By Kevin Lonnquist
NTX Varsity Sports Columnist
It’s early January. You’re trying to decompress from the four-month adrenaline shot that is called football.
Maybe the College Football and NFL Playoffs can help the unwinding process. But it’s not the same. Fewer games mean fewer choices.
Quietly, the Texas High School basketball season has been going on since November. It typically flies under the radar until January.
With the calendar flipped, this is the time of the season when it’s money time. The district seasons are going on, and the chase for the playoffs is underway. They will run through the first half of February when the postseason begins.
The NTX Varsity Sports coverage landscape has several intriguing races that are worth your attention to follow. There are some really good teams in our area.
With that, let’s point out who is ranked. These are courtesy of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. These rankings are as of Jan. 5.
On the girls’ side, Aledo is No. 24 in Class 5A. Decatur is No. 1 in Class 4A. Paradise is No. 7 in Class 3A.
For the boys, Krum is No. 7 in Class 4A. Paradise is No. 2 in Class 3A.
As for the girls races, I think it’s safe to say District 7-4A is pretty much Decatur’s to lose. The Lady Eagles are coming off a Class 4A Division I state championship from 2024-25. They have a 30-game district winning streak going back to the 2022-23 season. They know how to win.
Keep an eye on the District 6-4A race. That involves Glen Rose and Graham. Brock is No. 5 in 4A poll. Brownwood is No. 9. I don’t know if the Lady Tigers can make the kind of impact that they would like to contend for a district championship. However, they are through the part of the season where they took some lumps. They have won six of their last seven. They’re a playoff team. Don’t be surprised if they pull an upset.
As for District 10-3A, Paradise is the prohibitive favorite. Now, the Lady Panthers have an interesting game on Friday against Ponder at home. Both teams are undefeated. Paradise is expected to take care of business. Should this team do that, then it’s on its way toward taking control of things.
Finally, District 5-5A is apparently in Aledo’s favor. While the Lady Cats don’t have a pretty record (15-7), that was by design by head coach Donny Ott who crafted one of the toughest non-district schedules ever seen in that program’s history. Aledo is currently 3-0. But so is Granbury. The Lady Pirates have won seven of their last eight. Should both win on Friday, Granbury plays at Aledo Tuesday in what would be a battle of co-district leaders.
Now, let’s examine the boys races. With some of these districts and the small number of schools in them, they don’t start district play until next week. But that doesn’t mean we’re averse from talking about them.
In District 18-2A, district play has begun. I like what Mildred has been doing to this point. The Eagles are 13-3 and 2-0 in league play.
Of course, this program has a proud history. Mildred won the district championship in 2024-25. The Eagles also have been to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. It should be fair to presume it will be a fifth straight appearance under the direction of their steeled head coach Lance Key.
District 10-3A should heavily favor Paradise. But that probably won’t be known until the Panthers play Ponder on Friday. The Lions also have a solid program. They are ranked No. 21 in the 3A poll. This game is at Paradise.
Finally, the District 7-4A race. This appears to be a battle between Krum and Burkburnett. Burkburnett is No. 8. These two already met once. Krum won the first meeting, 60-58, back on Jan. 3 at Krum. The second meeting is Jan. 27 at Burkburnett.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if there is a split between these meetings, Krum and Burkburnett wind up tied up for the district championship and have to play it off to determine the top seed. If you’re wondering about Decatur, the Eagles appear to be in a rebuilding season.
As for District 5-5A, that could be a tossup. But it’s interesting about Aledo. Under new head coach Drew Baker, the Bearcats are looking to repeat as district champions after winning the first district championship in school history in 2024-25.
Time will tell how this race unfolds. Azle is off to a good start. We’ll see how things develop.
One thing we know about January and Texas high school basketball, there will be a lot of drama. But there should be interesting storylines. That includes the ones we may not be anticipating.
Happy Hoops Season!