Texas HS Playoffs

[Jennifer]

http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/sports_1.html

Plainview (and OU signee Chelsi Welch and Tech commit Alesha Robertson) plays Dallas Lincoln tomorrow in Austin for the 4A State Championship. Should be a great game for those of you able to see it.

Mansfield plays today for the finals berth.

[carolann]

The word is that many Big 12 coaches have been seen including Sheri Coale. Coale was reportedly their to see her recruit, Chelsi Welch. The world is a-twitter over Tiffany Jackson, the Lincoln center. I'll be at some of the games tommorrow.

[Jennifer]

Carolann, that would be great if you could provide a report of what you see.
There's lots of great players playing there this weekend.
Is Nina Norman's team still playing?

[Press]

Originally posted by Jennifer:
http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/sports_1.html

Plainview (and OU signee Chelsi Welch and Tech commit Alesha Robertson) plays Dallas Lincoln tomorrow in Austin for the 4A State Championship. Should be a great game for those of you able to see it.

Mansfield plays today for the finals berth.

Love that West Texas GBB! http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[swok34]

Sherri Coale was in Texas last night, she called in to her radio show from Texas......didn't say exactly where and couldn't say who she was looking at.

What year is Tiffany Jackson?

[This message has been edited by swok34 (edited 03-01-2002).]

[metromaniac]

Jackson is a Junior.

[Press]

WOW! I just listened to the last Q of the Manfield (Erin Grant) and Westfield (Nichelle Roberts, KU signee) state semi-finals game and Mansfield wins it in OT, 61-57. They will be going back to their 4th straight Texas 5-A Championship tomorrow.

I might have to drive down to Austin tomorrow for the finals of the 4-A and 5-A championship games.

[Guns Up!]

No, Nina Norman's team (Texas' future PG) is out. But Texas Tech's future PG Erin Grant is still in.

[horntooter]

Just got home from the Mansfield-Westfield game; enough time to eat a bite and then back for the evening game. The game was off-the-edge exciting. Westfield was down 10 points at the start of the 4th quarter and had pulled ahead with 3 minutes left in the game, which is when they began stalling. Playing a game of keepaway which led to a turnover which led to two points for Mansfield which led to overtime. Erin Grant was poised and in control; Tech fans will enjoy watching her for the next four years. Another up-and-coming player is Westfield's #23, sophomore Tyeisha Jackson. She scored 22 points, including a couple of crucial 3 pointers.

Nina Norman's team lost to Plano in the first round of the regionals, and then Plano lost to Westfield.

Dallas Lincoln played yesterday, and Tiffany Jackson was very impressive. Easy to understand why everyone in the country is looking at her. A 6'4" player, several times she rebounded the ball, dribbled the length of the court and hit a jump shot. Or she would catch the ball at the top of the key and dribble in for a layup. I seldom saw her post up. Lincoln and Plainview play tomorrow for the championship. Plainview's Robertson and Welch were also outstanding, but cannot recap that game as I must leave.

We did see Sherri Coale before the Plainview game. She was not wearing spike heels, for those who might be wondering.

Go Horns!

[Bevo]

What about Nazareth with Texas signee Stephanie Thiel? Has anyone seen them play? I read that they won the Class A Division II title. What does that mean? Are they splitting up the classes like they do in football now, with a "Big" and "Small" division in each class? Ugh!

[Press]

Originally posted by horntooter:
Just got home from the Mansfield-Westfield game; enough time to eat a bite and then back for the evening game. The game was off-the-edge exciting. Westfield was down 10 points at the start of the 4th quarter and had pulled ahead with 3 minutes left in the game, which is when they began stalling. Playing a game of keepaway which led to a turnover which led to two points for Mansfield which led to overtime. Erin Grant was poised and in control; Tech fans will enjoy watching her for the next four years. Another up-and-coming player is Westfield's #23, sophomore Tyeisha Jackson. She scored 22 points, including a couple of crucial 3 pointers.

Nina Norman's team lost to Plano in the first round of the regionals, and then Plano lost to Westfield.

Dallas Lincoln played yesterday, and Tiffany Jackson was very impressive. Easy to understand why everyone in the country is looking at her. A 6'4" player, several times she rebounded the ball, dribbled the length of the court and hit a jump shot. Or she would catch the ball at the top of the key and dribble in for a layup. I seldom saw her post up. Lincoln and Plainview play tomorrow for the championship. Plainview's Robertson and Welch were also outstanding, but cannot recap that game as I must leave.

