers to lift Bastrop to a 49-44 win over Connally at Bear Gym. After his first, he held up three fingers walking back to play defense.

“I told him in the locker room that two years from now, I’ll kill him for taking those shots,” said head coach Tim Davis. “He’s fearless despite always being the smallest kid on the court. He won that game for us.”

Bastrop’s win tightened a very close district race and snapped Connally’s seven-game winning streak that featured wins over district-leading Manor and Elgin.

More importantly, Bastrop completed the sweep over the Cougars, thus giving the Bears the tiebreaker if the race comes down between them and Connally.

“We have momentum now (going into the final weeks of the season),” Davis said. “We pretty much know the number of games we need to win and we’ll take each one one at a time.”

Bastrop (19-14, 7-5 District 16-4A) had to fight back after the Cougars jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter after Connally’s Andrew Hill and Deshawn Riddick combined for 10 points.

Riddick, and especially Hill, would be quiet for the rest of the game, as Bastrop’s big men – Cameron Williams and John Thorne – took over to cut the Cougars’ lead.

Thorne jumped all over Connally (14-14, 6-5) in the second quarter, scoring eight of his game-high 14 points.

The senior post’s defense also played a factor as the Bears held Connally to four points in the quarter and trailed by one going into the locker room at halftime.

Bastrop didn’t let up and took its first lead when Dontray Kinsey put back a rebound within the first minute of the second half.

The Bears held onto that lead for just a few minutes as Connally tied the game midway through the third quarter.

Williams helped Bastrop get back the lead with a dunk over Riddick, but both teams would trade the lead until Thorne scored on another offensive rebound to give the Bears a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Connally tied the game early in the fourth quarter, but a three from Shawn Lemon gave the Bears the lead for good, but it was Matthews fearless play that held off a Cougar surge.

“We really have been able to put a couple of games together,” Davis said. “We are capable of beating any team in our district.”

Bastrop will look to keep its big play going Tuesday when they travel into a hostile environment for a rematch with Elgin on the Wildcats home court.

Elgin has lost two of its last three games going into Tuesday’s game, but was off Friday.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

The victim this time was the district-leading Elgin Wildcats, who came into the game with only one district loss, but left with two, falling 55-51.

The Cougars suffered through shooting woes in the early going and found themselves down 17-6 following a 10-0 run by the Wildcats.

During the period, twins Troy and Trey Nash were dominant for the Wildcats. Offensively, the Cougars struggled shooting the ball and finished the quarter shooting 31 percent from the field.

In the second quarter, the Cougars came back behind the inspired play of their bench. Halfway through the period with the Cougars trailing 25-15, coach Marshall Sanders’ second unit went on a 9-0 run to make the score 25-24.

The group was led by the play of junior post Andrew Hill, who scored six points during the stretch, including an exciting 3-point play.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Wildcats quickly tied the game at 33-33 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Trey Nash and Te’Rel Simmons.

The Wildcats regained the lead at 37-33 following two free throws by Trey Nash and a layup from Troy Nash.

However, the Cougars bench again closed the quarter strong with a  6-0 run, as Joseph Edwards, Xavier Malveaux and Andrew Hill scored baskets to make the score 39-37.

After a Wildcats free throw to start the final period made the score 39-38, Edwards scored for the Cougars on a transition lay-up to give the Cougars a 41-38.

Later in the quarter, the Cougars went on a 7-1 run, capped off after a Riddick assist to Breion Evans that gave them a 49-42 lead.

The Wildcats got to within two points at 53-51 after Troy Nash converted a 3-point play with 35 seconds to play.

However, the Cougars iced the game late with two Marcel Pimpton free throws.
– Eric McDonald

Manor 83, Cedar Creek 46
MANOR ¬– With Elgin’s loss to Connally, the Manor Mustangs were able to tie for the lead in District 16-4A after defeating Cedar Creek 83-46 Tuesday.

The win, accompanied by Elgin’s loss to Connally, puts the two rivals in a dead heat for the district championship with five games left in the regular season.

Cedar Creek (5-25, 0-11) were unable to match up with Manor’s athleticism as the Mustangs opened the game with an 18-6 lead after the first quarter.

Manor (9-2 District 16-4A) widened an 18-point lead at halftime in the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 27-13 in the period.

