Convenience Big Store: Girls basketball preview: Houston-area rankings, players to watch and more

October 19, 2023

Fall into girls basketball: Houston-area has plenty of exciting players and storylines.

On Wednesday night, the WNBA season concluded, and a champion was crowned.

Despite being hampered by several key injuries in Game 4 of the Finals against New York, the Last Vegas Aces came through with back-to-back championships. That included contributions from Houston's own Sydney Colson.

Colson, a 2007 Westside High School graduate, contributed important minutes off the bench. The hustle and defense from the former Texas A&M captain resulted in a team-best plus-17 scoring margin while she was on the floor.

Back in the mid-2000s, Colson was just like the thousands of Houston-area girls basketball players who embarked on practices this week. She went to work in preparation for an upcoming season.

The approaching 2023-24 girls basketball campaign has a lot of promise in Houston.

We take a look as the upcoming storylines for this season. Will last year's final four team from Pearland rebound after significant departures due to graduation? How will state semifinalist Fulshear look after a coaching change? Can Columbus build off last year's first trip to state?

Take a look at this year's preseason power rankings. The order is certainly up for debate, but clearly there's some great teams forming.

Once again, the Houston-area is loaded with talent. Look no further than Seven Lakes standout Justice Carlton, who made her commitment to Texas last month. Carlton is among our top players to watch heading into the season.

Three things to watch

Last week in the single digits: Tonight marks the beginning of Week 9 of the high school football season. That means there's only three weeks remain before it's time for the playoffs. Take a look at some of this week's key matchups as teams continue to solidify postseason positioning.

Water! Polo! It's a big Saturday coming up for Houston-area water polo teams. Seven girls teams and eight boys teams will be competing in regional tournaments. Of course, the Brazoswood boys and Foster girls will be playing to defend state titles won in the inaugural UIL state tournament last year.

Mustangs on the run: Katy Taylor had not qualified a runner to the boys cross country regional meet since 2013. This year, the Mustangs are sending two. Juniors Carlos Varela and Michael Klahn placed sixth and ninth, respectively, at the District 19-6A meet to advance Huntsville for the Region III-6A championships.

Note to coaches: Submit scores and stats on game nights by emailing hssports@houstonchronicle.com.

Follow all our coverage at houstonchronicle.com/highschoolsports.

Rob Tate, Deputy High School Sports Coordinator

rtate@houstonchronicle.com

Athlete of the Week

Congratulations to Fort Bend Austin volleyball player Gabrielle Kennedy, who was voted the Girls Athlete of the Week. In a recent District 20-6A sweep of Clements, Kennedy made 45 digs with two assists and an ace. Kennedy, who had 53 digs in a previous district match, ranks eighth in the state with 738.

Congratulations to Summer Creek cross country runner Michael Menke, who was voted Boys Athlete of the Week. Menke took first place at the District 21-6A championship meet, finishing the race at 15:56.23. His contributions helped the Bulldogs capture the team title as well, beating out Atascocita by 13 points.

Check Monday's newsletter for a new set of canidates.

Shout out

The Nimitz football team continues to produce under second-year coach Cornelius Harmon. The Cougars are in prime position for their second consecutive winning season, something the program hasn't achieved since 2006-07. The foundation is being built as well. Harmon is having success with a young team that continues to grow with every practice and game. He has 19 sophomores playing on varsity.

Stat of the day

67: In the NFL, recording 100 receptions over 17 regular-season games is one benchmark for a big season for any receiver. Pasadena receiver Alijah Cruz is sitting at 67 receptions through seven games this season. That's 61 percent of the team's total haul in the passing game. The 5-foot-8 force for the Eagles has 719 yards and nine touchdowns.