Yates Destroys Hardin-Jefferson, On Collision Course With Silsbee

HOUSTON, TX — The Lions of Jack Yates High School have put on a scoring clinic in each of the first three rounds of the Class 4A playoffs. And in the last two contests, the Lions have played stingy defense. The only thing standing between No. 2 Yates and No. 1 Silsbee is a pesky Liberty Hill squad.

On Tuesday, Yates blistered a perennially-good Hardin-Jefferson team, 114-56. The closest opponent came in the bi-district round when Yates beat Cleveland, 111-78 — still a 33-point win. The Lions defeated West Orange-Stark, 110-49, in the area round.

Yates will play Liberty Hill at 6:15 p.m. this Friday in the first semifinal of the 4A Region III Tournament at Johnson Coliseum at Sam Houston State University. The winner will move on to the regional championship Saturday to face the winner of Friday's game between Silsbee and Waco Connally.

Silsbee (26-8), the defending state champion, is ranked No. 1 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A poll while Yates (24-2) is No. 2. Waco Connally (25-7) is No. 17 and Liberty Hill (26-11) is unranked.

Silsbee knocked off Yates in the regional final, 94-84, last year, and has advanced to state the last two seasons. The Tigers lost the state championship game in 2016.

Yates hasn't been to state since the 2013-14 season when they fell to Dallas Madison in the state championship in Class 3A — before reclassification moved teams up. Yates made the state championship game in 2012, 2013 and 2014, falling to a Dallas ISD team each time.