Elhad Emerllahu p0ured in 20, Ansley Benjamin added 18 and Jason Brickman put in another 12 as the #10 boys varsity basketball team defeated Brackenridge 64-52.  The Cougars started strong in the first half and defensively shut down the Eagles early on.

The girls’ team also grounded the Eagles with a 66-26 victory.  Courtney Rhodes and Carolyn Chavana each had 14 and everyone contributed points in the win.  Defensively, Brackenridge only achieved double digit scoring in one quarter of play.  The girls record is now 9-4 and the boys are 5-3.

The teams head in opposite directions this weekend for tournaments.  The ladies are in Austin and the men head south to the South Padre Island tournament.  Good luck!

Both the boys and girls varsity teams will be playing today against Brackenridge at Alamo.  The girls play at 7pm followed by the boys at 8:30.  The boys are ranked #10 in San Antonio and the girls are off to a great start.  Go Cougars!

Congrats to the varsity football O-line for an Express News game ball for their 353 yds. of pushing for Clark rushers.

Clark Basketball

A great showing in the NEISD tournament this weekend ended with a  heartbreaking 2 point loss for the Clark boys basketball team. The Cougars defeated MacArthur 61-46 after beating Antonian in the tournament opener. They went on to beat Marshall 51-30 propelling them to the tournament championship game against Reagan. The Cougars lost the game 58-56. Jason Brickman had 21 points in the championship game and Elhad Emerllahu added 18 to lead Clark. At the end of the first week of the season the Clark boys are 4-1.

The girls basketball team had mixed results at the Southwest Tournament. The Cougars lost to Clemens 64 to 51 and dropped the next game to host Southwest in a close 68-66 contest. Clark then beat Boerne Geneva 80-18 and finished up with a 63-47 win over McCollum. Guard Carolyn Chavana had 27 points in the McCollum game. The Clark girls are 8-3 this season.

Clark Basketball

In pool play leading into the Southwest Tournament the Clark girls basketball team beat an overmatched New Braunfels Christian Academy  team 75-18. Melanie Schwartz had 15 points for the Cougars, Carolyn Chavana and Courtney Rhodes added 11 and Chloe Rhodes had 10. Tournament play continues Friday and Saturday. The Clark girls are 6-1.

The Clark boys kicked off the NEISD Tournament with a first round win over Antonian 92-55. In double figures for the Cougars was Ansley Benjamin with 20, Jacob Palacios had 16, Elhad Emerllahu 15, Jason Brickman 12 and Sam Perez 10. The Northeast tourney continues Friday and Saturday. The boys are now 2-0.

Clark Season Opens

The Clark boys basketball team opened their 2009-10 season with a solid victory over Highlands at Paul Taylor gym. The Cougars won 71-59, led by four players in double figures. Elhad Emerllahu had 24 points, Jason Brickman added 16, Ansley Benjamin had 12 and Manny Paz Y Puente tossed in 10.  This was the first game for Coach Steve Sylestine as a Cougar. Highlands and Clark met last season in the first round of the playoffs, a game Clark won.

Prior to the boys game the Clark girls also beat Highlands 63-55. Guard Carolyn Chavana had 17 points, Courtney Rhodes had 16 and Chloe Rhodes added 10. The win brings their season record to 5-1.

The girls will be in the Southwest Tournament beginning Friday and the boys will be in the NorthEast ISD Tournament, which starts on Thursday.

Consolation Champions

The Clark girls basketball team starts its second week of the season with a 4-1 record. In their opening week the Cougars beat Lee 54-36 and then began the Harlandale Tournament with a 67-33 win over Lanier. They lost to Churchill 57-34 before beating Providence 64-18 and Alamo Heights 59-46 to take the Consolation Championship in the tourney. Senior Guard Carolyn Chavana leads the team thus far with 15.8 points per game.

Next up is Highlands at 5:00 Tuesday at Paul Taylor.

Elhad Emerllahu

The Clark boy’s basketball season gets underway this week with the Cougars at #3 in the Express News Area rankings. It’s a new era for Clark basketball with new Head Coach Steve Sylestine calling the shots. Longtime coach Kevin Hamilton retired at the end of last season to move to an assistant athletic director’s position with NISD.

Returning for the Cougars is Elhad Emerllahu, an All District and Area Super Team pick last year who sportswriters expect to compete for Player of the Year honors this year. Joining Emerllahu as a “Player to Watch” according to the Express News is senior guard Jason Brickman, who recently signed a letter of intent to play for Division 1 Long Island University next year. More on these and other talented returnees and new faces as the Clark season gets underway.

First game is  Tuesday at 6:30 against Highlands at Paul Taylor.

GO COOGS!

Clark guard Jason Brickman signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Long Island University in Brooklyn. The Blackbirds play Division 1 ball in the Northeast Conference. The 5’10” Brickman will join former Taft H.S. forward Julian Boyd on the roster at Long Island.

Brickman and his Clark teammates begin the ’09-’10 season on November 17th under the leadership of new head coach Steve Sylestine.

Carolyn Chavana

Carolyn Chavana had 18 points and Hannah Gulley added another 12 as the Clark Cougar girls basketball team punked Lee 54-36 in their season opener.  Taylor Buck, Melanie Schwartz, Courtney Rhodes, Kristen Lye and Chloe Rhodes also contributed points in the win.  Their ladies play next in this weekend’s Harlandale Tournament.  Congratulations also go out to Chavana, who was named a “Player to Watch” by the Express News.

Nice start, ladies!

Mr. Fundamental

A nice article on the sacommunities northwest website about Marshall football player Anthony Puente.  A success at the high school level, he also gives credit for part of his success to one of our own, Head basketball Coach Steve Sylestine.  You can read about it here.