Bi-District Breakdown: Kimball vs West Mesquite
In this article:
Last years 5A State Champ Kimball squared off with a West Mesquite team that has went blow for blow with pretty much anyone this year including a big win over Desoto back in December. Although Kimball holds the crown at…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast years 5A State Champ Kimball squared off with a West Mesquite team that has went blow for blow with pretty much anyone this year including a big win over Desoto back in December. Although Kimball holds the crown at the moment, this is a completely new roster with some elite young talent that is untested in playoff territory as a unit. West Mesquite a scrappy high IQ squad that plays some of the best pure basketball in the state being extremely undersized but always able to make up for it. This game felt like a round 3 matchup from the time I walked in to the crazy finish. Kimball got started early with a few nice dunks and for a second I thought here we go but West countered and everything was about even heading into half Kimball up 21-20. The 3rd quarter would the ultimate deciding factor as Kimball exploded to take a 14 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. West Mesquite started the 4th nearly flawless and even took the lead by 2 with 4 minutes remaining. Kimball would close the game with some big plays in isolation from 4 star guard Jaylon Dean-Vines Jaylon Dean-Vines 6'4" | SG Dallas Kimball | 2025 State #231 Nation TX and advance to round 2.
Let’s talk about 4 star Jaylon Dean-Vines Jaylon Dean-Vines 6'4" | SG Dallas Kimball | 2025 State #231 Nation TX who stepped up in a major way and really showed some maturity at the end of the game. Jaylon who spend his sophomore year as a nice compliment and explosive dunker at Pinkston next to G-league star Dink Pate is no stranger to big games. He was quiet in the 1st half offensively but always seemed to have a relax demeaner about him. He exploded for 16 in the 2nd half and finished with 19 on the night including 6 late points with under 3 minutes left. Look for Jaylon to make some big plays next round as his stock has done nothing but grown in the last 2 years and a deep playoff push could certify him as one of the elites in a stacked 2025 class.
Kimball also got some help from 2027 Marri Wickware Marri Wickware 6'4" | SG Dallas Kimball | 2027 State TX who already stands at 6’5 and has lived up to the hype as one of the top incoming freshman in the state. He started the game with a big dunk early and was able contribute consistently through out the game especially on the defensive side. He also added a late game steal in the press & go ahead bucket to give Kimball a 5 point lead with under 2 minutes remaining. Marri could be an X factor for this Kimball squad moving forward.
6’7 2025 Lance Carr Lance Carr 6'7" | SF Dallas Kimball | 2025 State #288 Nation TX continued his nice play for Kimball on the defensive side. Racking up a ton of blocks and just overall changing the dynamic of West Mesquites offensive with his 6’11 wingspan.
West Mesquite had some bright spots in the loss and will pretty much be returning all of their impact players next year which means they could be a very dangerous team heading into the fall.
2025 PG Damyuis Williams Damyuis Williams PG West Mesquite | 2025 TX may have overall been the most impressive player on a basketball scale in the game. He’s a true PG that I’ve seen time and time again perform & facilitate against some of the biggest names in the state. Offensively everything for West Mesquite starts with him. Damyuis is one of the best passers I’ve seen in the 2025 class and offensively he was able to penetrate a much larger Kimball defense and drop dime after dime. He also showed some elite ball handling skills under pressure as he was trapped most of the game and even face guarded on a double team at one point. Pass first guard but he made some big shots and could be in for a breakout season offensively If he looks to score a little more heading into his senior campaign.
Junior forwards Demetrius Ballard & Victor Dimas carried most of the weight in the post which is HUGE task against a lineup like Kimballs. Both undersized but extremely physical and gave Kimball’s post players issues with their chemistry down low. Both returning, West Mesquite is easily a favorite to win district next year.