Leander boys sweep Glenn, record important win in jumbled District 25-5A playoff chase

LEANDER — Leander coach Clint Bradley noted Friday that at this point in the basketball season, when district foes are seeing each other for the second time and know each other like the backs of their hands, games sometimes just come down to players making plays.

Fortunately for the Lions, they have Garrett Sisk on their team.

Sisk, a senior small forward, scored seven of his game-high 15 points early in the fourth quarter as part of an 11-0 run that helped the Lions pull away to a 44-34 win in a critical District 25-5A contest at Leander High School.

“I was just feeling it there in the fourth quarter,” said Sisk, who sank a 3-pointer, had a transition layup and hit a mid-range jump shot. “I got a steal on the defensive end and that kind of gets you going. This was a very big win that creates some separation in the district and gives us momentum, too.”

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Both teams entered the contest as part of a four-way tie for second place in the district with 5-3 records in a playoff race where Rouse seems almost assured of a district title, but the remaining three playoff spots seem up for grabs between five teams.

With the victory, the Lions completed a season sweep of the Grizzlies, something that will loom large should tiebreakers be needed when the regular season ends on Feb. 14.

“The fact there’s so many teams that could represent our district in the playoffs, we talk about the importance of consistency,” Bradley said. “The teams that are going to be consistent for four quarters are going to be the four that make the playoffs. We may not have been consistent tonight, but I think over the whole of the district schedule we have been and that’s why we’re 6-3 through nine games.”

The contest played out differently than the first meeting Jan. 3 when Leander shredded Glenn’s full-court press for easy baskets and hit multiple 3-pointers while running out to a big early lead on the way to a 61-37 win.

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Friday, the Grizzlies mainly played zone, and with the Lions also doing the same for most of the contest, the game rarely had any transition baskets or pace.

Neither team shot the ball well, either, as defense and patience on offense were themes in both halves.

“Glenn has some athletes and (Kris Benham) is a heck of a player who we held scoreless in the first half," Bradley said. "We were pleased with that and there’s not a lot of teams who can say they’ve done that. It’s one of those deals where I felt like we could have rebounded a bit better, but overall, I was really proud of our defensive effort.”

Sisk had six of his points in the first quarter as the Lions, who never trailed in the contest, took a 12-7 lead.

Omar Maldonado-Perez’s 3-pointer helped Glenn tie the game at 14-14, but Ryder Bradley answered with a trey for Leander and baskets from Sean Dalberg and Hayden Lucas helped the Lions to a 21-16 lead at the break.

A 3-pointer by Mason Sickles to start the second half opened up an eight-point lead for Leander, but Kris Benham scored seven points as part of a 9-2 run that brought the Grizzlies within 26-25 late in the third quarter. A basket by Dalberg started the Lions’ game-defining run, with Sisk then sandwiching his points around a pull-up jumper from Ryder Bradley.

“The second half of district play is a big-time grind,” Clint Bradley said. “District play can sometimes be tougher than playoffs just because teams are so well-prepared. It’s our job as coaches to make some adjustments on the fly, and we’re always preparing for the next scenarios, but our guys made some plays late — and we’re proud of them for it.”

Hayden Lucas, who along with Sickles finished with eight points for Leander, hit six straight free throws in the final minute to help the Lions salt away the win.

Ryder Bradley tallied nine points for Leander (17-11, 6-3), while Benham’s nine points and Maldonado-Perez’s eight points paced Glenn (17-13, 5-4).

Five games remain for both teams to claim postseason spots, and Sisk said it’s simple what the Lions need to do over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

“Time to keep on plugging away,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Time to keep plugging away': Leander boys secure important 25-5A win