High School Hoops Heats Up in Texas State Playoffs

The Texas high school basketball playoffs are heating up, as three Class 5A El Paso squads gear up for the regional quarterfinals round this weekend, along with one local 6A team looking to advance in the area playoff round on Thursday.

For the second consecutive year, there will be an all El Paso boys varsity regional quarterfinals matchup between Chapin and Ysleta on Saturday at Fabens High School with a 6 p.m. tip-off. Similarly in the 5A ranks, Andress advanced to the regional quarterfinals and will face Amarillo High on Friday in Andrews. After defeating San Angelo Central (47-35) in the bi-district round, Americas will play Euless Trinity in the area playoff round of the 6A playoffs.

Ysleta - Chapin Showdown

The regional quarterfinals matchup between Ysleta and Chapin should be an absolute battle. Both teams are coming off area playoff round championships and the two coaches bring a ton of familiarity to the table.

“[Ysleta’s] well coached,” Chapin head coach Rodney Lewis told SportsTalk on Wednesday. “Dallas [Puente]is a good coaching buddy of mine. He’s very underrated as a coach. I think he’s amazing. He has done an amazing job with not only that basketball team, but uplifting the school culture. I have high regard for them.”

“Chapin is a dynamic and incredible team,” Ysleta head coach Dallas Puente said. “I’ve known coach Lewis for several years and he’s done an outstanding job ever since he got that position at Chapin. We’ve had our battles when he was an assistant at Andress, me being an assistant at Burges. We had some good battles and every time our teams have met, they’ve given it 100 percent. We’re excited for this game to happen Saturday.”

Basketball teams in the high school landscape have been playing games this season without fans in attendance. However, Saturday’s regional quarterfinals will allow for limited fans at Fabens High School.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Huskies sophomore KJ Lewis. “We haven’t been with fans all year in El Paso. For them to have limited capacity is amazing. I get to have my mom, my sister and some close friends come to the game, so it’s going to be fun.”

Last year, it was Andress and Eastwood that made it to the regional quarterfinals. This year, it’s two entirely new teams. Chapin defeated Plainview (79-57) and Ysleta knocked off Canyon Randall (59-56, OT). This annual trip to the regional quarterfinals round is starting to become a trend for local teams.

“Last year we watched Andress vs. Eastwood,” recalled Indians point guard Jacob Gonzalez. “We told our coach at that game, that is our goal. We want to be there. It became reality and it’s a special moment knowing we’ll play another El Paso team in this round.”

Here's the full podcast from yesterday's show:

Andress Makes it Two Straight

Just as the Andress Golden Eagles did last year, they are taking their second consecutive trip to the regional quarterfinal round. Last year they bowed out after losing to Eastwood (51-41). The Golden Eagles defeated Amarillo Paso Duro on Wednesday evening in Andrews. They had a chance to meet a cross-town foe in Bel Air, but Amarillo High was too much for the Highlanders, beating them 63-28 on Wednesday.

Andress and Amarillo High will face each other on Friday night in Andrews with a 5 p.m. local tip-off.

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