Texas 5A Region Semifinal Battle: Denton/Birdville Rivalry

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week, an intense regional semifinal game took place on the campus of Flower Mound HS. This game involved district rivals the Birdville Hawks and the Denton Broncos. Both teams had numerous matchups throughout the year, but this game had higher stakes because of playoffs and the chance to go to state. Both teams battled all contest, but Birdville ultimately squeaked out the 50-49 win on a three pointer by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2077359' first='Avery' last='Webb'] with 5 seconds left. Let's look at some of the intriguing prospects from this game! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2077359"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69af2d2259bb3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2077359' first='Avery' last='Webb'] is a 2026 guard who plays with precision and poise in clutch situations. Avery had a big time 16 points and the game winning three pointer to move Birdville to the next round in a 50-49 win over their rivals, the Denton Broncos.  He is a great floor general as he knows how to swing the ball around to open teammates and his hustle shows during chases for loose balls and transition opportunities. He has a smooth jumper even when contested and gets downhill with good speed.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1593018"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69af2d2259c11"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>Ethan made his presence felt on the post and the perimeter in the loss for the Broncos. He scored from all three levels effectively and was a key post presence on defense. He sent shots away under the basket and came down with several key rebounds to start off transition opportunities. Sheats can shoot the three ball over the top of mismatches on the perimeter and he drives past smaller matchups to finish with momentum at the rim. Ethan scored 14 points and 11 rebounds for Denton and showed that he can be one of their go-to players in the clutch moments.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2534567"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69af2d2259c5c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>Zachariah was a physical force unmatched in the post for the Hawks during this contest. He started off the game on a terrific note, pulling down every single rebound for his team on both ends, ending possessions for Denton and gaining second chance opportunities. Gabriel has a good variety of post moves, and he knows how to operate off the pick and roll efficiently and draw contact to get himself to the free throw line. I like his aggressiveness when under the basket and he battles for every possession. Gabriel had 8 points and 10 rebounds for Birdville in their win.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Lojok Loliwa ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Denton ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69af2d2259d03"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>Lojok Loliwa set the pace and tone for Denton in this playoff game. He knows how to control and the maintain the pace of the offense for the Broncos and he has high IQ when it comes to court awareness and playmaking. Loliwa is good at driving to the basket past contact and can also finish over defenders with smart instincts and effective pump fakes. One of the more composed players under pressure on the court, Lojok had 12 points and 6 assists in the close loss for Denton.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->