Kyle Spencer led Cedar Creek with 16 points while Marcus Perez added 12 and Zach Daniel had nine.

Other scorers for Cedar Creek were Jose Vasquez (2), Jose Cantu (1), Michael Vallejo (2), Ronnie Hattlet (1) and Josh Castor (3).

Smithville 49, Caldwell 38
CALDWELL – Smithville moved into a tie for second place in District 23-3A Tuesday, defeating Caldwell 49-38 at Hornet Gym.

Smithville (15-8, 3-1) sits a game behind Navasota (4-0 District 23-3A) in the standings as the first round of play wrapped up Friday night.

Caldwell kept the game close in the first quarter, trailing by two to start the second period.

The Tigers extended their lead to eight by halftime and held on to pick up the win.

Joe Crank led Smithville with 15 points and nine rebounds while Coltyn Brown completed a double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Elgin (22-3, 9-1) fell behind in the first quarter, but outscored Cedar Ridge 37-14 over the next two periods.

Trey Nash added 12 points and Troy Nash had 10.

Other scorers for Elgin were Da’Trean Simmons (9), Armando Guerrero (4), Aundoy Thomas (4), Anthony Nash (2) and Robert Wissen (2).

Smithville 61, La Grange 46

LA GRANGE – The Smithville Tigers got 22 points from Coltyn Brown as they picked up their second District 23-3A win Friday in La Grange.

Brown was one of four players scoring in double digits, as Joe Crank had 13, Peter Marek scored 11 and Oscar Kenebrew put in 10.

Brown and Crank both had double doubles with 10 and 11 rebounds, respectively.

Smithville broke the game open in the second quarter, breaking up a 17-17 tie by outscoring La Grange 18-10  to take a 35-17 lead at halftime.

The Tigers (14-8, 2-1) will travel to Rockdale Friday as part of a three game road trip.

Manor held of a feisty Bastrop team to pick up a 49-47 win at Bear Gym without a single player scoring in double digits.

Bastrop (17-14, 5-5 District 16-4A) fought back after going down by 10 in the third quarter, going on a 11-2 run that commenced with a three-pointer by Cameron Williams.

Williams had seven points as part of that run and scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half.

Williams pulled Bastrop to within one twice in the second half, but after his ninth point of the game, the Mustangs (13-8, 8-2) went to playing “stall ball,” holding the ball at half court while Bastrop stayed back in its zone defense.

Manor was successful running three minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter and with two minutes left in the game, Jacorey McQueen sunk in a layup to put the Mustangs up by three.

Williams hit a pair of free throws in the final minute, but that was the highlight for Bastrop at the free-throw line as the Bears were 4-of-11 from the charity stripe.

That wasn’t all of Bastrop’s woes in the second half.

The Bears had two key turnovers in the final in the final two minutes of the game, both of which came with Bastrop in striking distance.

The Bears did get off to a hot start and led 19-17 at the end the first quarter thanks to 14 points from Chris Young, who hit three of Bastrop’s five three-point field goals.

Young was held scorless in the second quarter as Bastrop cooled down and Manor capitalized to lead 35-27 at the break.

Young finished the game with 16 points, scoring the majority in the first half.

Manor did a good job containing John Thorne, who is Bastrop’s leading scorer.

Thorne was held to just five points and four rebounds.

Avery Mack led Manor with nine points, scoring all nine in the first quarter as early foul trouble kept him on the bench.

Mack too was hot from behind the three-point line, hitting three of the Mustangs’ five three-point field goals.

Other scorers for Bastrop were Dontray Kinsey (5), Daniel Hill (2) and Kaliem Evans (2).

Manor 49, Bastrop 47
Manor    17    18    7    7    -    49
Bastrop    19    8    13    7    -    47
Bastrop (17-14, 5-5): Cameron Williams 17, Chris Young 16, John Thorne 5, Dontray Kinsey 5, Daniel Hill 2, Kaliem Evans 2.
Manor: Avery Mack 9, Jacorey McQueen 7, Statron Jones 7, Tyler Johnson 7, Rodney Molette 6, Tyler Ellis 4, Corey Calhoun 4, Ladarius Carlcok 4, Brian Henry 1.