Hawk Hoops Happenings

Canyon Lake’s Girls and Boys basketball teams do not need to win every game on their schedule, but there will be some important games played by other schools that will have a say on how the Hawks will fare in finishing district.

The Lady Hawks are now embarking on their final run through district starting this Tuesday when they host Fredericksburg.

In District 27-3A play you have Navarro and Boerne who have separated from the other four schools.

Now it is up to CL to win enough games this second round to get a ticket for a playoff spot.

In the first round Fredericksburg won a pivotal game against Boerne which helps them greatly if they are break even with Wimberley and Canyon Lake to end this season.

Now your Hawks will need to win games with Wimberley, Fredericksburg, and Bandera in order to give them a chance for a playoff game.

What will put them squarely into a playoff game will reside in a win against either Navarro or Boerne. If they can pull that off in this round, then a 5-5 record will put them in a tie with either Wimberley and Fredericksburg.

If Wimberley loses to Navarro, Boerne, and CL, then they will also have that same 5-5 record, but a CL win over one of the two top teams would trump the Texans and give your Hawks an inside trek to a playoff spot.

Fredericksburg is the team with the best win already in the books, when they won a game over Boerne. This win gives them an easier road if they finished with a 5-5 record and tied with CL.

Given, Bandera is out in this district sweepstakes.

Wimberley will need to beat Fredericksburg.

Canyon Lake will need to finish 4-1 for their second round of district games.

What can’t happen:

If Wimberley or Fredericksburg beat one of the top two teams this round would doom your Hawks. Or make it very unlikely for all the dominoes to fall into place.

This Hawk team is capable of pulling off what is needed to give them a chance for another set of games after district play.

Defense is certainly a top echelon facet that will always give you hope that a win is possible.

Canyon Lake needs to improve their shooting percentage in get into the 40 points or more range. That would take some pressure off their defense and would allow CL a chance to pull off some upsets.

Turnovers have been mentioned several times this season. One stat you can’t get around is the number 25. If Canyon Lake can keep their boo boos below that threshold, then their is not a game they have lost yet this season.

Free throws will be another facet of this game that will need to be in working order. This will not guarantee a win, but it will be one of those items needed in combination with turnovers and defense to give CL a good chance of winning any given game.

Pretty simple game. Take care of the ball, play good defense, and make your free throws.

Coach Mary Beth Gallagher said it in their game with Navarro last Friday. With CL ahead in the second half, the wheels fell off and another loss was the result. “We have not played a full game yet this season.”

Doable for sure, now just go out there and execute.

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Canyon Lake Boys are tied with three teams for that coveted third spot in District 27-3A after three games in district play.

Fredericksburg and Boerne are two teams that have already separated from the other four schools.

Navarro is the ugly duckling in this group of teams that might not win a game in this round robin affair.

If that is how district play plays out, then you need Canyon Lake to win two games over Bandera and beat Wimberley in their next contest.

Your Hawks have a game with Fredericksburg this Tuesday which would help pave the road with a win.

Bandera is the one 1-2 team that both losses have been to the top two teams. That gives them an advantage over Wimberley and CL.

Wimberley has not played Navarro yet in this round which gives them a good chance for another win.

Projecting how the first round will be seeded is based on how CL plays Bandera and that is why a sweep of that team will help in securing a playoff spot. That in itself will help, but a must win over Wimberley is paramount in securing a chance for a playoff game.

That would give CL a 5-5 record, assuming they can’t win against those two front runners, Boerne and Fredericksburg.

Another game that would be important is Bandera beating Wimberley twice.

Projected Standings after first round of games.

 Team              W   L
 Fredericksburg    5   0   Beat Boerne and Canyon Lake
 Boerne            4   1   Beat Navarro and Lose to Fredericksburg
 CL Hawks          2   3   Beat Bandera and Lose to Fredericksburg
 Bandera           2   3   Beat Wimberley and Lose to Canyon Lake
 Wimberley         2   3   Wimberley Lose to Bandera and beat Navarro
 Navarro           0   5   Lose both games to Kimberley and Boerne

Now if Canyon Lake can finish 3-2 for their second round with wins over Bandera and Wimberley, then that would give them a great chance to slip in as the third team to qualify for a playoff.

Having Wimberley lose twice to Bandera and Canyon Lake winning twice over Bandera would certainly give your Hawks a chance to call a T-Shirt company for some special shirts.

What needs to be done to pull this off?

Glad you asked.

The Hawks will go as far as Caleb Kreiger can carry them.

Playing well underneath on defense and scoring points will allow the Paul Davis and Andrew Riali’s of the world to have more open shots from the perimeter.

That will in turn allow a lethal offense going inside and outside and having your opponent to pick their poison on who to stop.

Doug Hubnik has proven to be the best assist producer in Canyon Lake’s history. At this writing Hubnik stands at 99 assists this season which has more than doubled any player in their short history of this program.

How Hubnik distributes the ball will go far in having a good run to end this season. Negatives? Hubnik has to get rest to be strong for the whole game and how Coach Chapman can distribute those minutes will be imperative.

Bench play will also play in how this might transpire to be a magical season.

Players that will need to be solid coming off the bench.

Isaac Pruna is one player that will be counted on for giving Kreiger rest and Pruna has also been used as a companion to Kreiger by playing at the same time, which helps in securing more rebounds.

Chandler Faulkner has been an integral part of stopping the other teams best scorer. Faulkner will need to up his game as this district has several players that can dominate.

A CL player than can reduce another teams potent scorer will help and even the playing field.

Consistency from this lineup will also go a long way in solidifying this team for a good ending.

Scorers need to get their points and role players need to be in gear for finishing strong.

Is it still possible? You Betcha.