There are three teams knotted at the top of District 10/4A late in the season. The Kennedale Wildcats have a 23-6, 7-1 record. The Alvarado Indians are 26-3, 7-1 and the Life Waxahachie Mustangs are 26-5, 7-1.
In the first round of the district play, the three teams split wins, with Kennedale @ home defeating Life (52-42) but losing @ Alvarado (66-64). Alvarado in turn lost @ home to Life (60-53).
Unusually tight district race …
It is a close race this late in the season. At best in most districts, there may be two teams battling for the top seed. But, in most cases, there is an established leader and the fight comes for second, third, and fourth seeds. (The top four teams in each district qualify for the UIL playoffs). For District 10-4A the dropoff between the district leaders is significant as Ferris comes next after the three leaders with a record of 15-13 overall and a 3-4 district record.
MaxPreps currently ranks Life Waxahachie at #14 in Class 4A state-wide, Kennedale at #17, and Alvarado at #22. The Star-Telegram Area Rankings for Class 4A/Others have the Wildcats ranked #2 just behind the leader, Alvarado at #1.
Stage set for the last 3 major games of the season …
Kennedale will play a decisive role over the next five days. Besides playing Alvarado on Friday, the Cats will travel to Life next Tuesday. If they win out they should be able to claim the title. But it may not be decided until Alvarado and Life will play next week on Friday when Life hosts the Indians.
Hang on, if the first round is any indication, nothing is for sure, yet.
Cats defeat Godley …
Last week, Kennedale defeated Godley (5-21, 1-6) at home by a score of 80-37. It was a complete team effort as 12 players contributed to winning. Kennedale led after the Q1 35-5. At halftime, it was 45-18.
TEAM STATS:
For the game, Kennedale was 54% in field goals made to Godley’s 34%. Kennedale hit 33% of 3-pointers while Godley hit 21%. Godley did edge out Kennedale in free throws, 68% to 63%, and in turnovers 26 to 13. Kennedale stole the ball 13 times compared to 4 for Godley. And the Cats led in points made after a turnover 36-4.
PLAYERS STATS:
Scoring – Pablo Agosto-Vega led the team with 15 points, followed by Landon Brook 13, Austin Pickett 11, Tristan Lewis 10, Breylen Harris 8, Ruben Rivera Agosto 7, Noah Biles 6, Jacoby Lovings 4, Grayson Powers 3, A’meir Williams 3. Harris also tossed in two 3-pointers, while Powers, Agosto-Vega, Rivera Agosto, Pickett, and Lewis added 1 apiece.
Defense – Rebounds were led by Landon Brooks with 10 followed by Pablo Agoston-Vega with 5; Ruben Rivera Agosto and A’meir Williams each had 3; Tristant Lewis and Noah Biles recorded 2 apiece while Jacoby Loving, Breylen Harris, and Isaiah Salas had 1 each.
In other defensive stats, Lewis had 4 deflections and 3 steals while Lovings and Pickett had 1 deflection and 2 steals each. Agosto-Vega and Brooks each added a deflection and a steal. Sharing in the stealing were Mason, Harris, and Biles with one apiece. Powers and Williams each recorded a single deflection.
Games left to play …
After the Wildcats play Alvarado on Friday and Life on Tuesday, they will finish the season with a home game against Ferris (15-13, 3-4) on Friday, February 10, and the final game @ Venus (6-23, 0-8) on Tuesday, February 14.
