Texas 6A Bi-District Playoffs: Standout Guards (Part 2)

<p>The postseason is officially underway in the Lone Star State! I had the opportunity to attend three 6A Region 1 playoff matchups. The Coppell Cowboys cruised to a 64-46 victory over the Allen Eagles on Saturday, the North Crowley Panthers won an overtime thriller vs. the Keller Central Chargers 50-45 on Monday, and the Lake Highlands Wildcats defeated the Arlington Lamar Vikings 61-51 on Tuesday.</p> <p>Here are five standout guard prospects from the Bi-District round:</p> <p><strong>Ty’Rik Taylor | 2021 | 6’0’’ Combo Guard | North Crowley HS</strong> - Taylor provided the Panthers with a huge spark off the bench. The North Crowley senior is a tough-nosed scoring guard on offense and a steady perimeter defender at the other end. He hit a pair of catch-and-shoot threes and was fantastic at finishing in traffic off the drive vs. Keller Central. Furthermore, he scored through contact on several occasions. </p> <p><strong>Reid Hocker | 2022 | 5’10’’ Point Guard | Lake Highlands HS</strong> - Hocker operated as the sixth man for his team on Tuesday but ended up playing most of the contest as Lake Highland’s lead guard. He has a good feel for the game, plays with great pace, and consistently makes hustle plays. The 2022 point guard is a generous facilitator and is capable of knocking down mid-range jumpers off the dribble. He played a big part in the Wildcats’ win over Lamar. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889578" first="Nazir" last="Brown"] | 2022 | 6’1’’ Point Guard | Coppell HS</strong> - Brown was tremendous on defense vs. Allen. He made smart gambles and was constantly disruptive on Saturday. The Coppell junior didn’t have his best game scoring the ball. However, he was solid on offense, making good decisions and savvy plays that don’t show up in the box score. He ultimately accounted for nine points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. </p> <p><strong>Jerome Whitaker | 2021 | 6’3’’ Shooting Guard | Keller Central HS</strong> - Whitaker had a great night slashing his way to the basket for high-percentage looks. He went strong to the hoop and absorbed contact on numerous occasions, scoring at the rim with regularity against North Crowley. It was unfortunate that he fouled out midway through the fourth quarter because he was Keller Central’s most reliable scoring option on Monday and would have had a significant impact in overtime. He ended up with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. </p> <p><strong>Kyle Moran | 2022 | 6’0’’ Shooting Guard | Lake Highlands HS</strong> - Moran is a high-energy three-and-D player for the Wildcats. He drained two threes, the first of which came almost immediately after he entered the game off the bench late in the first quarter. His relentless motor and persistent effort on both ends of the floor was a key factor in Lake Highlands first-round victory, finishing the night with seven points and three rebounds. </p>