The Cooldown: Week 25
This is the end of season No. 6 of this blog, Basketball as we’ve known it in this state has been bookended by two very different endings to the season since I started writing The Cooldown five years ago.
The Covid-19 pandemic ruined the state championships at the end of the 2019-20 season, the first year of The Cooldown. Sidebar: I still contend to this day that Dickinson would’ve won the state championship in 2020 – someone give us justice for the Gators.
Four normal years ensued before the UIL decided to split classifications into divisions – like football – to name 12 state champions rather than six, a move that effectively ended the premise of the regional and state tournament. So after years of naming six state champions, the first year of this blog saw no state champion, and the most recent saw 12. The unfortunate part about the end of the 2020 season and the end of the 2025 season is no Houston team won a state championship either time. Let’s dig into the state championship recap.
Oh, so close...
The new division format allows for two state champions per classification, meaning more teams get a bite at the proverbial apple. With all due respect, I’m not sure Katy Jordan or Denton Guyer are playing for a state title under the old system.
That’s a good thing, because now more teams have a chance and we get to see new teams at state, rather than watching Duncanville run roughshod through class 6A yet again (that still happened but at least there are two 6A champions now).
So with more bites at the apple, the Houston area sent six teams to state – Columbus (3A-I), Wheatley (4A-II), Washington (4A-I), Fort Bend Marshall (5A-II), Katy Jordan (6A-II) and Bellaire (6A-I). Unfortunately, with the exception of Columbus, who lost to Tatum, they all lost to opponents from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. However, three of those six teams lost their games in the final minute, if not the final seconds.
The first among these close misses was Wheatley, who fell to Kennedale 69-65 in the 5 p.m. Friday game. Quinton Sanders led the Wildcats as he had all season, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists, a team-high in all categories. He led the game in scoring and tied for the most assists with Jacoby Lovings of Kennedale. Wheatley was +8 in Sanders’ 27 minutes, meaning the Wildcats were outscored by 12 points in the five minutes he was on the bench.
Kobre Dickerson and Marquan Elder also finished in double figures with 15 points and 14 points, respectively. Though it isn’t the ending Wheatley wanted, there’s something to celebrate being one of the two teams from Houston that advanced to state from class 4A – which is loaded with talent in the area. Six teams from Houston ranked in the top 15 in the state entering the playoffs. Out of all that talent, the Wildcats made it from the Fifth Ward to San Antonio. It was the Wildcats 12th trip to the state tournament, but the first since 2008. That’s more than worthy of being a season worth celebrating.
The next nail-biter contest came down to the final shot in the 6A-II state championship game. A 3-ball sailed to the long side of the rim with a few seconds on the clock and Denton Guyer was able to toss the ball in the air as time expired and the Wildcats survived a thriller, 48-47, against Katy Jordan.
Jordan employed a more well-balanced attack compared to Guyer. Jaden Holt led the way with 13 points, with Jude Oluokun right behind him with 11 points and five rebounds. Rayan Fadika had a strong night rebounding the ball, with a game-high 15 rebounds to go with six points. Jonah Folse and Keegan Morehead tallied six points each as well.
Guyer, meanwhile, got most of its production from two players. Silas Rodriguez scored 20 points and Mason White chipped in 10 points to account for 30 of Guyer’s 48 points. Only five Wildcats scored, and three of them – Rodriguez, White and Jordan Lowery – attempted 41 of Guyer’s 50 shots. Contrast that to Jordan, who had seven players score with a more even shot distribution. In either case, with the game decided by one point, they’re both winning approaches.
Though Jordan lost, it played for a state championship at the end of the school’s fifth year of existence. With all the great athletes and great teams across various sports in Katy ISD, Jordan is up there with the best of them despite being the proverbial new kid on the block. There’s plenty of to be proud of.
The final nail-biter among Houston area teams at the state championships was also the final game of the year. Bellaire – despite not being state ranked entering the postseason – went on an incredible run through the playoffs to make the 6A-I state championship game against state tournament stalwart Duncanville.
A lot of people probably wrote off Bellaire on the name recognition of Duncanville alone. But the Cardinals put up a fight and nearly won, falling in the final seconds, 54-52. Bellaire took a similar approach to Guyer, with two players doing most of the damage. The Cardinals played only six players, and four of the starting five played at least 30 of the 32 minutes. Two of the six players who appeared in the game did not score.
With Kohlman Dutton and Jadarian Williams scoring five points apiece, that means most of the damage was left for two players. Anthony Andrews racked up 17 points, while Duke signee Shelton Henderson posted 25 points and 15 rebounds – both game-highs – and three apiece of assists, steals and blocks. Henderson was also a game-high +5; nobody for Duncanville was higher than a +2. Unfortunately, those two points were all that really mattered.