We did see Sherri Coale before the Plainview game. She was not wearing spike heels, for those who might be wondering.

Go Horns!

I saw Tyeisha Jackson play last Spring at an AAU tournament in Southlake and thought she was good then. I looked at the program and saw she was a 2004 class and couldn't beleive it. I think she played with Mercedes William, Coco Reed, Nina Norman and Lindsey Harding's team. Looks like UT might have the inside track on her, ya think? http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif



[This message has been edited by Press (edited 03-01-2002).]

[horntooter]

Press, I've heard that Texas has the inside track on Tyeisha. I hope that's true, but she has two years to explore her options. In addition to scoring, she made some nice assists, blocked out, followed her shot. Very good basics. How do you find out dates and locations of AAU tournaments? I've thought that would be fun and would help the summer "no basketball" blues.

Bevo, we saw Stephanie Thiel's game yesterday. Nazareth won easily over Dodd City. Stephanie has a nice shot, played good defense, looked very solid. 23 points, 4 of 9 three-pointers, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, a handful of steals. Someone commented that she may not be a starter next year, but she'll make everyone ahead of her better. They play Brock tomorrow morning bright and early (well, ...early) and we think her twin plays for Brock. Kelsie Cole - same blonde ponytail, same physique, same style of play, and the same number. It will be an interesting matchup. As to your question about Division I and II, only the 1A schools are separated into two divisions based on population of the school. So Brock and Nazareth won their state championship game on Thursday and play for the "Texas Cup" on Saturday.

[Press]

Originally posted by horntooter:
Press, I've heard that Texas has the inside track on Tyeisha. I hope that's true, but she has two years to explore her options. In addition to scoring, she made some nice assists, blocked out, followed her shot. Very good basics. How do you find out dates and locations of AAU tournaments? I've thought that would be fun and would help the summer "no basketball" blues.


I usually find out through TexasHoops.com. There is also a website that I found last year that had a calendar of AAU trounaments around Texas. Since then, my computer crashed and I'll have to do some searching for it. If I find it, I'll let you know. I think they're really fun to watch because it's the best of the best. The one in Southlake in April is usually one of the best. Last years teams were from all over the state and it was a "Who's Who" of coaches from everywhere watching.

[Press]

Great article on coaches recruiting Texas.
http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/sports_2.html

[Bball Girl]

Thanks for the article press...

Wow to be this kid...

"That day I got over 50 UPS and Fed Ex packages at the house and I got 40 different letters in the regular mail," Jackson said. "I really don't have a short list, but I really like the University of Texas and a couple of other schools, including Texas Tech. But I would not be opposed to playing somewhere out of state."

[Jennifer]

Wow, I need to get out and see her play next season.
Maybe she'll consider that great school about 200 miles up I-35 from Dallas. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[Press]

Originally posted by horntooter:
How do you find out dates and locations of AAU tournaments? I've thought that would be fun and would help the summer "no basketball" blues.


Here ya go: http://www.tssaau.org/



[This message has been edited by Press (edited 03-02-2002).]

[Jennifer]

For those of you in the Dallas area, the Mansfield final is on Channel 27 (Dishnetwork-8407)tonight at 8.

[Guns Up!]

Halftime
Plainview 39, Dallas Lincoln 18

[RaiderPower1]

39-18 Plainview (Alesha Robertson-TTU & Chelsi Welch-OU) at the half. I think Dallas Lincoln's Tiffany Jackson has only 4 pts. Alesha has single handedly taken over the game with 19 points at the half! She'll be a great player for Tech in a year. She kinda reminds me of Amber Tarr at 5'11". She's also VERY strong with the ball and quick.

[This message has been edited by RaiderPower1 (edited 03-02-2002).]

[Press]

Now that's West Texas GBB at it's best! I just heard Alesha Robertson left the game, 2 min to go, had 33 points, (12 of 13 from the floor; 2 of 2 from 3point range; 7 of 8 from the line, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!), 9 boards!!! I wish she was a senior!

[RaiderPower1]

Final was 68-40.

I think Alesha finished with 34 points on 12-13 shooting! Superb!

Chelsi Welch finished with 10 points I think.

Congrats on Pview winning the state tournament for the second straight year!

[RaiderPower1]

Dallas Lincoln's star was held to 11 points. Just a great defensive effort on Plainview's part as it sounded like it was one shot and done for DL.

