Texan basketball team aims for playoffs

Llano’s boys’ basketball team came to town last Friday with plans to derail Wimberley’s basketball boys from qualifying for prime spot in the upcoming bi-district playoffs. By the end of the first quarter, the score stood 17-3 for Wimberley and everything looked fine for the home team Texans.

But then the Yellow Jackets began to muscle their way back into the game while the Texans suffered a string of costly passing mistakes and fouls that let Llano forge a comeback. The first half ended with the Texans hanging onto a lead of 34-32.

The two teams gained back and forth leads until near the end of the second half. Then sophomore guard Ethan Schleder started hitting three point bombs and Wimberley won 61-49. Schleder ended up with 33 points including nine three point baskets and six free throws. With the win, the Texans boys’ basketball team finished the regular season with a 16-15 record.

On Tuesday, February 12, the Texans played Canyon Lake to determine seeding for the up-coming District tournament. The winner of that game grabs a third seed while the loser drops into the fourth and faces the top seed during the by-district playoffs.

Coach Mike took special attention to praise the sophomores of his team, especially after the Boerne game. ‘I was really proud of them that night because they competed to the last second of the game. They can hold their heads high,” the coach said after his team fought a senior-laden Boerne team until they lost 56-54 in the last seconds of the game. Tied 30-30 at the half, the Texans scored only five points in the third quarter. Then they battled back to almost catch the fading Greyhounds.

Coach Whitten calls this year a huge learning season for his young players. “The youth of this year will help us in the future. But we should remember that our young guys are often going against bigger and more experienced varsity players. Now what they need to learn is to come out with the intensity at the start and maintain it to the end.”