By Michael Adams
madams@onthesidlinessports.com

Thorndale and Mumford are no strangers to each other.

On Thursday, the two teams met in the playoffs for the fifth time in the last decade, and the result was similar to four of those previous meetings.

Thorndale (30-4) overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat Mumford 53-43 in an Class 2A area playoff at Giddings High School.

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Senior Kaden Kovar scored a game-high 35 points to lead the Bulldogs into the regional quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Thorndale will play the winner of Sabine Pass-Herne in the regional quarterfinals next week.

The Mustangs (27-10) lost to the Bulldogs in last year’s area round by 17 points. Thorndale reached the regional finals, where the Bulldogs lost to Flatonia. In fact, the three previous times Thorndale beat Mumford in the playoffs, the Bulldogs reached the regional finals (2023) or state tournament (2018, 17 and 2016).

Mumford was looking for a little magic and got a big second quarter after the two teams were tied 14-14 at the end of the first.

The Mustangs’ Tariq Whitfield and Braden Mack helped put together a 15-point second quarter to take the halftime lead. Whitfield scored a team-high 22 points, while Mack added 10.

Thorndale and Kovar caught fire in the second half. The senior guard hit a total of five three-point field goals in the game as part of his 35 points, while Braden Pickel added 10. The Bulldogs outscored Mumford 32-14 in the second half.

Thorndale and Mumford have rich basketball pedigrees.

The Bulldogs have reached six state basketball tournaments, winning Class 1A-Division I championships in 2007 and 2008 and was runner up in 2018.

The Mustangs have played in four state tournaments, winning a Class 1A-Division I championship in 2014. Mumford beat Thorndale in the regional quarterfinals that year.

Rockwall 77, Weiss 53: Rockwall on Thursday jumped out to a 23-6 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, defeating Weiss in a Class 6A-Region II area playoff at West High School in West, Texas.

The Wolves (17-14) did their best to get back into the game behind a game-high 22 points from forward Lamarious White and 18 points from center Cameron Jackson.

The Yellowjackets (19-14) had four players score in double digits, including a team-high 21 points from guard D’von Turner. Guards Mason Shephard and Cadyn Townsend scored 18 points each, while Corbin Brown added 10.

Weiss was co-District 12-6A champions and made its third appearance in the playoffs in school history.