Shorthorns Advance To State’s Final Four
The Schulenburg high school boys basketball team punched their ticket to the state semifinals Friday night at Cuero high school by defeating Port Aransas with a final score of 57-50.
The Shorthorns never trailed throughout the entire game and started to pull away in the third quarter with a double-digit lead as they were able to play another clean game with very few turnovers and make key shots when it mattered.
“We did the things we needed to do,” said Schulenburg head boy’s basketball coach Rich Hoogendoorn. “I think Al (Alex Lozano) hit a three in that (third quarter) run, but most of them were lay ups. One of our goals is for Kenny (King) to make his first lay up and he didn’t, but he did make a few down the stretch. We were just trying to attack the glass and not settle for the three, play good defense.”
“We knew No. 4 (Conner Kreutziger) was a really good player and 22 (Kris Jones). Besides 4’s (Kreutziger’s) penetrations, I don’t think he hit a three tonight. Number 22 (Jones) hit a couple. All in all, it was a good team win. We had ten guys play good minutes tonight. We had some early foul trouble and overcame that. Brett (Janecek) and Bryce (Wilson) both had early foul trouble and so we were able to overcome that. Great win and it’s great to get back to the state tournament.”
Junior guard Kenny King once again played a major role in the Horns’ win as he recorded 12 points on the night and played sound basketball in all aspects.
“Me and my team have been talking about this since the first day of practice, talking about we got to make it to state,” King said. “We struggle sometimes, but we get back on point. We make our defense good and our offense a lot better. It will be something fun to experience with the whole team.”
Schulenburg won the opening tip and struck first blood as senior center Alex Lozano faced up his defender and nailed a three-pointer just before the six and a half minute mark. Senior guard Bryce Wilson joined the action about a minute later where he was fouled on a double-clutch lay up attempt on a drive from the wing and made both free throws. This was followed by a strong euro-step from the opposite side of the perimeter by King as he extended his arms with the ball over his head, slid past a help-side defender, and spun the ball off the glass with his right hand into the net for a 7-2 advantage.
The Horns led 9-4 after the first quarter and closed on a hustle play for a loose ball when senior guard Jalen Wilson scrambled for the ball, secured it, passed to King while laying on the floor, then King passed it back to Wilson who cut to the other side of the basket and finished an open lay up. Port Aransas had some close-range buckets to show, but went cold from distance.
A slow start to the second quarter was followed by a transition take and score from sophomore forward Kenny Schramek. King then received a pass on the low block, power dribbled once, and made a lay up that rolled into the basket for a 13-8 lead with 3:37 to go in the period. On the next couple possessions, senior guard Brett Janecek buried a well-guarded three-pointer and Schramek converted another lay up to charge ahead 18-10 around the two minute mark. Port Aransas junior Sydney Herndon stole a pass from Janecek just past half-court and drew a foul in order to hit both free throws and minimize the deficit to 18-14. King scored on the next possession with 40 seconds left and then added another lay up on a pass from forward T.J. Speed in the corner as the scoreboard read 22-16 at halftime in the Horns favor.
Port Aransas’ still couldn’t find their stroke while Schulenburg wore down the Marlins with their execution on offense. Jalen Wilson cashed in a tough lay up over two defenders to start the third quarter. Two possessions later, Port Aransas senior forward Aidan Schmidt hit a three pointer. Then sophomore shooting guard Kris Jones drove baseline for a lay up to make it a 24-21 contest at the six minute mark. Jalen Wilson drew a foul and split the pair, then Speed stole a pass and advanced the ball ahead to King for a fastbreak lay up.
Port Aransas matched the momentum with another threepointer from Jones before the Horns answered with a string of lay ups from Jalen Wilson, King, and Bryce Wilson that forced the Marlins to call a timeout with 4:15 to play in the quarter as Schulenburg jolted ahead for a 33-24 lead. Schulenburg started to pull away as Speed swished a three-pointer on a pass from Bryce Wilson and then also scored a lay-up on a wide-open fast break to put the score at 37- 24 and force the Marlins to call another timeout with 3:02 to go. Port Aransas’ Schmidt hit a three-pointer out of the timeout before Schulenburg’s King drove to the basket and dished the ball to Janecek on the wing for his second three-pointer where he faced up his defender and splashed it.
This was followed by a Bryce Wilson lay-up in transition and a 42-37 lead for the Horns with just over a minute left. Schulenburg capped off an impressive third quarter and a 44-29 lead when Schramek missed a jumper that was rebounded by senior forward Jayson Schaefer as he took one dribble and finished a contested lay up. Jones came off a screen for Port Aransas to open the fourth quarter, received the ball at the top of the key, and made a floater that bounced in.
Schulenburg’s Lozano responded with a three-pointer in the corner and a 47-35 scoreboard with seven minutes to play. Herndon then hit a three-pointer from the wing at the 6:15 mark to make it 47-38 ball game until Lozano missed a three-pointer off the side of the rim from near the corner, followed his shot, and grabbed his own rebound to make a lay up falling away towards the baseline with five and a half minutes to play.
Speed then threw an alleyoop from the other corner to Bryce Wilson for a lay up at the front of the rim that was answered by a Port Aransas lay-up. The Horns added two more lay-ups from Speed and Bryce Wilson to take a 53-42 lead with about four minutes remaining. Schulenburg decided to let the clock roll at the two-minute mark with a 55-46 advantage. Port Aransas missed a three-pointer with 1:26 to go where both teams fought for the rebound that eventually was swatted out of bounds by the Marlins for Schulenburg’s possession.
Speed then received a pass that was a little long, but was still able to grab as he was falling out of bounds on the Horns baseline. Speed miraculously flipped it behind his back to the other side of the perimeter right in Lozano’s bread basket. Lozano was fouled and hit both one and one free throws with 56 seconds left. Port Aransas made it tough for Schulenburg to cross half-court as the Horns had to pass their way through the Marlins press.
Speed eventually had the ball near the perimeter where he tossed another alley-oop pass, this time to King, that was nearly intercepted by Port Aransas. King grabbed the ball and threw it off a Marlins player’s foot to keep the ball in Schulenburg’s hands with 24 seconds left. Port Aransas then quickly went down and netted a floater, but it wasn’t enough as Schulenburg sealed a 57-50 win and the Horns fans all gathered at the front rail to recite the school song to the players standing at center court as they celebrated a well-deserved spot to the state semifinals.
3-5-21 –Regional Finals at Cuero HS
Schulenburg boys 57, Port Aransas 50
Schulenburg 9 13 22 13 – 57
Port Aransas 4 12 13 21 – 50
Schulenburg scoring: Kenny King 10, Bryce Wilson 10, Jalen Wilson 7, Jason Schaefer 2, TJ Speed 6, Brett Janacek 6, Alex Lozano 10, Kenny Schramek 4.
Port Aransas scoring: Conner Kreutziger- 22 pts, Sydney Herndon- 9 pts, Aidan Schmidt- 6 pts,Ozzie Phillips- 2 pts.
3/9/21
Schulenburg Shorthorns (22-6) vs. Grapeland Sandies (28-1)
UIL State Semi Finals at Campbell Center - Aldine, 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Clarendon Broncos (20-2) vs. Lipan Indians (24-4)
UIL State Semi Finals 4 p.m. Tuesday at Graham HS
Ticket sales are online using this link: https://www.aldineisd.org/about/ departments/athletics-department/purchase-tickets/
3/13
2A State Title Basketball Game
Semifinal winners at the Alamodome at 10 a.m.