On Feb. 5, the Dillos continued their quest for a playoff birth when they hosted DeLeon. This was another important game for the Dillos since we needed to win out to put us in playoff position. The first time we played them, we won 54-37. This one had a much different outcome. We started fast and strong and never looked back. With the help of four three-pointers in the first quarter (Mathis – 2, Verette-1, and Zepeda-1) we took a 29-6 first quarter lead! Our press was very effective and caused many turnovers that allowed us some easy baskets in the first quarter. We cooled off a bit in the second quarter and went in at halftime leading 47-12. The third and fourth quarter was much of the same and the Dillos won the game 87-24. Kelan Verette led the scoring for the Dillos with 25 points (5 Three Pointers), Aaron Perez had one of his best games of the year having a double-double, scoring 23 points and had 12 rebounds. He hit 7 shots and was 9 of 12 from the FT line. JT. Mathis had 10 points, Issac Zepeda had 9 points, Garret Welch had 7 points, Luis Vega had 5 points, and Kolton Ellis and Caelob Hardman had 4 points each. This was a big win for us and put us at 5-4 in District play.

On Feb. 8 the Dillos hosted Hico for our last game of District. This was a big game for both teams. A win by the Dillos solidified a playoff spot and a win by Hico keeps them in the hunt by forcing a 3-way tie for third. The first time we played Hico we won the game 62-37. I knew it would not be as easy for us this time and I preached that to our kids every day we practiced for them. And as it turns out it wasn’t as easy!!! This one started out fairly even with the Dillos taking a first quarter lead 11-10. In the second quarter we got in some foul trouble and had a little trouble with their half court trap and that, in combination with not shooting the ball very well, the Dillos went in at half down 33-24. The third quarter was something to behold, especially that last 1:40 of it!!! In the third, we cut their lead down to as little as four and they extended it to up to 12 points. It went back and forth. But with a big 3 by Kelan Verette and a FT by Aaron Perez, and a big block by Caelob Hardman at the end of the third quarter, the Dillos were trailing by one point 46-47 at the end of the third quarter! We outscored Hico 22-14 in the third. The fourth quarter was more of the same with the Dillos outscoring Hico 21-10 in the fourth quarter and won the game 67-57!!!

With this win, the Dillos have a 6-4 record in District play and end up tied with Meridian for District Runner Up, and a playoff spot for sure!!

On Thursday, Feb. 14, the Dillos will play a seeding game with Meridian to determine who will represent our district for the second and third seeds from our district. The game will be played at Hamilton at 7:00 P.M.

The first round playoff game’s site and opponent have not been determined yet. All I know for sure is that the Bi-District game will be played on Monday or Tuesday (Feb. 18 or 19).

This is an exciting time for our boys’ basketball! I did some checking and this is the first time they have been to the playoffs since the 2000-2001 season. As soon as we find out more details about who and where we will be playing our first round game, I will let you know.