HTX Early January Contributors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week, I took trips out to see 4 basketball games all over Houston. We saw some fast paced basketball taking place and it definitely led to some good moments and also some heated rivalries taking place. This article will take a look at the Barbers Hill/Goose Creek, CE King/Beaumont United, Cy Ranch/Cy Lakes, and College Park/Conroe games which led to victories by Goose Creek, Beaumont United, Cypress Ranch, and College Park. Let's take a look at some of the athletes who helped their team in big ways..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aiden Buckmon- College Park High School Cavaliers (2025 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aiden was a big part of his team's district victory over an undefeated Conroe team on Saturday afternoon. He ended the contest with 20 points on 6/9 from the field and showed precise accuracy from the free throw line, going 7/8 from the foul stripe. Aiden was a big part of the Cavs second half rally to pull the game out of reach from Conroe and was also a pest in defense, notching about 5 steals and converting all of them for fastbreak layups or getting fouled and nailing his shots at the line. Aiden was also very vocal on the defensive end, getting in the opponent's head and being able to rattle their psyche which allowed him to apply the pressure he was able to. One thing that made Aiden stand out from the rest of the players was his hustle and this has earned him our featured article image.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1487550' first='Chris' last='Tippins']- Cypress Ranch High School Mustangs (2023 F)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christopher had a big game for his Mustangs squad on Friday evening, leading the way to a hard fought victory over the Cypress Lakes Spartans in a heated district matchup. Chris ended the contest with 22 points on 9/11 from the field, and also added 2/2 going perfect at the free throw line. Tippins showed mastery at blowing past his defender to the rim with a variety of dribble moves and was also adept at pulling up in the face of his matchup and knocking down the contested jumper with ease. Chris is a big piece of this Mustangs team as they look to dominate the Cypress district and fight to go deep in the playoff this year. Considering star teammate [player_tooltip player_id='787322' first='Jaylen' last='Benard'] was out for this game, Chris had himself a night. Coaches, keep a watch out for Chris as his stock will only continue to rise as the season progresses!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217802' first='Kayde' last='Dotson']- Beaumont United High School Timberwolves (2024 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kayde was a tremendous factor this game for BMT United as they pulled out a district victory over the CE King Panthers. Despite [player_tooltip player_id='787367' first='Wesley' last='Yates'] being surprisingly unable to find a consistent shooting stroke for this game, Dotson stepped up his play in a big way when his team needed him most. Kayde was good at playmaking for his teammates and always finding them in the right spots. He was great at shooting off the dribble and finishing at the rim over contact. This is my third time watching Kayde play this season and it is a delight to watch every time I get to see him in action. Kayde is a great facilitator for this offense, and even when his superstar teammate, has an off night, Dotson is able to show he is no slouch when it comes to being a leader on this Wolves team. Look out for [player_tooltip player_id='1217802' first='Kayde' last='Dotson'] to make a splash in Beaumont United's move to a tougher district this season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Peyton Whittington- Barbers Hill High School Eagles (2023 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peyton was a big contributor to his Eagles squad's battle against Goose Creek Memorial on Tuesday but resulted in a tough overtime loss. Whittington finished the game with 17 points on 5/7 from the field and had 6 made free throws out of 11 attempts at the foul stripe. Peyton was a great backcourt teammate to [player_tooltip player_id='1677136' first='Bryce' last='Smith'], and they formed a dynamic duo to help their team stay in this contest throughout the duration of both halves and in the overtime period. &nbsp;Peyton has great court vision and is also able to step up and score when needed, like on Tuesday. He had about 6 assists this game and also crashed the boards for 4 rebounds, showing his physicality. Coaches, keep an eye on Whittington as he is a great hustle player and will do whatever is asked of him on both ends of the court!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jonathan Walker- Goose Creek Memorial High School Patriots (2025 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonathan hit the nail in the coffin in his team's overtime district win over a tough Barbers Hill squad when he sank 8 out of 9 free throws, showing insane accuracy from the line and proving to be the calm in the storm. Walker finished the contest with 15 points on 3/6 shooting and was one of the Patriot's top options to score the ball in this game. Jonathan was an expert at drawing contact on his way to the basket and would sink all but one of his foul shots throughout the game. As only a sophomore this year, Walker is proven to be a proven commodity for his team and will become a leader both on and off the court over the next few seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->