UIL girls playoff games tonight; Boys finales carry playoff implications
Published 12:14 am Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Three of the four UIL girls basketball teams in Mid- and South County have made it to the playoffs.
Class 2A bi-district
Sabine Pass (16-5, 6-2 in 24-2A) won its first district championship in 50 years but has to overcome a regular-season finale loss to West Hardin in taking on Colmesneil at 6 tonight at Deweyville High School. Colmesneil is the fourth seed in 23-2A.
The winner will take on the survivor of Monday’s game between Cushing and Shelbyville in the area round.
Class 5A bi-district
Port Neches-Groves (19-9, 9-3 in 21-5A) has earned a second consecutive playoff berth and second in school history. The Indians earned the No. 2 seed in 21-5A by winning a tiebreaking game over Dayton 63-37 on Friday at Barbers Hill High.
PNG now will take on third-seed Galveston Ball (13-14, 9-5 in 22-5A) at 6:30 tonight at East Chambers High School in Winnie.
Ball won last year’s bi-district game a day after it was postponed when a barge collision at an Interstate 10 bridge stranded PNG in traffic, but PNG won the rematch, 43-40, on Dec. 27.
PNG or Ball will take on Houston Sharpstown or Richmond Foster.
Nederland (16-17, 5-7 in 21-5A) has made the postseason for the first time since 2000 as the fourth seed. The Bulldogs will face off against 22-5A champion Friendswood (22-7, 14-0 in 22-5A) at 6 tonight at Lee College, with the winner to take on Houston Northside or Manvel.
District 21-5A boys
Nederland (25-9, 10-1 in 21-5A) has an opportunity to win a share of the district championship with a victory against Barbers Hill (22-10, 7-4) tonight at the Dog Dome.
Nederland handed Memorial its only 21-5A loss of the season Friday, 46-43 in Port Arthur, but a Nederland loss will give the Titans the outright district crown.
Memorial has earned at least a share of the district title each of the last four years, while Nederland last won a district crown in 2012.
PNG (13-19, 4-7) faces a similar win-or-go home scenario to last year’s fourth-place tiebreaking victory.
The purple-and-white Indians must beat the red-and-white Cleveland Indians (10-11, 4-7) in tonight’s regular-season finale, as they did a year ago, to make a second straight trip to the playoffs.
Both of tonight’s boys games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
About I.C. Murrell
I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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