Colleyville Heritage boys basketball finds itself in the catbird seat of District 6-5A, with every other team aside from Richland chasing them and their 9-1 district record so far.
There's only one team that got the better of the Panthers in their first trip through the district, as they lost their very first district game 55-51 at home to Irving MacArthur on Dec. 6. On Friday, Heritage will get their shot at revenge when they visit MacArthur.The game is a big one for both teams, as Heritage would like to remain in first and MacArthur is among three teams that appear to be vying for the final two playoff spots."We just need to play much better in all phases of the game," Heritage head coach Stephen Hamrick said. "Defensively, we have to do a better job of locating their guards and contesting them and making them shoot uncomfortable shots. I feel if we can do that, the rest will take care of itself."We are much improved offensively, and we're much better at executing. I think if we can do a good job of playing defense and crowd those shooters and make them shoot contested shots, I think we'll give ourselves a chance to win."Part of that offensive improvement can be attributed to the play of Thomas Brandsma in the interior. The 6-foot-5 senior has emerged as a scorer and inside presence to be reckoned with."He's gotten better every single game, and he seems more comfortable in terms of catching the ball with his back to the basket," Hamrick said. "He not only can score, he's also a very good decision maker. We feel if we can give him touches down there, he can get one of their better defenders in foul trouble. He can get our perimeter players good looks, because he draws help."Brandsma and point guard Nash Nelson have combined to create quite an inside-outside pair, as the two have combined to average 26.6 points per game.Nelson has a feel for the game of basketball, and often can anticipate what will happen out on the court. This sense manifests itself in the stats, as well. Nelson averages six assists and three steals per game, using anticipation to grab loose balls and create shots for his teammates."There's not many guys that I'd pick out, I think as a whole we have a pretty high basketball IQ as a team, but Nash has a very high basketball IQ," Hamrick said. "He's usually one or two passes ahead of the play, and a very good understanding of time and score. He has a very good understanding of the game, and he loves it. He studies it, he watches on TV, I think he takes everything in."Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
