JimThorpe

Based on what I've seen and read so far in the post season the Tigers are a little bit better team right now than the Mustangs. The trouble for the Tigers is that the Mustangs are always ready, always prepared, always sharp, you know what you're going to get. (unless there's a tropical storm or cold front downpour). Late blooming teams like Silsbee are just wildcards. Like a box of chocolates, you never know exactly what you're going to get.

That's interesting because the TABC poll has them at No. 8 in the state and no other team in the district is in the top 20. I have a feeling they are both wrong. Silsbee will certainly be no worse than 2nd in district and there are probably some teams ranked lower that are better. AFter all, a good number of the comments over on the Silsbee vs WOS football thread have the Silsbee kids ready to play basketball as soon as next week.

It is 4A after all. A small team can make headway if they play smart and with confidence. I wouldn't be that surprised to see Silsbee make it back to the Region Tournament. They may not make it through district undefeated but that will just make the next couple of months more interesting and more fun.

Yes they do. You've got Silsbee and Wimberly and then 6 top ten ranked teams. But really it's anybody's to win. They are all good games. The best out of the 4 looks to be No. 1 Pleasant Grove vs. No. 6 Gilmer in a rematch of the district game which PG won 37-24. Gilmer played well against Carthage in a 24-15 loss and and beat Newton 16-0 in preseason. And you know what Newton did to Silsbee in preseason - is was a blowout. But Silsbee is not a good early season team. It's like two different programs, one before Halloween and one after.

Around the 4A Div II ranks we've got the runner up in 6 playing the winner in 6, the runner up in 13 playing the winner of 13 and runner up in 10 playing the winner in 10. Interesting. Only Region 1 pairs teams from different districts. So the thing about teams that are familiar with each other is playing out all around the state. Rivalry games in the quarter finals. Wimberly and Navarro are playing in the Alamodome. That's seems like a fun venue for HS football. But no chance for the downpours Tigers like so much.

It's not that Silsbee can't win if it's not raining. It just makes up for the little flaws that Silsbee has which WOS, because of the nature of the program, doesn't have. And we're realists, we'll take whatever we can get.

The weather looks to be just about ideal. Better for horses not as good for predatory cats. The horses will have a better chance of detecting the cats sneaking up.

Oh, I do hope you'll need your rain gear. Who else is superstitious about sports? I certainly was when I played back in the ancient times. Silly. I had to eat a grapefruit on Thursday night watching a particular TV show or else I would jinx us. Don't remember the show, don't remember how it got started. Last night I felt I had to change seats at the half because the Tigers were flat. Seemed like the Buffaloes had the formula. The Tigers weren't out of it by any means but they needed some breaks and some big plays. So I changed seats and look what happened, 28 unanswered points in the second half. My rational brain tells me that it's happenstance coupled with the fact that the Tigers stepped up and performed. But my primitive brain tells me it was all because I changed seats. Last year at Legacy there was a moment when it looked like Cuero was about to take control for good. The grandkids were with us there at Legacy and they are big Harry Potter fans. Cuero had just scored and was driving again so I told them needed something so they should cast a spell. Happily they obliged. They consulted among themselves and came up with a hex and chanted some Potter stuff and waved their arms and the next play the Tigers recovered a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown. I mean the very next play! Remember the play? It was hilarious! You should have seen their faces. "Granddaddy! It worked! It actually worked! We did it! We did it!" It's become legend in our family already. See? That's how these things get started. And now it's the rain. If it rains the Tigers will beat the Mustangs in playoff situations. The quality of the teams has nothing to do with it. It's the rain you see. I was there in 98, wasn't it at TJ stadium? My daughter was a senior. I was there last year when it was obvious to everyone that WOS looked very uncomfortable right from the start but the Tigers seemed to be thrilled thrilled that it was storming. Weather is the great equalized and that's factual and reasonable. But what day it decides to rain is happenstance. And I love it. And why not?Usually these things are decided in delivery rooms 17 or 18 years ago or by who moves to what town are by who can find and keep the best coach. But every now and then fate rears it's disturbing head. I wonder if the Mustangs would trade every single one of those regular season wins for the two Tiger postseason wins? Oh those lovely intangibles. Anyway, PM showers on Thursday but it will have moved off by Friday. Oh well. Doesn't mean the Tigers have to lose. Does it? I'm calling the grandkids.

Okay. Anybody know any good rain dances? If it had rained last year at Legacy the Tigers would have gone to Dallas.

Got a couple of breaks and some big plays. Bingo - 35 unanswered points. And the defense stepped up HUGE.

Every single bounce has gone to the Buffalos. One big play has kept us close. Chris could have scored from our 30 on that TD run. Got to get a break and a couple more big plays.

Giddings is quite a bit stronger up front. Silsbee can’t win without big plays

Well, as we all know, jungle cats LOVE the rain. Their prey can't detect them stalking. Undoubtedly the Smithville coach knows what happened last year so if it's even threatening to sprinkle he'll be squawking. "Lightning! I think I saw lightning!"

Not a very fancy stadium. Oh well, second round, can’t expect the moon.

I'm waiting for that commentator, Mr Cliche, to mention how many people FF draws from.

There it goes. Great effort by the true 4A school. Nothing to be ashamed of.

You gotta figure that FF will figure it out sometime in the 3rd. Too much of everything on their side.

Yea, wow. They'd have a lead against the Tigers too. I can just see us getting frustrated. It's called peaking at the right moment.

Madison did everything right. Just about textbook.

15 of the 19 from 3 point land. That is some shooting.

Yates is a good team but they are here because Silsbee self destructed in the second half last Saturday. Oak Cliff is a tested team and have played a much tougher schedule and a postseason that's arguably tougher as well. The middle is not going to be porous like it was against the Tigers so outside shooting will be critical. If they are shooting well it's still no guarantee but if they aren't they won't win. It's a "career" magnet school (please, I may have been born at night, but not last night!) against a "charter" school. I tend to go with the lesser of two evils which is Yates. But then I'll be pulling for the winner of the Decatur - Liberty Hill game in the final because those schools are from towns. And 4A schools should be from towns. One high school districts. You know? Like Sour Lake or Bridge City or Lumberton or even Silsbee.

And no Tigers. Devon's half court shot at the first half buzzer was the high water mark of this playoff season. Just one lousy half away and it was one half too many. It's hard now, watching these other teams play, not to think of the whole thing as somehow.... incomplete. 26 straight playoff appearances - 25 wins (and one moral victory) over 4 years. It's a remarkable success, a huge accomplishment. As time passes the good will crowd out the bitterness of the moment, but right now it seems like a thing that is left unfinished. Forever unfinished.

It's a state supported charter school. TEA allows them to draw from about 16 surrounding districts in Dallas and Ellis county. But it's not like it's an area of 3 million people or something. In fact it's probably not much more than 2.8 million.

I remember last year. The Tigers beat Connelly by only 9. I was wondering how they could possibly beat that powerful Yates team playing the way they were. And then the next day they beat Yates by 17 scoring 120 points. And I think most would agree that that Yates team was a little better than this one. It was the greatest effort I'd ever seen in 4A basketball or maybe at any level. We'll see.

I'm more confident about this one that the Silsbee Yates game which is a true toss up. The Bucs are not going to be stopped. In fact, they could give the Tiges a very good game. Crockett is good but not that good. Depending on ceding we'll see Brock and EC on Saturday. So, Thursday and Saturday of next week will be days of interest to area basketball fans. I hope Friday will be too.