AP Panther Fan
02-26-2007, 10:04 AM
Port Aransas looks to rise to the occasion
Marlins girls team heads to state tourney
By Stuart Duncan Caller-Times
February 26, 2007
Will it be sunrise or sunset on the Port Aransas girls basketball team's season Thursday against Sundown at the state tournament?
The Marlins (34-5 overall) will look to broaden their playoff horizons Thursday when they play Sundown (32-3) at 10 a.m. in the Class A, Division I state semifinals in a battle of state-ranked teams at the Erwin Center in Austin.
The winner of that game will play either top-ranked Martin's Mill (29-5) or No. 4 Lindsay (29-4) in Saturday's 8:30 a.m. Class A, Division I state championship game in Austin.
"The state championship is out there but we're not going to talk about that right now," said Port Aransas coach Randy Henderson, whose team is making its first state tournament appearance since 1995 when the Marlins fell to Sudan in the state semifinals. "We've got to win our state semifinal game first - we're only going to talk about beating Sundown."
District 31-A champion Port Aransas - No. 2 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings - survived Region IV-A semifinal opponent Christoval Friday, 45-44 thanks to all state post Whitney Williams' game-winning free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining, before pulling away from fifth-ranked Thorndale late in Saturday's regional final, 53-36 to reach the state tournament.
District 3-A champion Sundown - No. 2 in the Texas Association of Girls Basketball Coaches state rankings and seventh in the TABC state rankings - also had quite an impressive run to the state tournament, knocking off state-ranked teams No. 10 New Deal and No. 20 McCamey along the way. The Roughnecks ousted Olton, 45-38 and New Deal, 54-46 in the Region I-A, Division I semifinals and finals respectively this past weekend in Levelland.
"I'm sure they're a good team but once again - we're going to be facing the unknown, as are all the teams at the state tournament," Henderson said. "We're going to continue to take the same approach that we have been - we can't look past anyone. It is going to come down to the little things for us like staying healthy and staying out of foul trouble."
In the boys basketball playoffs, meanwhile, state-ranked West Oso and Aransas Pass are the only two teams from the Coastal Bend still remaining in the postseason.
The Panthers (20-17) will play their District 30-3A rivals, the 11th ranked Bears (21-10), in the Region IV-3A quarterfinals Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Gregory-Portland High School.
District 30-3A third place Aransas Pass knocked Hidalgo out of the area playoffs this past Friday, while District 30-3A champion West Oso outlasted San Diego in its second round game this past Saturday.
"We know in order to get back to the regional tournament this year that we can't look past anybody," said Bears coach Floyd Campbell, whose team reached last year's Region IV-3A final. "Everybody is going to step up their games against us in the playoffs, so we're going to have to do the same."
West Oso swept both district games from the Panthers earlier in the season en route to a 10-0 district campaign.
"West Oso is definitely the class of our district and we're going to have to play our best game to beat them," Aransas Pass coach Glen Hayes said. "We had two close games against them in district this season but they made plays at the end of those games and we didn't, so we're going to have to turn that around (Tuesday)."
Marlins girls team heads to state tourney
By Stuart Duncan Caller-Times
February 26, 2007
Will it be sunrise or sunset on the Port Aransas girls basketball team's season Thursday against Sundown at the state tournament?
The Marlins (34-5 overall) will look to broaden their playoff horizons Thursday when they play Sundown (32-3) at 10 a.m. in the Class A, Division I state semifinals in a battle of state-ranked teams at the Erwin Center in Austin.
The winner of that game will play either top-ranked Martin's Mill (29-5) or No. 4 Lindsay (29-4) in Saturday's 8:30 a.m. Class A, Division I state championship game in Austin.
"The state championship is out there but we're not going to talk about that right now," said Port Aransas coach Randy Henderson, whose team is making its first state tournament appearance since 1995 when the Marlins fell to Sudan in the state semifinals. "We've got to win our state semifinal game first - we're only going to talk about beating Sundown."
District 31-A champion Port Aransas - No. 2 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state rankings - survived Region IV-A semifinal opponent Christoval Friday, 45-44 thanks to all state post Whitney Williams' game-winning free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining, before pulling away from fifth-ranked Thorndale late in Saturday's regional final, 53-36 to reach the state tournament.
District 3-A champion Sundown - No. 2 in the Texas Association of Girls Basketball Coaches state rankings and seventh in the TABC state rankings - also had quite an impressive run to the state tournament, knocking off state-ranked teams No. 10 New Deal and No. 20 McCamey along the way. The Roughnecks ousted Olton, 45-38 and New Deal, 54-46 in the Region I-A, Division I semifinals and finals respectively this past weekend in Levelland.
"I'm sure they're a good team but once again - we're going to be facing the unknown, as are all the teams at the state tournament," Henderson said. "We're going to continue to take the same approach that we have been - we can't look past anyone. It is going to come down to the little things for us like staying healthy and staying out of foul trouble."
In the boys basketball playoffs, meanwhile, state-ranked West Oso and Aransas Pass are the only two teams from the Coastal Bend still remaining in the postseason.
The Panthers (20-17) will play their District 30-3A rivals, the 11th ranked Bears (21-10), in the Region IV-3A quarterfinals Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Gregory-Portland High School.
District 30-3A third place Aransas Pass knocked Hidalgo out of the area playoffs this past Friday, while District 30-3A champion West Oso outlasted San Diego in its second round game this past Saturday.
"We know in order to get back to the regional tournament this year that we can't look past anybody," said Bears coach Floyd Campbell, whose team reached last year's Region IV-3A final. "Everybody is going to step up their games against us in the playoffs, so we're going to have to do the same."
West Oso swept both district games from the Panthers earlier in the season en route to a 10-0 district campaign.
"West Oso is definitely the class of our district and we're going to have to play our best game to beat them," Aransas Pass coach Glen Hayes said. "We had two close games against them in district this season but they made plays at the end of those games and we didn't, so we're going to have to turn that around (Tuesday)."