Regional Semifinal Breakdown: Rockwall vs Wylie East

With most of this rounds hype going towards state ranked matchups elsewhere I decided to pull up to this matchup which is dead even on paper. Both of teams busted my bracket early so I had to come see what the hype was about in person. The game started back and forth with Wylie East edging out the first quarter by 4. Rockwall jumped out to a big lead in the 2nd but Wylie answered with a big run that left them up by 3 at the half. Both teams picked it up offensively in the 3rd and traded blows leaving Rockwall with a 2 point advantage heading into the 4th. The 4th quarter was physical and tied at 51 with under a minute left. Rockwall decided to put the game in the hands of the freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2172427' first='Mason' last='Shephard'] and that proved to be the right choice as he knocked down a walk off 3 pointer in a 54-51 win to send Rockwall to regionals.   6' 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2172427' first='Mason' last='Shephard'] was the MVP of the game, yes I said 2027...Just a freshman. He is already oozing with confidence and unrattled even in a hectic playoff environment. He knocked down some shots early but didn't takeover until the 2nd half where he score most of the teams points finishing with 21 and the game winning 3 pointer leaving 1 second on the clock. High IQ scorer, he's was patient and waited for his 1 on 1 opportunities where he pulled out a large variety bag of ways to score. His quick first step let him get to the rim and he finished several shots through contact hanging in the air. He was potent from the mid range using a quick release pull up off the dribble really putting on a show. He also was active defensively poking out balls over and over making the opposing guards overthink things. How'd he get so good? Mason played a national varsity schedule as just an 8th grader at Big Tyme Prep Academy in Dallas. He's top notch and bringing his team to regionals make him a must mention in the conversion of best 2027 guards in the state.   2024 PG D'von Turner was also impressive for Rockwall, I believe he's the teams leading scorer and he came out on fire with 13 in the 1st half. He can also score in a variety of ways starting with 3 ball. After the defense tightened up a bit he was able to get to the rim dropping his shoulders and finishing tough through contact. He positioned himself as a facilitator in the 2nd half only scoring 2 and finishing with 15 but had some clutch assist withing the flow of the offense late game that helped Rockwall stay close. He's a player player and someone to look at if your looking a pure energy guy on both ends.   Rockwall also had some other players that caught my eye last night. 6'5 F Corbin Brown was a good compliment to his guards with 6 on the night. Could be considered a combo guard as he put the ball on the floor to attack the rim several times. He recorded a few blocks & strips, lead Rockwall in rebounding and overall is a solid player with nice size that shows up in several categories in the stat sheet. 6'2 Dylan Dopkins didn't take many shots but the few he took were critical including a sweet and 1 to give Rockwall the lead in the 4th quarter. He added 7 in the 2nd half alone.   Wylie East had a more then anyone predicted type of season. Led by the cousin duo Parker & AJ Overstreet they proved the can compete with anyone matched up in front in them.   2025 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1458517' first='Parker' last='Overstreet'] who's coming of a wild 31 point double OT win over powerhouse Duncanville was no slack. He plays within the flow of the offense and doesn't force many shots but will attack you strong if left in a isolation situation. He was able to get to the basket all night and had some tough finishes even was able to switch hands mid-air. Parker scores effortlessly but is a true PG at heart and very unselfish maybe even to unselfish at times last night. He's also a 2 way guy that makes several plays on the ball and is extremely bouncy. Parker had a breakout season and could be scary good for Wylie East next year as I can imagine him being a little more aggressive offensively. He finished with 16 on the night.   2024 G AJ Overstreet was in his bag tonight but particularly good from the arc knocking down 3 triples finishing with 15 on the night. AJ is super athlete and can fly above the rim and even catch oops over defenders at only 6'1. AJ also plays within the offense and picks his spots well. He had some nice buckets going to the rack and dropped some nice dimes to his shooters all night. Athletically AJ is a kid that play at the next level in the right situation and with his high IQ I'd suggest coaches take look at him and his footage this spring.   Wylie also had some standouts in 2 different area's that caught my eye. 2024 Kenrick Davis has done most of the dirty in the post for Wylie East this season and showed some potential to be super effective if put in the right offense at the next level. He had some tough plays on both sides and finished with 4 points. 2025 Shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2408618' first='Tommy' last='Mayberry'] finished with 10 including 2 triples in a row that brought Wylie East back after a big Rockwall run. Clutch shooter with a unique form that could be dangerous next year if his usage and shot attempt go up.

With most of this rounds hype going towards state ranked matchups elsewhere I decided to pull up to this matchup which is dead even on paper. Both of teams busted my bracket early so I had to come see what the hype was about in person. The game started back and forth with Wylie East edging out the first quarter by 4. Rockwall jumped out to a big lead in the 2nd but Wylie answered with a big run that left them up by 3 at the half. Both teams picked it up offensively in the 3rd and traded blows leaving Rockwall with a 2 point advantage heading into the 4th. The 4th quarter was physical and tied at 51 with under a minute left. Rockwall decided to put the game in the hands of the freshman Mason Shephard Mason Shephard 6'1" | PG BTPA | 2027 State TX and that proved to be the right choice as he knocked down a walk off 3 pointer in a 54-51 win to send Rockwall to regionals.