Sharks in the Water
Shadow Creek Punches ticket to State Championship Game
Dec 20, 2018, 9:16 pm
Sharks in the Water
Originally Appeared on VYPE
HOUSTON – Don't ever count them out.
Time and time again during this playoff run Shadow Creek has gotten down – trailing Porter 23-7 at the half and Foster 21-14 heading to the fourth quarter – and each of those instances it came back and won.
To keep its historic inaugural football season alive, Shadow Creek would need that kind of late-game heroics again.
Trailing 17-14, the Sharks used a 27-point fourth quarter, including a 100-yard missed field goal kick return by Ronald Nunnery Jr. and Shadow Creek defeated San Antonio Wagner 41-24 in the Class 5A Division I State Semifinal at NRG Stadium on Saturday.
"I just think that's kind of been our makeup," Shadow Creek coach Brad Butler said. "I hate that we have to get our back against the wall sometimes. Our attention to detail early wasn't great tonight on offense. Defense hung in there and played their tails off.
"When it got to crunch time we were able to make plays."Shadow Creek improves to 15-0 and will face back-to-back defending state champion Highland Park in the Class 5A Division I State Championship game on Saturday, December 22, with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. at AT&T Stadium.
"I knew we were going to be competitive," Butler said about the season. "It's really hats-off to our kids for buying into our coaching staff and our coaches have done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to help make this possible. We're just extremely excited right now."
The Sharks will try and become the first team since the 1982 Beaumont West Brook Bruins to win a state championship in their first varsity season. If the Sharks win they will be the first team since 1968 Lubbock Estacado to win a title in its first season and do so undefeated.
"It's the best feeling every," Shadow Creek quarterback Jamarian George said about making it to the state title game. "We've been hoping for this our whole lives. Best feeling ever."
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While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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