Stop and Go: Girls basketball put on hold, boys open 9-6A season

The 9-6A basketball season had gotten off to a smooth start, but every team knew the possibility of complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic were bound to arise.

That happened on Dec. 22, when only three of the eight district games were able to be played.

All four of the girls games were put on hold—North Garland at Sachse, Rowlett at Wylie, South Garland at Naaman Forest and Garland at Lakeview—and slated to be made up at a future date.

As the teams headed into the Christmas break, Wylie and Lakeview stood atop the standings with 2-0 records.

Sachse had its 69-game district winning streak snapped by the Patriots in the 9-6A opener, but bounced back with a big win over Rowlett to even its record at 1-1. The Mustangs are joined at 1-1 by the Eagles, Naaman Forest and Garland, with North Garland and South Garland still looking for their first victories at 0-2.

The teams are scheduled to return to action on Saturday with a full slate, including Rowlett hosting North Garland and Sachse playing at Garland.

The 9-6A boys had a little more luck on their opening day, getting three of the four games played.

Sachse made history a year ago by notching its first playoff victory in program history.

The Mustangs still want more, and they took the first step last week by claiming a 81-43 victory over North Garland in the 9-6A opener for both teams.

Sachse joins Wylie and Garland as winners on the first day of the district season, while Naaman Forest and South Garland was put on hold.

The Mustangs (5-3) put the defensive clamps on the Raiders at the start, opening a six-point lead after one quarter, and then using a 19-6 run to open a 32-13 advantage at the break.

North Garland was a little more effective scoring in the second half, but so was Sachse, who outscored them 49-30 during the final two quarters to ease away for the win.

The Mustangs had five players in double figures, getting 17 points from Kai Smith, 16 from Ethan Dunnam, 12 from R.J. Chatman and 10 each from Trey Wright and Dylan McKeon.

Augustine Chibuko scored 14 points and Chukwuemeka Bielonwu had 11 to pace the Raiders (0-5).

The Pirates (8-4) continued their strong start to the season, picking up a 67-46 victory over Rowlett (2-6).

The Owls, meanwhile, remained undefeated overall, improving to 7-0 with a 67-38 victory over Lakeview.

Garland took control from the opening tip, using a 13-5 run to take the lead. The Patriots (4-4) tried to hang around in the second quarter, but the Owls pushed the advantage into double digits in the third quarter and closed on a 17-2 spurt to put it away.

Zuby Ejiofor had a big game with 21 points to lead Garland, with Kobe Bratton scoring 18, Aaron King had 14 and Ugo Ejiofor added 11 for the Owls. Lakeview got 12 points from Amir Mason and six from William Kamara.