By Michael Adams
madams@onthesidelinessports.com

Thirty-one Austin-area teams begin their quest for a state championship next week. The UIL high school boys basketball playoffs begin Monday with bi-district playoff games, which conclude on Tuesday.

• Austin-area bi-district playoff schedule
• UIL state playoff schedule

Teams to watch

Stony Point (32-1): The No. 2 team in Class 6A is the Austin-area’s top contender for a state championship. The Tigers only loss is to Plano East during tournament play in December, and it was close. Villanova-signee Josiah Mosley is one of the top players in the state and is averaging 22.5 points per game. Stony Point’s road to San Antonio hit a bump in the regional semifinals last year, but don’t expect it to happen again. The Tigers have a chip on their shoulder and all roads lead to The Alamodome.

Lake Travis (29-5): Ranked No. 16 in Class 6A,the Cavaliers are looking to avoid a second-straight first-round exit to Round Rock. The shouldn’t happen this year. Lake Travis is a different team and more experienced. Plus, the Cavs won their first district championship in nine years. The road to regional tournament is much easier on Lake Travis’ side of the bracket. The Cavs avoid any matchups with Westlake or Stony Point until the regional finals. There is the potential for a rematch with Buda Johnson in the regional quarterfinals, though.

Westlake (26-7): The luck of the draw was not on the side of the Chaparrals, the No 15 ranked team in Class 6A. Unless an upset happens, Westlake’s road to the regional tournament will likely go through Stony Point in the third round. However, Westlake only lost to Stony Point by two in the season-opener. The Chaps carry a nine-game winning streak into the playoffs. An athletic Manor team presents an interesting first-round matchup for the Chaps on Monday.

Thorndale (28-3): The Bulldogs are ranked No. 5 in Class 2A and were regional finalists a year ago. Thorndale is another area team with a real shot at reaching the state tournament next month. The Bulldogs likely won’t be tested until the regional tournament where a potential regional semifinal matchup with Johnson City LBJ awaits.

Rouse (27-7): Like Westlake, the No. 6 team in Class 5A got an unlucky draw on their road to the regional tournament. A potential matchup with No. 2 San Antonio Veterans Memorial (35-1) will await JoJo Moore and company in the third round. The Raiders are a tested team, though. Rouse played Stony Point twice, TAPPS powerhouse St. Michaels and Class 6A No. 1 Plano East in the regular season. Another thing to note is that the Raiders bring a 12-game winning streak into the playoffs.

Players to watch

Josiah Mosley, Stony Point: All eyes will be on Mosley throughout the playoffs. The Villanova-signee and the state’s top recruit is averaging 22.5 points and 8.0 per game. Mosely shoots 63% from field-goal range.

JoJo Moore, Rouse: The Siena-signee wis averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 points and 5.5 assists per game. Paired with senior Amarie Haywood, the duo makes the Raiders an offensive machine.  

Jayden Thomas and Adrian Mathis, Lake Travis: Hudson Greer hasn’t played since sustaining an injury on Jan. 9 in a game against Johnson. Mathis scored 21 points in that game and has averaged 16 points per game in the Cavaliers last seven games. Thomas averaged 12.8 points per game in that stretch and had two games of 20 or more points.

Buda Johnson’s Big 3:. Jack Untermeyer, Sam McKinney and Jackson Vandegarde give Johnson several options in the backcourt and can score almost at will.

Wonder Kahozi, Westlake: The Chaparrals’ big-man stands 6-foot-4 and has caused a lot of problems inside for opponents. With a long wingspan and high vertical jump, Kahozi covers a lot of area underneath the basket.

Steven Walker, Thrall: The 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard is an prolific shooter that comes with a lot of athleticism. Walker is one of the key components to the Tigers success this season and has a strong supporting cast in Payton Gilmore and Brecken Proctor.

Nathan Scott, La Grange: The 6-foot-3, 180 pound senior guard is averaging 21.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Scott helped the Leopards win their second straight district championship.