JimThorpe

True, I just get nervous when everything isn't just purrfect. ('purr' - that's like for a cat ?- okay never mind)

Wow! 18 point lead at the half and a low score for the home team. I half to admit that I'm a little surprised. If the Tigers finish it out with that 30 point kind of win that people have talked about it serves notice to Region III that Silsbee is back.

Good start.

I will go 10. But yea, the Tigers are still finding themselves and the Hawks are a good team. Maybe they are better than that 20 ranking. If if the Tigers were to manage a blowout it would put them right back in the Region drivers seat. On the other hand if HJ pulls an upset then it’s anybody’s region. Well, any of the 5 or six better teams anyway.

That would be a headline across the Texas basketball world.

The center is back? The big white kid? We must have misunderstood. That being the case the matchup is an even bigger problem this year. Of the two the tall one is the one I'd be most worried about. Oh well, lots of fun basketball between now and then.

Really brings home just how impressive the programs are at Argyle. Those kids came within one jump shot of sending us packing. And the week before their girls had won the championship.

They lost the guard who scored almost half their points in the finals and they lost their center. We got the center in foul trouble fairly early and he eventually fouled out. We ate lunch with them on the way home from San Antonio the Sunday after the game. It was accidental of course, just happened to pick the same little restaurant. But we met the whole team and of congratulated them on their fantastic season. Found out they were graduating the guard and the big man. But here they are again.

Next Tuesday will be very interesting. It's clear that this team will have to dig deep. They won't be running past everybody like last year. That playoff run was phenomenal, beating decent teams by 40 points. The point differentials were staggering right up to the Yates game. That's not going to happen this year.

A close win will do nicely. I'll be deciding whether or not to go in the next 15 minutes. The latest poll is very interesting. I think they got it just about right. There's probably not more than a 10 point difference between No.1 and No. 10 when everybody is playing their best. It's a real horse race this year. Interesting to see Brazosport climb up to 5. They lost so much to graduation and yet here they are again. Looks like a program is blooming. I wonder about Hardin Jefferson. I can't help thinking maybe they are a little better than the No. 20 spot. We'll find out a lot next Tuesday. That game will be played with playoff intensity.

We'll see. It will be interesting. Coach may come up with some unique small ball strategies. Maybe play everybody at and above the free thrown line in hopes of making the opposition bigs play defense out there.

I'm just saying that from appearances it looks like 12 guards warming up before a game, 12 good guards mind.

It means that the Hawks are underrated of course! They should be ranked much higher. And it means that the Silsbee / HJ game will be competitive and not because Silsbee is weak but because HJ is also strong. How's that for diplomacy?

I've asked Santa for a post, or at least a strong forward. I'm not holding my breath though because I've been a little naughty this year. Maybe somebody else should try. It's not too late to Fedex a letter to the North Pole. Watching people on the other side watch the Tigers warm up is fun. They keep looking at the dressing room door in expectation of seeing the posts and forwards to come running out. "That's not the whole team is it? You say they are ranked No. 1 in 4A? Seriously? Where are the rest of them?" Let's face it. We suit up 12 guards. Okay, 11 guards and a small forward, but he looks like a guard. We do have a couple of very nice sized guards. And everybody on the team seems to have learned to play taller than they are to compensate. It's really a blast to watch. In the La Marque game Braylon Bush, all 5'6" of him, went over a much taller guy's back and blocked his layup! Braylon got him with the body but he did block the shot. That kind of thing is priceless. Come to think of it, I'm glad the Tigers don't have much size. I really am. Cause if they did the whole season would just be formality. It's much more interesting this way, there's some real drama. If they had a true post it would be like, there's a basketball season with a bunch of games - then there's a playoff thingy - then the Tigers drive home with their championship trophy. Ho hum.

Yes, winning a second Championship is vastly more important. But it has been fun to carry that No. 1 moniker.

Well, that'll probably be it for the No. 1 ranking. And that's a little disappointing. If we had won this one and showed well at the Dallas tournament we would have kept it till our last game. I sure hope we get to play Center gain. That would be a fabulous rematch. And on a neutral court with everything on the line.

Didn't know that, knew they were good. That is interesting. Based on proportional comparison that makes Midlothian at least a 20 point favorite over Silsbee. Guyer is ranked No. 6 nationally according to Maxpreps. In contrast to what the TABC thinks, Maxpreps has Center at No. 27 and Midlothian at No. 28 state wide. Silsbee is a No. 68 just below Argyle. They have Wylie at No. 46 I'll admit that Silsbee doesn't look that good right now on paper. Easy to see how a computer would put at least 4 4A teams above us. So, according to the computer code at Maxpreps the No. 5 Tigers will be facing the No. 1 Rough Riders tonight. This is the same Maxpreps that has TABC No. 2 Yates at 101 and No. 3 Seminole at their No. 188. Well, homo sapiens are flawed creatures after all and subject to fits of emotion.

I'd love to go but I don't think I can make it. I've got elf work to do all week. I think it will be a close game and fun to watch, worth the drive. It's the intangibles. Long uncomfortable bus ride in gloomy weather. School tomorrow with finals coming up. Unfamiliar surroundings. Christmas stuff on their minds. That's a lot of junk for a teen to deal with. It's a scenario for a possible upset, unlikely but possible.

Yes, young Mr. Devon has had a very interesting high school basketball experience. To say it's been eventful is a huge understatement. We all remember the terrifying injury in the championship game in 16. And as for last year. Well. I'm reminded of Patton's quote after he'd been sacked for slapping a soldier, "I wish I'd kissed the son of a b_____". I think it's fair to say that there is one Tiger who holds, shall we say, special feelings about the possibility of a repeat?

Center's schedule is showing Freshmen and JV games starting at 4:30.

Yates. So much can happen between now and then. It would be a great rematch. So would Argyle - that was a cliff hanger. Do I want to think about all that right now? Anyway we have more immediate issues at hand. The Tigers travel to Center to face the 5th ranked Roughriders on the 19th. A long way to drive on a Tuesday evening for a December game but it should be interesting. How many will venture forth?

I was at the Wax game last year in Dallas. That was a fun game. Both teams were really playing. If Silsbee had a post they could play with anybody. He wouldn't need to score, just defend and get rebounds. The 4A division would already be decided. But they don't. So it will be very interesting.

BISD needs to combine Ozen and Central and put the main main campus on Concord and call it ....... wait for it......... FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!! And the mascot? Why the BUFFALO OF COURSE!!!!!!! The French Buffs are back! "It's the best school I ever knew!" Wouldn't that be a hoot? After all these years. And which Beaumont school was the last one to win a football championship? (even though it was a tie) Why the French Buffs of course! It'll never happen but it would be fun wouldn't it?

I don't know how good they are. I only saw the Silsbee game and that was some sort of outlier that can't really be used for analysis. The Silsbee defense was in some kind of fog from the very start. Carthage scored only 7 points in the first half against Henderson.

A little disjointed- the newbies got significant playing time which is good