Special to the Leader
Round Rock coach Cody Blake doesn't mince his words when describing Pflugerville guard Deon Mitchell's game. He doesn't quite throw roses at the feet of the Northern Iowa recruit, but you understand the respect.
"He's the best guard in Central Texas. He knows it. I know it," said Blake, following his Dragons' 59-47 loss to the Panthers. "Our goal was not to stop him, but to stop the rest of (his teammates)."
Mitchell netted 23 points and had six rebounds, while piloting the Panthers (20-4, 5-0 District 16-5A), who are the lone team without a blemish in district play. The 6-foot point guard is averaging 20.8 points a game.
His teammates, Storm Woods (11) and T.J. Williams (10) were also in double figures for the Panthers. Jamal Shabazz, the team's second leading scorer, sat out the game after suffering a mild concussion last Friday against Leander.
The Dragons (12-16, 0-5) held an 18-17 advantage, before Pflugerville went on a 10-1 run late in the second quarter to give them momentum heading into the half.
"We flipped our defense and were lucky enough to get a couple of steals," said Panthers coach Mike Murphy, who brought his team out of a zone into a half-court trap.
Pflugerville didn't help itself, shooting only 28 percent from the field in the first half.
Mitchell came out and scored eight of his team's 10 points early in third. Round Rock cut the lead to eight, 47-39, early in the fourth before the Panthers stalled on offense and hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game away.
The Dragons' two post players, Zach Chambers and Leonard Allen - who each had 12 points - led Round Rock. Lavelt Francois had a team-high 13 rebounds.
"We tried to fight back but once you're in the hold against them it's tough to get back," Chambers said. "Deon's pretty good. Even when he's not having a good game he'll make his teammates better."
"He's the best guard in Central Texas. He knows it. I know it," said Blake, following his Dragons' 59-47 loss to the Panthers. "Our goal was not to stop him, but to stop the rest of (his teammates)."
Mitchell netted 23 points and had six rebounds, while piloting the Panthers (20-4, 5-0 District 16-5A), who are the lone team without a blemish in district play. The 6-foot point guard is averaging 20.8 points a game.
His teammates, Storm Woods (11) and T.J. Williams (10) were also in double figures for the Panthers. Jamal Shabazz, the team's second leading scorer, sat out the game after suffering a mild concussion last Friday against Leander.
The Dragons (12-16, 0-5) held an 18-17 advantage, before Pflugerville went on a 10-1 run late in the second quarter to give them momentum heading into the half.
"We flipped our defense and were lucky enough to get a couple of steals," said Panthers coach Mike Murphy, who brought his team out of a zone into a half-court trap.
Pflugerville didn't help itself, shooting only 28 percent from the field in the first half.
Mitchell came out and scored eight of his team's 10 points early in third. Round Rock cut the lead to eight, 47-39, early in the fourth before the Panthers stalled on offense and hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game away.
The Dragons' two post players, Zach Chambers and Leonard Allen - who each had 12 points - led Round Rock. Lavelt Francois had a team-high 13 rebounds.
"We tried to fight back but once you're in the hold against them it's tough to get back," Chambers said. "Deon's pretty good. Even when he's not having a good game he'll make his teammates better."
Published in the Round Rock Leader on Jan. 19, 2011.
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