Describing a team who entered the playoffs unranked and had a shot to win the state championship game at the highest classification and division in the state as anything other than a success would be short sighted. Unlike Jordan, Bellaire has been around for a while. Like Jordan, this was Bellaire’s first trip to state. Though the Cardinals would rather be lifting the trophy, the Cardinals still gave Houston one of the best stories – and most-fun runs to follow through the playoffs, including an upset of the No. 1 team in the state – that we’ve seen in years.
... and the not so close
We got three thrilling games and three games that were decidedly not as thrilling. Though Columbus, Washington and Marshall didn’t play their opponents as close as Wheatley, Katy Jordan and Bellaire did, it’s still important to celebrate them as state finalists.
Marshall kept it close – or least in striking distance – with Mansfield Summit for most of the game, but cold shooting on both sides didn’t offer much intrigue and it felt like Summit was in control most of the way. A Marshall rally in the fourth quarter made things a bit interesting, but it always felt like the Buffs wouldn’t have enough time to complete the comeback. Unfortunately, that proved true.
Marshall scored seven points, six points and 10 points in the first three quarters to enter the fourth with just 23 points. Summit scored more than that in just the first half, and led the game 35-23 entering the final frame. Marshall’s 12-point deficit was more points than it had scored in a quarter to that point of the game. Then, the Buffs exploded for 24 points in the fourth, outscoring their total from the first three quarters combined.
Though they outscored Summit 24-19 in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback with Summit winning the 5A-II state championship, 54-47. Eian Lowe was the only player for Marshall in double figures with a game-high 28 points on 9-of-17 from the field and he made all eight of his foul shots. Jonathan Walker was the only other player with more than four points, tallying eight points in just 10 minutes.
Ian Sedah led the way for Summit with a team-high 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Though Marshall fell short, it was good to see the Buffs get over the hump and make it to San Antonio. For years, they couldn’t get past a Killeen Ellison team that was perennially ranked top five in the state. Though Marshall will have to replace some key seniors, the Buffs are one step closer to the ultimate goal of winning a state championship after their second-ever appearance at the state tournament.
The other team to survive the dominant class 4A playoffs in the Houston area was No. 6 Washington, whose reward was a date with No. 1 Dallas Kimball, one of the most historic hoops programs in the state. Unfortunately, Kimball played like it.
The Knights raced past Washington, 71-46 to win the 4A-I state championship. Four Knights finished in double figures, with Marri Wickware totaling 21 points and Lance Carr adding 17. Contrast that with Washington, who had nine players score but none finished in double figures. Samuel Johnson and Jalen Webb tied for the team-high with nine points apiece. No player recorded double figures of any stat category.
In any case, Kimball is a buzz saw and always has been. The Knights have been to the state tournament 15 times and they won their eighth state championship on Friday. Some of those appearances – like 2023 – came in class 5A, so they are one of the more heavily populated 4A schools. Going up against a team that won a state championship in class 5A just two years ago is a tall task.
This was Washington’s second appearance at the state tournament (or whatever that looks like these days) which is plenty of reason for celebration. With a win in the regional semifinals (what used to be the state tournament) the Eagles earned a trip to San Antonio, making this a special season.
The final game we have to recap is Columbus, who got smacked by Tatum 84-49 on Friday afternoon. Columbus has been around for over 100 years, and made just its third-ever appearance at the state tournament and its first since 1983. Despite the loss, that’s an incredible season.
Only one Cardinal finished in double figures, and I’ll give you one guess who it was. Here’s a hint – he ran for 119 yards and four touchdowns in Columbus’ 48-14 state championship game win against Malakoff on the gridiron in December.
That’s right, Mr. Do It All – Grayson Rigdon, perhaps the Houston area athlete of the year regardless of sport – tallied 31 of Columbus’ 49 points in this game. Camdon Pitchford was the next highest scorer with six points. Rigdon’s 31 points were a game-high, though Luke Sigler and Jacorie Bradley each had 26 points to lead Tatum to the win.
With a state championship victory in football and a state championship game appearance in boys basketball, I’d say it’s been a pretty successful season in Columbus, Texas. Perhaps, the best ever.
Signing Off
As I mentioned at the top, this wraps up year six of this blog – that’s half of the years Inside High School Sports has existed in Houston. This edition of The Cooldown in particular is No. 168. As I do at the end of every year, a big thank you to all the athletes that give myself and many others an opportunity to cover your great stories all year. I truly have a blast doing it.
Though we’ve still got baseball/softball season and a few other sports still going, it’s the end of my coverage season which means it’s time to put the time on the clock. Football season starts 171 days from today, and that time can’t pass fast enough. Congratulations to the class of 2025 on an outstanding career, and 2026 and beyond… I’ll see you in 171 days!