COVER1 Hoops: Playoff Preview Round Three

SAN ANGELO, TX — Several Concho Valley High School Basketball teams play their Regional Quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday night, Feb. 28, in round three of the playoffs. Here is a preview of those matchups.

1A

NO. 4 IRION COUNTY (19-1)(10-0) VS BUENA VISTA (23-9)(8-4)

Irion County plays in San Angelo at Angelo State’s Junell Center on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to play Buena Vista at 6:00 p.m.

The Hornets come off their victory against Sanderson last Thursday, Feb. 24, in Fort Stockton. Like Sanderson, Buena Vista is a bit undersized compared to a team like Irion County. The Hornets should use their size to establish physicality during the contest. One thing the Hornets cannot afford is to fall into another drought as they did midway through the first quarter against Sanderson. 

All the teams deserve to be here at this point in the playoffs. Irion County might not be able to overcome a lull in their offense again. Buena Vista is a tough 3-seed that made it this far in the tournament. Irion County needs to dominate inside with Trevin Coffle and Bo Morrow while incorporating open looks for guys like Jordan Harrison and Wyatt Morris from beyond the arc. 

2A

CHRISTOVAL (22-13)(11-3) VS NO. 5 NEW HOME (22-7)(11-0)

The Cougars travel to Andrews on Tuesday to face New Home at 6:30 p.m. New Home has an extremely talented roster and deserves its state rank. After New Home’s 76-41 thumping of the Cougars’ district rival Sterling City, Christoval knows it will have its hands full tonight. 

The Cougars need to play sound defense to stay alive in this game. If the Cougars can keep the score low, they will be one of the best at closing out games this season. They’ve proved that so far in the playoffs. With overtime wins over Colorado City in round one and Wink in round two, perhaps they can pull off another miracle tonight against New Home.

NO. 4 REAGAN COUNTY (29-9)(14-0) VS PLAINS (28-6)(10-2)

The Owls travel to Odessa on Tuesday to play Plains at Odessa Permian High School at 6:30 p.m. After a mediocre first half in round two versus Seagraves, Reagan County exploded in the second half to down the Eagles 79-51. Kason Brown took over on both ends of the floor to put the Owls on top. 

Playing a first half as they did against Sanderson might spell trouble for Reagan County. Plains play excellent defense and are good at keeping games close. The Miles Bulldogs found that out the hard way last weekend when they lost 55-45 to Plains.

MASON (16-4)(8-0) VS STOCKDALE (21-9)(14-0)

The Punchers travel to Boerne Champion High School on Tuesday to play the Brahmas at 7 p.m. Stockdale currently sits on a 19-game winning streak, posing a serious threat to the Punchers’ title run. 

However, Mason is a well-rounded unit this season and is +300 in the point margin. Expect a great but close contest between these two teams.

6A

FRENSHIP (30-4)(9-1) VS BYRON NELSON (28-7)(10-4)

The Tigers play Byron Nelson in Clyde on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Frenship won District 2-6A this season while only dropping one district game to the San Angelo Central Bobcats. The Tigers shoot lights out at times; when they do, they are almost impossible to beat. They will need those shooters to show up in a big way, as Byron Nelson is a scary team to go up against in the playoffs.