Vandegrift’s Hayden Brannan shoots a free throw during the 2024-25 basketball season.
Provided by Seth Johnson
It’s time for basketball to take center stage on the boys high school sports stage.
Though teams have mostly been involved in nondistrict and tournament play since the season tipped off in mid-November, several schools in Central Texas have at least one district game already under their belt.
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Most teams in District 25-6A, the lone nine-school district in the Austin area, have already played four district games. Tournament play will dominate the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but every school will be in the thick of district play once students return to class in 2026.
Here’s the American-Statesman’s top 10 power rankings entering Christmas:
1. Bowie
The Bulldogs are the surprise team of the season. They’ve stormed out to a 17-1 start with a win over St. Michael’s, and their only defeat came to a very good Vandegrift squad. Junior guard Josh Baskin is a star, while the starting lineup contains talented seniors Lamin Jabbi, Derrick Osobase and Luke Ashby. A rematch with the Warriors and tough district matchups against Lake Travis and Westlake await in January.
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2. St. Michael’s
A perennial juggernaut, the Warriors (18-3) have several impressive wins, including defeats of Lake Travis, Vandegrift and Cedar Park. With wings Jayden Buchunam — who signed with Dallas Baptist — and Nolan Barkley and talented guards Will Gasink and Sun Jinkal, the Warriors have arguably the area’s best lineup.
3. Westlake
Though the Chaps (13-4) have Central Texas’ best player, they’re more than just Bo Ogden. Wing Mack Martin and guards Alex Allen, Powell Frickenschmidt and Blake Cannatti are a talented supporting cast. Westlake has yet to lose to an area team and figures to battle Bowie and Lake Travis for the District 26-6A title.
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4. Westwood
All Brad Hastings does is win. The longtime Central Texas coach perennially has the Warriors as one of the area’s best teams, and this season is no different. Westwood is 13-2 and features one of the city’s best scorers in senior wing Luke Carpenter, while John McNair, Sumner Holland and John Chuo give the Warriors a trio of dynamic guards. Off to a 4-0 start in District 25-6A play, Westwood should be in that title race until the end.
5. Vandegrift
Since taking over in 2022, Jaime Sierra has quietly turned the Vipers into one of the area’s better programs. Vandegrift is 14-3 and the only team to beat Bowie. It’s also 3-0 in District 25-6A play. Forward Hayden Brannan is one of the top five players in the area, and he’s joined by Trey Block, Henry Defoore, Destin Herring and Preston Kuykendoll to give the Vipers a dangerous starting lineup.
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6. Lake Travis
Despite losing its top two scorers from last season, the Cavs haven’t missed a beat. Guards Will Slyker, Alex Jacob, Tate Tapken, Kade Shaver and Aaron Mathis have helped pace Lake Travis to an impressive 13-6 start that includes wins over Cedar Park and Vandegrift.
7. Cedar Park
The lone area team to defeat Westwood, the Timberwolves (13-4) also took St. Michael’s into overtime. Cedar Park has one of the better players in Central Texas in guard Nabil Ismail, and guard Jace Reed has both distributed and shot well. Lucas Sterling gives the Timberwolves energy and defense as a sixth man. Cedar Park should contend to win District 25-5A.
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8. East View
What appeared to be a rebuilding year after losing four starters and nearly all of their production has instead turned into a reload for the Patriots. At 14-4, they’re one of the area’s better Class 5A teams and are one of the early favorites to win District 23. Wing Isaiah Villegas and guards Cayden Hinderman-Close, Cameron Sanford and Damonie Jackson give East View a solid foundation. Post Van Robertson tallied 17 rebounds in a recent win over Del Valle.
9. Round Rock
The Dragons (11-4) have played a brutal nondistrict slate of teams almost entirely from out of the area. They feature talented guards in Matthew Holland, Teyo Barnett and Max Lipinsky, though they suffered a blow when Sol Barnett suffered a knee injury in late November. Off to a 3-1 start in District 25-6A play, they figure to be a factor in the title race.
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10. Hendrickson
The Hawks (13-6) are reaping the dividends of fielding a young team a year ago. They beat a good Weiss team Friday to start district play and feature a dangerous guard quintet of DJ Hardge, Legend Samuel, Ryan Longoria, Skyler Elliott and Tristan Thomas. Hardge has already set the school record for assists twice this season.
Just outside: Wimberley (17-1)
The Texans (17-1) own a win over Class 6A Johnson and have blown out nearly all of the Class 4A competition they’ve faced. Their only loss is to Class 5A Corpus Christi Ray, and senior guard Paul Gumbert-Mendoza is averaging 20.1 ppg.
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