[horntooter]

Press -

thanks for the link; I plan to see some AAU games this summer.

Tech fans: Alesha Robertson was pretty spectacular today. She does remind me of Amber Tarr, and OU fans, Chelsi Welch was no slouch. They look to be immediate impact players. Tiffany Jackson had spots of brilliance but Robertson and Welch outshined her today. Jackson's dribble penetration move was shut down and the Lincoln team seemed unable to handle the defensive pressure; with no blocking out and rebounding, it was one and done at every possession.

My predictions of the finals today proved wrong at every point. In the "Texas Cup" I anticipated a close and hardfought game between Nazareth and Brock. Nazareth had only two points at the end of the first quarter. Stephanie Thiel had an off night shooting, especially in the first half, though she did well defensively. In the 3A final, Llano was the hometown favorite, just 30 miles away, but I figured Liberty-Eylau would blow them away. Llano has good fundamentals but none of the girls have the easy grace of a natural athlete. Liberty-Eylau, on the other hand, seemed strong and athletic. But Llano's ability to work the ball and their cohesiveness as a team really made the difference.

I guess I have a day to wash clothes and pack, and then it's on the KC for more basketball.

[RaiderPower1]

Future Lady Raider Erin Grant had 11 points, 4 assists, 7-9 FT, but her leadership is priceless! She'll be a great player for Texas Tech. Her team, Mansfield won 47-42. She is the only player in UIL history to win 4 state titles.

[carolann]

Hi all -

I missed probably the best game - Mansfield v Westfield. In terms of prospects, I saw Westfield earlier in the year -- they have a very talented freshman guard, TAKIA STARKS. When I saw her very early in the year, she hadn't yet fit into the team but she has the kind of talent that jumps out at you. In a game between two Texas 5A teams with many future D1 players, Starks had people looking at their program, asking 'who's that girl'. The player numbers on the program were messed up. I was getting help from a Westfield fan sitting behind me. I looked down some rows and saw Jody Conradt. Conradt was correcting her program with the help of Mercedes Williams. I'm glad to hear Tyeisha Jackson, another talented Westfield guard, might be interested in Texas.

ERIN GRANT was the player of the games, no doubt. . Grant plays with amazing maturity and calm. Grant will arrive at Tech ready to lead. There is no reason she shouldn't start from day one.

ALEASHA ROBERTSON (Tech) was the next most impressive player I saw. Of course, she has the advantage of playing on a team that plays well together. CHELSI WELCH (OU) looked good but it was Aleasha's day.

TIFFANY JACKSON, playing for the opposing team, has the disadvantage of playing for a coach whose methods are hard to understand. O.K., its impressive to see a 6'4" player dribbling into the lane and hitting on a jump-stop. But what good did she do her team hanging out on the wing? She was about 5" taller than Plainview's tallest player. I think she could have helped her team more if she'd gotten inside and posted up. She does know how. I've seen her. I also have no respect for a h.s. player that size who doesn't get in and rebound.

JAMILA GANTER, a junior at 3A Liverty Eylau, was a player that I hadn't heard of who looked like a prospect. She is a very aggressive point guard who shoots well and has good moves to the basket. I don't particularly see her in the Big 12. She looked out of control a lot but the calls went in her favor more often than not.

STEPHANIE THIEL, 1A Nazareth, Texas signee, wasn't shooting well. She handled her difficulty well. She did everything for her team: rebounds, assists, hustle plays. When her outside shot didn't fall, she took the ball in, made some shots and got some foul calls. You could see that she is used to shooting well. She has good shooting form, getting good ball rotation.

KENZIE COLE, jr., 1A Brock, is a smart, good, all-around player, not super athletic. She shoots from WAY downtown. She and S. Thiel were like twin players but Cole had the better day. AARICA RAY, La Tech signee, had a terrible game for 3A Liberty Eylau. She looked beautifully athletic but had nothing but 2 points and 4 fouls in the 3rd qt. She made some good defensive plays. The 3A MVP was tiny, 5'3", VAKESHA TURNER, jr, Buffalo. She's a typical lightning bug guard. She seemed to look to pass first, pass second, shoot third but she ended the game with 14 points. She made most of the critical baskets down the stretch of a close game.

[Jennifer]

Thanks for the report, Carolann.

Tiffany Jackson sounds like the type of player Iciss Tillis is--big, but soft inside, capable of shooting the 3 and handling the ball.