Neches TIGERS
TAYLOR HONEA Sports Writer sports @ palestineherald . com
The Neches Tigers and Lady Tigers seasons ended very differently , as the Lady Tigers moved on to the 1A State Championship tournament , and the Tigers , after a hard fought year , fell short of the playoffs . In what wound up being Coach Andy Snider ’ s final season with the Lady Tigers , Neches posted a 29-8 overall record , and went a perfect 10-0 in District 27-1A .
The Lady Tigers zoomed their way through the season , going into the playoffs full steam ahead . The Lady Tigers won each of their first four playoff games by more than 25 points , before knocking off district rival Slocum in the regional championship , 33 – 23 . The Lady Tigers would then fall to eventual state runner up Turkey Valley , 54 – 41 , in the state semifinal .
The Lady Tigers will be losing two seniors to graduation this year in Jessi Sumpter and Libby Raine , who both have been tremendous additions to the Neches girls athletics program for four years .
All five starters from this year ’ s state semifinalist Neches Lady Tigers basketball team will be returning next season , led by All-State selections Aubrey Kincade and Sealy Hines .
Coach Snider will be missing from the bench for the first time in nearly two decades in the 2024-25 season .
In his time , Snider has led the Lady Tigers to four state championship games , winning three , and has reached the state tournament eight times . He was also selected as district Coach of the Year by his peers this season .
The Neches Tigers fell short of a playoff spot this year , finishing with a 17 – 13 overall record , and 5 – 9 in district 27 – 1A competition .
District 27 is a very strong district , with the top three teams , Laneville , Wells , and Martinsville , combining for 65 wins this season . While the Tigers gave tremendous effort throughout the season , it would just not quite be enough to clinch a playoff berth .
The Tigers will be returning most of their team next season , but will see the departure of two key figures , in backcourt tandem Jonah Kincade and Collin Morgan , as both are graduating this year . The pair have had a great run together in high school , and have been a fire and ice combo for the last four years . Kincade , a point guard , is methodical on the court and doesn ’ t allow defenders to speed up his game . On the other hand , Morgan is a coaches dream athlete , and able to cover large areas of the court in the blink of an eye as well as be the teams number one scoring option .
Neches , who does not play football , will go into the off-season and prepare to push the envelope in the 2024 – 25 season , and find their way back into the playoff ranks . Bright spots for the Tigers next season should be big man post Da ’ Braun Kinder , as well as the backcourt tandem of Logan Taylor and Adam Jenkins , who should replace Kincade and Morgan as the starters .
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