Gordon will face the top scorer by average in the nation
By DAVID MAY
Special to Mineral Wells Area News
The Gordon Longhorns know what it takes to play in and win big games.
After all, a handful of players on the Longhorns’ roster are three months removed from winning the Class 1A-Division I state football title. On Saturday, they took down the top-ranked and two-time defending state champ Graford Jackrabbits on the hardwood.
Now the stage is set for the 2023-24 Texas high school boys basketball title. Making their first-ever appearance in the boys state basketball finals, No. 6 Gordon and Benjamin will get it all started Thursday morning inside San Antonio’s Alamodome, tipping off the Class 1A state semifinal at 8:30 a.m.
If you can’t go, you can watch the action online here.
The winner will face either Jayton or Fayetteville, which play in the other semifinal at 10 a.m.
About Benjamin
Now ranked No. 1 by Maxpreps, the Mustangs have just one blemish on their season record, a 73-63 loss to Lubbock Christian. Otherwise, Benjamin (23-1) largely breezed through their season schedule. The Mustangs’ high-powered offense has scored in triple digits three times and in the 90s five other times.
They average 84 points per game. The Mustangs collect an average of 37 rebounds per game and dish out 20.5 assists. They also average 17.5 steals per game.
The Longhorns will be paying much attention to the Mustang wearing No. 1 – junior guard Grayson Rigdon. On average he scores half of Benjamin’s points per contest at 47.6 points per game, making him the nation’s top scorer on a points-per-game average, according to Maxpreps.
His 352 field goals rank seventh in the nation and his 7.2 steals-per-game average is good for third nationally. He also pulls down 9.6 rebounds per game.
Like Gordon, Benjamin is also looking to capture a Class 1A football and basketball title in the same year. The undefeated Mustangs claimed the 1A-Division II football championship in December after defeating Oglesby, 82-34. Rigdon is an athlete/linebacker on the Mustangs team.