Class 5A state champion North Crowley is No. 3 in HoopsUSA.com's consensus national poll, which takes into account the rankings of six national rating services.
The Panthers finished 38-1 in winning the 5A title in March behind McDonald's and Parade all-American player Willie Warren.
The rankings are here.
A handful of other Texas schools are listed in the consensus poll's top 200, including Fort Worth Southwest and Kennedale.
North Crowley has scheduled a ceremony to recognize its boys basketball team, the Class 5A state champions, from 3-4:30 p.m. on April 12 in the North Crowley gym.
The event includes introduction of the team, presentation to the players, a season highlight video, unveiling of the state championship banner, and players signing autographs.
Tickets will be sold Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at North Crowley and cost $2 for adults and $1 for students.
North Crowley’s Willie Warren, Fort Worth Dunbar’s Brooklyn Pope and Kennedale’s Destini Hughes were chosen in February as 2008 McDonald’s All-Americans will be honored Thursday night by the McDonald’s Owner/Operators of North Texas with a congratulatory send-off ceremony at 7 p.m. tonight. The send-off will be at the McDonald’s at 3200 SE Loop 820 in Fort Worth at the intersection of I-820 and Wichita St.
School and community guests, as well as parents and McDonald’s representatives will join Warren, Pope and Hughes.
Warren, who led North Crowley to its first state championship, is the lone Texan playing in the boys game, while Pope and Hughes are two of the four players from Texas on the girls’ West roster. Both games will be March 26 in Milwaukee, Wis. and will be nationally televised.
North Crowley, Southwest and Kennedale learned their opponents and game times at this week's UIL state tournament.
North Crowley (36-1) will take on San Antonio Madison (32-7) in a Class 5A semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Southwest (30-6) will go against Houston Wheatley (29-5) in a 4A semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, a matchup of the teams that knocked off the top two-ranked teams in the state coaches poll this weekend. Southwest defeated previously unbeaten Amarillo Palo Duro in overtime, and Wheatley downed Houston Yates in two overtimes.
In 3A, Kennedale (31-5) meets Silsbee (29-6) in a semifinal at 2 p.m. Thursday.
All the games are at the Erwin Center on the University of Texas campus in Austin.
The finals are Saturday. The 2A championship is at 10 a.m., the 4A championship is at 3:30, and the 5A championship is at 8:30.
North Crowley nearly found itself the victim of a big upset last week. But the Panthers rallied for a 74-68 victory in overtime, coming back from a 66-61 deficit with two minutes left in the extra period. Willie Warren scored 11 points in the overtime.
Coach Tommy Brakel said his team can take a lesson from the close game.
""It was a good experience to have to play from behind, which we will have to know how to do," he said. "Even if we would have lost, you know, not all losses are bad losses. Sometimes it gets your attention."
If you follow North Crowley (25-1, 10-0 in District 4-5A) or just love DFW basketball, you are probably well aware of Willie Warren, an Oklahoma signee and one of the best players in the nation -- or of teammates Dontee Kinney and Tony McGilveary. But a good team must extend to its bench for an energy boast or to simply spell a starter. Lamar Brown is more than that. When it looked like Warren might play with Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, Brown was slated as a starter to fill in for Warren before Warren returned to North Crowley. “Once our team got set, that role became a little different and he’s kept a great attitude and work ethic,” coach Tommy Brakel said of Brown. The Panthers got a glimpse of what life without Warren may have been like last Friday in a 65-41 win over Granbury. Warren didn’t play due to an ankle injury and Brown, a 6-foot senior guard, stepped in and scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half. “He’s done that on several occasions,” Brakel said. “All the guys have been really good with the team chemistry this year. They just want to go out and win basketball games. He’s done a great job with his role.”
- William Wilkerson
Donte Kinney scored a game-high 23 points and Willie Warren had 20 to lead North Crowley to an 89-72 victory over Mansfield Timberview on Tuesday in Mansfield. Tony McGilveary had 13 points and PJ Colley had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers (22-1, 7-0 District 4-5A). Overall, eight players scored for North Crowley, who won the rebounding edge 35-31 and forced 20 turnovers. Timberview’s 6-foot-8 post Chris Henson hit four three-pointers and had 20 points and nine boards. The Wolves (16-9, 6-2) used an 11-0 run to come to within three in the second quarter. But Warren found his rhythm in the third quarter where he scored 12 points and the Panthers shot 27 of 34 from the line for the win.
- William Wilkerson
North Crowley withstood the efforts of two Ole Miss signees from Monroe (La.) Carroll in a 72-60 victory in the Whataburger Tournament's Orange bracket championship game at W.G. Thomas Coliseum on Saturday. Tournament MVP Willie Warren had his quietest game of the tourney with 22 points. But teammate Tony McGilveary picked his game up with 18 points. Ole Miss signees Terrance Henry and Brandon Wilson lead the way for Carroll. Henry had 28 points but fouled out with just over two minutes left. Wilson added 18 points but had trouble from the free throw line going 7 of 13. It was a single digit game the entire way. "(This tournament) showed that we are a national power," Henry said.
The action is intense both on the court and in the stands as North Crowley leads Monroe (La.) Carroll 37-33 at the half of the Whataburger Tournament's Orange bracket. Willie Warren has 12 points for North Crowley, but is finding it increasingly tough to get to the rim with multiple defenders keying in on the skilled guard. Terrance Henry has 16 points and Brandon Wilson has nine for Carroll. North Crowley led 23-18 after the first quarter.
- William Wilkerson
North Crowley easily disposed of Plano West in a semifinal game at the Whataburger Tournament Orange Division at W.G. Thomas Coliseum on Friday in a rematch of last season's championship game. Willie Warren’s 22 points led to the 68-56 victory that set up a rematch of the Panthers' 69-62 win over Monroe (La.) Carroll on Dec. 8 in the championship game of the Fayetteville Holiday Tournament. The game is set for 9 p.m. tip Saturday. North Crowley held an 18-13 lead over West after the first quarter but went on a 14-4 run in the second quarter to take a 43-25 halftime lead. The Panthers essentially went into cruise control out of the half. Jackson Jeffcoat led West with 17 points. The Wolves will play Dunbar in the third-place game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
- William Wilkerson
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