CHRISTOVAL, TX — It’s been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of season for the Reagan County boys basketball team.
The Owls were ranked as high as No. 3 in the state earlier this year, but they tumbled out of the Top 25 rankings altogether following a 70-37 district loss to Christoval.
In Tuesday’s rematch, Reagan County again looked like one of the top teams in the state in Class 2A.
The Owls jumped in front of Christoval early and never took their foot off the gas pedal in a statement-making 69-24 blowout win.
Reagan County is now in sole possession of first place in District 7-2A with a 20-6 overall record and 7-1 mark in district play.
Owls head coach Kyle Brown was happy to see his team finally show how it’s capable of playing.
“The energy, the effort, the defensive intensity, paying attention to detail, that’s what we’ve wanted from Day 1. And for whatever reason, we haven’t gotten it this year,” Brown said. “And so we really challenged them after our last loss, and that right there is the team that we can be. We just need to continue with that, and I think the sky’s the limit for these guys. I’m super proud of them. They took a big step forward tonight.”
Reagan County was led by University of Arizona football signee Kason Brown with 21 points, followed by Levi Knight with 18 and Jarrett Brown with 15.
Reagan County led 18-7 after the first quarter and 33-18 at halftime. The Owls then came out of the locker room and took full control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Christoval 19-3 to take a 52-21 lead into the final quarter.
Christoval was shut out for the opening 5:35 of the second half.
"We came out and played as a team, played hard and did what we were supposed to do," said Knight, who hit four 3-pointers. "We played defense as hard as we possibly could, and we hustled and made winning plays. I think we just came together and put it all together."
Kyle Brown said there was a team meeting after the loss to Christoval, and the Owls responded with five straight wins.
Reagan County then lost 65-44 to Jayton, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A, on Friday, which prompted another team meeting.
The Reagan County boys basketball team ran away with a 69-24 win over Christoval on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, to take over first place in the District 7-2A standings.
It may have been just what the Owls needed to bring out their best performance of the season in Christoval.
"After everything we've tried to do, that is the team we have. That is the No. 3 team in the state, we just haven't been it. So it's been frustrating, but I'm so proud of them," Brown said.
Knight said he believes the Owls could make a run at a state title if they reach their potential.
"We could be capable of winning it all. We're a very talented team. We have the scorers, and we're super athletic, so we've got it all. We have a good chance of doing what we plan on doing, and that's going and taking it home," Knight said.
After a 5-0 start to district play, Christoval has now dropped two of its last four games to slip to second place in the standings.
The Cougars are 18-11 overall and 7-2 in district.
Christoval was led by Camdin Balderas with seven points.
After hosting Buena Vista in a nondistrict game Friday, Christoval will return to district play Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Sonora.
Reagan County will host Sonora on Friday.
This story will be updated.
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