HS Hoops: SMHS boys begin second round of district, try to remain in first

San Marcos’ Jake McGee (23), Jarrett Henderson (14) and Javier Meyers (1) celebrate after beating Smithson Valley on Jan. 11 SMHS visits Smithson Valley tonight. (Photo by Gerald Castillo)

Nothing comes easy in District 25-5A.
A fact the San Marcos Rattlers know all to well after the first round of league play.
Currently tied for first place with Converse-Judson with a 4-1 district mark, the Rattlers have had to scratch and claw their way to the top, with all four of their district wins coming down to the wire. The latest installment was Friday night, as senior Brandon Coleman drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Rattlers a 62-59 win over New Braunfels-Canyon. It was San Marcos’ third last-second win on its home court.
Tonight, San Marcos (15-12, 4-1) will aim to remain in first place with a 7 p.m. game at Smithson Valley, one of the three teams victimized by San Marcos late, suffering a 62-60 loss in the initial meeting.
“We knew coming in that every district game was going to be a battle and so far, that’s definitely been the case for us,” SMHS head coach David Norris said. “We’ve done well at home battling back, but we know that if we’re going to stay in first place, we’re going to have to play just as hard and tough on the road.”
The Rangers proved how balanced the district is with Friday night’s 69-68 upset of San Antonio-Wagner, a team that beat San Marcos, 81-62 a week ago. The win knocked Wagner out of a three-way tie for first with SMHS and Judson.
The win also kept the Rangers (17-12, 2-3) in the thick of the 25-5A playoff hunt, moving into a fourth-place tie with New Braunfels Canyon.
Norris said Smithson Valley’s victory against Wagner, combined with the stinging memory of the Jan. 11 loss at San Marcos, means the Rattlers can expect another tough game against the Rangers.
“We found out how tough they are earlier in the year when they beat us soundly in the Hays tournament, which was why our guys were really excited about beating them in the district opener,” Norris said. “So we are expecting another tough game.”
San Marcos is 1-1 in district road games, claiming a three-point win at New Braunfels Jan. 15 before last week’s loss at Wagner.
Smithson Valley started 25-5A play at 0-3, but have since won their last two games, beating New Braunfels and Wagner. The Rangers are led by junior guard A.C. Reid, who is averaging 15.9 points per game and is coming off a season-high 32-point game against Wagner. Reid also scored 19 in Smithson Valley’s win at New Braunfels.
San Marcos is led by senior Alex Frye (13.1 ppg), who also leads the team with 180 rebounds and 36 blocked shots. Josh Coleman is netting 11.5 ppg, followed by senior Michael Hicks (9.4 ppg) and Brandon Coleman (8.1 ppg).