With district play ratcheting up in intensity throughout the Lone Star State, the 2024-25 Texas boys and girls high school basketball season has started heating up.
Several of the Big Country’s sharpest shooters and most prolific playmakers put on electric performances to power their teams to pivotal victories in district competition.
Here’s a closer look at the Big Country’s top performers on the basketball court for the week of Jan. 13-18, 2025:
Blake Abila, Knox City boys basketball
Abila scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Greyhounds to a runaway 77-37 win over Chillicothe. He also poured in a team-high 19 points in Knox City’s 62-27 district victory against Harrold.
Isaiah Carrillo, Abilene Wylie boys basketball
Carrillo carried the Bulldogs to a nail-biting 55-52 victory over District 4-5A rival Abilene High by scoring a team-high 16 points and posting a 6-for-6 shooting clip at the free-throw line in Wylie’s win.
Delila Crain, Gorman girls basketball
Crain posted back-to-back double-doubles in the Panthers’ runaway wins over Bluff Dale (83-7) and Huckabay (58-27). She racked up 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals against Huckabay and also tallied 30 points, 10 rebounds, six steals, five assists and four blocks versus Bluff Dale.
Riley Grohman, Tuscola Jim Ned girls basketball
Grohman scored a game-high 35 points to go with three steals and two blocks in Jim Ned’s pivotal 53-39 victory against district rival Wall.
Kamyn Hale, Santa Anna girls basketball
Hale helped the Mountaineers claim a 74-38 victory over Sidney with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. She also recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block in Santa Anna’s 42-24 loss to May.
Keegan Hayes, Benjamin boys basketball
Hayes posted a monster double-double in the Mustangs’ 71-42 win against Crowell, tallying 33 points on 14-of-30 shooting with 20 rebounds, six assists, six steals and a block.
Marley Jackson, Gordon girls basketball
Jackson recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 60-26 victory over Baird. Then she notched a double-double in Gordon’s 95-28 win against Ranger with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Grayson Jeffrey, Westbrook boys basketball
Jeffrey dropped 32 points on 10-of-15 3-point shooting with four rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 64-14 victory against the Lubbock Titans. He also racked up 15 points, four steals and three rebounds in a 59-31 win against Hermleigh.
Brooks Reese, Abilene High boys basketball
Reese racked up a game-high 26 points and knocked down six 3-pointers in the Eagles’ 55-52 road loss to crosstown rival Abilene Wylie.
J’Lee Salinas, Comanche girls basketball
Salinas scored 22 points on 6-of-8 3-point shooting with eight steals, seven assists, six rebounds and five blocks in an 81-45 victory over Eastland. She also tallied 17 points, four assists and three blocks in a 74-28 win over Breckenridge.
Carter Toof, Cisco boys basketball
Toof tallied a combined 53 points, nine rebounds and four steals in wins against Haskell (71-43) and Abilene TLCA (86-22). He scored 28 points in the victory over Haskell and 25 points in the win against Abilene TLCA.
Maddie Underwood, Clyde girls basketball
Underwood notched back-to-back double-doubles with 22 points and 12 rebounds in win over Abilene TLCA (70-30) as well as 26 points and 20 rebounds in victory against Sweetwater (48-44), surpassing the 1,000-career points mark in the process.
Zoey Welch, Roscoe girls basketball
Welch dropped a team-high 29 points and racked up six rebounds, six steals, four assists and a block in Roscoe’s 77-36 win over Colorado City.
Blake Wells, Coahoma boys basketball
Wells powered the Bulldogs to a pair of back-to-back district wins against Lamesa (58-44) and Odessa Compass Academy (42-36). He led Coahoma in scoring with a game-high 23 points to eclipse the 1,100-points threshold for his high school career.
Luke White, Hamlin boys basketball
White led the Pied Pipers to two consecutive victories in district play when he dropped a game-high 20 points in a 58-15 win over Rotan and then scored a game-high 21 points in Hamlin’s 79-13 win against Lueders-Avoca.
Baylor Wright, Coahoma girls basketball
Wright led the way with a double-double in the Bulldogs’ 64-33 victory against Lamesa by scoring a team-high 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. She also finished with 15 points, five steals, four rebounds, four assists and a block on 7-of-16 shooting in Coahoma’s 55-18 win over Odessa Compass Academy.
