When a winter storm blasted into Austin last Saturday, varsity basketball players sat at home, unable to leave their houses and practice.
Four days later, they hit the court, ending their longest break of the season aside from the five required days off over winter break.
The Chaps (22-6, 5-1 District 26-6A) shook off the rust and took down Austin High (14-14, 2-4 26-6A), 42-36, in a rock fight Wednesday night on Al Bennett Court. The game was pushed back from Tuesday night following the inclement weather. It was a slow game for a typically high-flying offense that averages 63.5 points per game. The team only knocked down four 3-pointers, also well below their season average. It took some crucial shots down the stretch to fend off a pesky Maroons squad that nearly upset the Chaps in their first meeting this season as well.
“We were completely out of rhythm,” head coach Robert Lucero said. “Everything was almost brand new. I was proud that [although] we didn’t shoot the ball very well, we grinded out some stops. We finally got some rebounds at the end, and we hit our free throws late.”
The first quarter started slow, indicative of the way the rest of the game would look. The two teams each turned it over on their first two possessions.
Senior guard Bo Ogden got the scoring started and didn’t slow down during the first half. He had seven of the Chaps 11 first quarter points, helping lead them to a four-point lead into the second quarter.
“We need to come out with energy, and we didn’t do that tonight,” junior guard Powell Frickenschmidt said. “We figured out a way to win, and that’s all that matters.”
The Chaps were unable to gain distance between themselves and the Maroons in the second and third periods. Ogden and junior guard Mack Martin delivered a 3-pointer each, but the Maroons applied full court pressure, leading to only 31 points at the end of the third quarter. Fifteen of Ogden’s 17 points came in the first half. Austin High cut down the Chaparral lead to one, and then they took their first lead of the game at the start of the final quarter.
Schemes led to some confusion, especially in the third quarter. Austin High head coach Curtis Jones mixed up defensive looks, shifting between a zone and man-to-man. While they couldn’t put everything together last night, Lucero stressed the importance of the break, focusing on the flashes of typical Chaparral basketball that were displayed.
“They were playing a bunch of zone and mixing it up,” Lucero said. “We can get a stop, and then get down the floor and beat the zone. Since they’re changing defense so often, they don’t have their matchups, and they’re not sure what they’re in. We can run, spread it, and take threes in transition.”
Senior guard Blake Cannatti hit a crucial three to give the Chaps a 35-34 lead and Frickenschmidt grabbed a steal and took it coast to coast for a 3-point play to make it a 6-0 run and effectively ice the game. Martin and Frickenschmidt went 4-4 from the line to close out the Maroons. Westlake outscored Austin High 10-2 down the stretch.
“We knew we were a better team than we were playing,” Frickenschmidt said. “We listened to what [Lucero] was saying and finished the game.”
The Chaps travel to Bowie Friday and then face off against Lake Travis at home Feb. 3. That two-game stretch will likely decide who takes home the district championship, as the Chaps and Bulldogs are deadlocked at 5-1 while the Cavs are sitting in first place at 6-0. Westlake beat Bowie but fell to LT in their first meetings.
