HTX New Year Upperclassmen Breakouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During the first week of January in 2023, we took a trip to catch some fast paced high school basketball games and a few of the great ballplayers in the city definitely put on performances to remember. Let's take a look at a few stat lines that might be slept on…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Diamon Maloney- Goose Creek Memorial High School (2023 F)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maloney was one of the more consistent performers this week in Goose Creeks' game against district rival Barbers Hill. Diamon was aggressive on the boards and although undersized, used power and strength to finesse his way to the basket over several high quality defenders. Maloney ended up finishing the victory with 21 points on 8/9 from the field and connecting on 5/6 from the foul stripe. His team used him heavily on the offensive end and he was relied up on also for his defensive prowess under the rim as well. Goose Creek secured the victory in a highly packed game that went into OT. Maloney proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with this in this district big time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1677136' first='Bryce' last='Smith']- Barbers Hill High School (2023 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryce put on a show in his teams close district loss against Goose Creek in OT this week. Smith finished with 18 points on 8/11 from the field with many of his points coming from under the rim. Despite a tough night from the foul line going 2/8, Bryce was able to contribute to his team in other ways , dishing the ball to teammates and driving to the rim and finishing over contact. Smith had about 6 or 7 assists in this game, always knowing where his teammates would be on the court at the right time and being unselfish with the basketball. Smith is always fun to watch as he plays a level of high-paced offense and knows how to really control the tempo of the ballgame. Smith will continue to be a floor general for this Eagles squad going forward into the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Drake Kelley- College Park High School (2023 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drake was a big catalyst for his Cavaliers team in their victory over rival Conroe this week in a sold-out College Park venue where things got wild and fans were highly tuned in to the contest. Drake was a force driving to the basket and making the most of his chances at the free throw line. Kelley finished the contest with 10 points on 2/4 from the field and going 5/7 from the stripe. Drake has all the qualities for a born leader and is a vocal player for his squad on both ends of the court. College Park took home the victory in this huge contest and many players, including Drake, will be looking forward to the rematch later in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biron Jefferson- Cypress Lakes High School (2023 F)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Biron made a huge difference for his team in a district game against Cypress Ranch High School later on in the week. Jefferson showed his athleticism off on both ends of the court, either driving to the hoop with ease and getting the basket or rising up to swat opponents shots on the defensive end of the floor. Biron also displayed exceptional footwork on defense and would do all the dirty work on the boards, always crashing the paint for the rebound. Collegiate coaches, look no further for a great hustle player than Biron Jefferson from Cy Lakes High School. This man will do whatever is asked of him without hesitation and is also very coachable. Biron finished this game against the Mustangs with 17 points on 7/10 shooting and 2/3 from the free throw line, also adding 10 rebounds and 4 assists for a double-double.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Troy Anders Jr- CE King High School (2023 G)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Troy is always a great personality on the court for his Panthers squad and the game against the Beaumont United Wolves was no different. Anders made sure his voice was heard the entire contest, being vocal on defense and not hesitating to score when needed on the offensive end. Troy is always adept at getting to his spot on the court and shows great accuracy from the midrange. Anders will continue to make a difference for CE King throughout the season in perhaps the toughest district in Texas. He finished the loss against Beaumont United with 7 points on 3/8 from the field and ½ from the stripe. He also dished out 6 assists to teammates under the rim, always knowing where to find his big man and cutters. Troy is a very coachable kid and will continue to make waves as an unsigned senior out of Houston.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->