North Shore basketball gets its shot at Duncanville

0
697

Sam Benitez turned into seated on the facet of AT&T Stadium that furnished him with the right vantage point to look Demetrius Davis’ lengthy bypass spiraling closer to the quiet area and A.J. Carter outdueling two defenders to come down with the game-prevailing landing capture as time expired.

The North Shore boys basketball train momentarily forgot he became on the Class 6A Division I soccer nation championship sport and celebrated the unlikely and satisfying victory over Duncanville like he becomes at home in his dwelling room.

Benitez sent a video of the closing “wherein had been you?” moment to some of his gamers who could not make the journey to Arlington ultimate December.

“Very inspiring,” Benitez stated. “We take a look at the football facet as our brothers, and vice versa. They got her home, and it’s ‘Your flip, your flip, your flip.’”

Now it’s miles the Mustangs’ basketball team that receives its turn within the country spotlight. Ironically, it comes in opposition to those equal Duncanville Panthers. The schools meet another time within the Class 6A semifinals at 7 p.M. Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Basketball

Benitez chuckles on the perception of the basketball game being decided with the aid of a buzzer-beater. While it is remarkable that North Shore and Duncanville are meeting in a second University Interscholastic League excessive-stakes state playoff event 3 months after first doing it, there may be lots of precedent for its having been carried out before.

North Shore, which received the Class 5A nation name in 2014, is the first Houston-vicinity college to qualify for a UIL country occasion in soccer and boys basketball inside the same faculty year in view that La Marque in 2010-11. La Marque lost to Aledo in football inside the Class 4A Division II soccer title sport that fell to Dallas Kimball inside the 4A basketball title recreation that iciness.

But the Mustangs have a threat to do something no other Houston-place UIL college has performed, and that is win football and boys basketball nation titles inside the same school year.

That listing is short even for the country, with Allen (2017-18), Canadian (2014-15, 2015-16), Southlake Carroll (1992-93), Cayuga (2009-10), Dumas (1961-sixty two), Everman (2002-03), Idalou (2010-eleven) and Duncanville (1998-ninety nine) having executed the feat.

The Houston area has a few schools that have more than one crew nation titles within the equal faculty yr: East Bernard (volleyball and baseball, 1993-ninety four), Kingwood (boys basketball and baseball, 2004-05), La Marque (soccer and softball, 1996-ninety seven), Sweeny (boys basketball and baseball, 1984-85) and Memorial (team tennis and ladies soccer, 2017-18).

Winning football and basketball kingdom championships this school year might be a proper distinction for a North Shore powerful software that has emerged as one of the most well-rounded inside the area.

“One element that our youngsters do: They play with a chip on their shoulder in all sports,” stated Benitez, even bringing up the fulfillment enjoyed with the aid of the college’s marching band and choir. “They need to do it for the community. They want to do it for North Shore. It’s extra than just gambling for themselves. They apprehend the duty that’s involved in it.”