With tournament season now in the rear-view mirror and district play on the horizon, the 2024-25 Texas boys and girls high school basketball season is starting to heat up.
Several of the Big Country’s sharpest shooters and most prolific playmakers put on electric performances to start the new year with a bang.
Here’s a closer look at the Big Country’s top performers on the basketball court for the week of Dec. 30, 2024, to Jan. 4, 2025:
Top performers listed in alphabetical order.
Blake Abila, Knox City boys basketball
Abila shined in back-to-back big wins for the Greyhounds, scoring 24 points in a 60-31 victory over Crowell and pouring in 20 points in Knox City’s 64-35 win against Vernon Northside.
JJ Baez, Ballinger boys basketball
Baez recorded a game-high 27 points for Ballinger in a nail-biting 63-57 loss to Roscoe.
Jerald Best, Roscoe boys basketball
Best dropped 26 points to help spearhead the Plowboys’ comeback effort in a 63-57 win over Ballinger.
Gracie Caperton, Clyde girls basketball
Caperton tallied 23 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal to help carry the Bulldogs in a 59-55 win over Merkel.
Hailie Cauthen, Clyde Eula girls basketball
Cauthen finished with 15 points to lead the way in Eula’s runaway 58-8 victory against Baird.
Connel Colley, Abilene High boys basketball
Colley racked up 19 points in the Eagles’ blowout 88-35 non-district win over Mineral Wells.
Jabari Collier-Gard, Abilene Cooper boys basketball
Collier-Gard played an instrumental role in securing the Cougars two consecutive victories. He scored a game-high 23 points in a 55-47 win over Levelland and then tallied 22 points in a 54-46 road win against Graham.
Thereza Enduki, Abilene Wylie girls basketball
Enduki set the tone for Wylie with a team-high 14 points in a 58-26 victory over District 4-5A rival Abilene Cooper.
Caisen Lee, Munday boys basketball
Lee racked up 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal on 8-for-18 shooting in the Moguls’ 52-47 win against Newcastle.
Jesse Villebrun, Clyde boys basketball
Villebrun paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 19 points in Clyde’s 59-44 victory against Merkel.
Zoey Welch, Roscoe girls basketball
Welch powered the Plowgirls to their fourth-straight win in District 8-2A by recording 22 points in Roscoe’s 53-37 victory over Ballinger.
Luke White, Hamlin boys basketball
White poured in a team-high 19 points to help the Pied Pipers escape with a 60-52 win over Aspermont.
Baylor Wright, Coahoma girls basketball
Wright scored 26 points in a 59-48 win against Stanton to help the Bulldogs secure their fifth victory in their last six games.
Submit nominees for weekly top performers in Big Country high school basketball by emailing game stats to sports@reporternews.com or Andrew.McCulloch@reporternews.com.
