TAPPS 5A State Championship Game Top Performers

<p>After a very long and different year of basketball here in Texas, TAPPS got to crown a winner once again unlike UIL who had to end their tournament short last year. Well, this year’s championship game was between the Fort Worth Christian Cardinals and the Woodlands Christian Warriors. The final score of the championship game had the Warriors defeating the Cardinals 60-47. Now, here are the top players that I thought performed well in the championship game.</p> <ol start="5"> <li><strong> [player_tooltip player_id="887077" first="Alec" last="Zambie"] – Fort Worth Christian – 2021</strong></li> </ol> <p>After finishing 2nd in rebounds per game in all of DFW as well as finishing in the top 15 for points per game, the star forward led his team throughout the playoffs to the championship game. However, after a very impressive season, shots were just not falling for the big man in the championship game. He only had 6 points which is unusual for him as he averaged 21.1 points per game during the regular season. Zambie was still getting rebounds in the championship game, but the points from him have been such a key part of this team’s success. When Alec isn’t scoring around 20 points per game, this team struggles to play the normal Cardinal way. Zambie’s high school years have come to an end, and we shall see what he decides to do with the future of his basketball career.</p> <ol start="4"> <li><strong> [player_tooltip player_id="1052161" first="Chanse" last="Perkins"] – Woodlands Christian – 2022</strong></li> </ol> <p>The junior 6’5 wing forward is a great overall athlete that makes necessary buckets when needed but was a great defensive presence. Although the stat sheet may only say 7 points, Chanse’s value on the court was unmatched for this Woodlands Christian team. Defense is half of the battle in basketball, and it means quite literally everything to this agile forward. Whether it was covering the paint or getting out on the wing, Chanse had it covered. His ability to get inside on offense and get fouled also showed to me that he is a presence in the paint that others must foul in order to stop. Expect Chanse to make an even bigger impact next year on this Woodlands team as they should be another strong team of playmakers.</p> <ol start="3"> <li><strong> [player_tooltip player_id="1051195" first="Alex" last="Bossinakis"] – Fort Worth Christian – 2022</strong></li> </ol> <p>The quick guard that runs this offense and facilitates the ball well to his big man and his shooters is of course Mr. Bossinakis. After adding 11 points in the championship game for this Cardinal team, his ability to score buckets seemed legit to me. Alex isn’t much of a shooter, but when he needs to be, you can rely on him to hit a couple of threes like he did in this state game. Alex has been the main front of this offense getting the ball to the open man all year, and he deserves the recognition for it. From playing in one of the hardest districts in TAPPS, Alex was able to show newcomers in the district, like Zambie, how things rolled. The chemistry was immediate between the two, and I would love to see Alex find another guy to be the 2 in that 1-2 combo for this Fort Worth Christian team next season.</p> <ol start="2"> <li><strong> Nathan Bledsoe – Fort Worth Christian – 2022</strong></li> </ol> <p>The 6’4 guard from Fort Worth proved to me why he is a clutch shooter more than ever in this championship game. After Zambie didn’t have his normal performance, and other players didn’t get many buckets, Bledsoe came out and rained threes from deep. He was hitting threes while also getting to the bucket, and he managed to score 18 points in the championship game. After standing most of the season in the shadows behind Alex and Alec, it was great to see him shine in such a big game. His performance throughout the season has proven to me that sometimes certain guys deserve the ball more often than they get it. Nathan is easily one of my favorite class of 2022 players to watch, and I can’t wait to see how he develops this summer into a star his senior season.</p> <ol> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889590" first="Austin" last="Benigni"] – Woodlands Christian – 2022</strong></li> </ol> <p>Now I can’t stress this enough other than saying that Austin was without a doubt the best player that stepped into that building the entire weekend. If you haven’t heard of Benigni, you’re late to the party because this kid is going D1 without a doubt. In the championship game, he had 29 points with only one three pointer which means he knows how to get to the hoop. He may only be 5’11, but when you get to the hoop no matter what, how much does it matter? After watching him play in the OTR Showdown in late December, I had already decided this team was winning the state championship because of how good he played. Austin scored 41 points in a high school game against some of the best prep schools in the DFW area. He wipes the floor with TAPPS competition, and he proved that he is without a doubt the best scorer in 5A. Go watch Austin play this summer for Team Harden 3SSB, you won’t want to miss it.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p>