Boys basketball readies for Bandera

The Texan boys lost at Canyon Lake last Friday in a continuation of the rivalry against always-tough Canyon in what some call the “Battle of the Backbone.” The Texans played without center Landon Kirchner, their top scorer and tallest defender who was away for a college scholarship interview. So, the Texans couldn’t stop Canyon Lakes’ best scorer from pouring in 29 points and dominating the game.

The loss to Canyon Lake left the Texans with a record of 14-14 just as Fredericksburg came to Wimberley on Tuesday, January 29 for another crucial district battle. Coach Whitten commented, “As the season plays out, we’re currently battling for third. Right now, Fred is first and Borne second and we still must play both teams twice. It will be tough but at least we’ll get some home games.”

Previously, the Texans had defeated Llano 54-48 in a game Wimberley needed to win for any chance of making the district playoffs. In that game, the Texans led 48-35 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Then Llano went on a run and began to hit tough shots while Wimberley missed important free throws.

With only three minutes left in the game, the Texans started making crucial free throws, which allowed them to pull away. A late spurt, driven by Ty Cabler hitting three threes in the fourth quarter, gave the Texans a lead to protect. Wimberley’s three “bigs” - Colby Boyle, Landon Kirchner and Jack Meisner -limited Llano’s 6’9” center to only three free throws.

After losing last week to one of the top teams in the district, the Texans may get no breather this weekend against Bandera on the opponent’s home court. Whitten cautions that no team is an easy win in district play. “Bandera always plays better at home and they have has nothing to lose,” he reminds fans. Game time is 6:30.