Boerne boys basketball Coach Stan Leech has led the Greyhounds to a top 10 state ranking as district play gets under way. File photo

The Boerne Greyhound basketball team led off district play with a bang Friday night, battering Memorial 94-46 on the Minutemen's home court.

If there was any single key to this one, it came the day the contest was scheduled.  While Memorial is a better squad than the one that failed to win a league game last season, the Minutemen were simply no match for a Boerne basketball team that is ranked tenth in the state by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

"We just had them outmatched," Boerne boys basketball Coach Stan Leech said.  "We were able to get 11 guys some good minutes and they all did real well.  We had basically equal scoring."

Boerne center Chuck Thornally led all scorers with 15 points. Thornally, the varsity football team's starting quarterback, has been coming on strong since joining the team at the end of the football season.

"That's a real key for us," Leech said.  "You've got to have that other big man outside of Robert Moore who's able to score or pick up fouls. Chuck's also a good passer and makes plays."

Power forward Moore and shooting guard Daniel Rogers each scored 14 points and Adam Sena finished with 15. Guard Hunter Simmons just missed double figures with nine points. Isaac Evans contributed eight points, Chris Essick and David Benac accounted for six points each, Sterling Bennett added five and Zach Burdick and Matt Fisher each chipped in two. Boerne jumped out to a 47-26 halftime lead and never looked back. Leech played his starters the entire first period, sat them down for about half of the second and third periods and emptied his bench in the fourth.

Boerne improved to 21-4 overall and 1-0 in District 27-4A while Memorial fell to 6-15 and 0-1.

While Memorial offered little resistance, it is not indicative of District 27-4A as a whole. The Hounds faced a big test when they hosted Alamo Heights Tuesday night after the View's press deadline, and will face another hostile environment when they travel to Edgewood gym for a game against Kennedy at 7:30 p.m. Friday. 

Heights downed Fredericksburg 67-49 in its district opener and was 17-5 overall entering the week. Kennedy was just 11-12, but the Rockets actually led 18th-ranked Tivy at halftime before losing by a slim 40-38 margin.

"There are about five teams that can beat you and Memorial's the only one not included in that mix," Leech said. 

As for the Hounds' lofty state ranking, Leech says the Hounds, while appreciative of the attention, have more important things to worry about.

"It's nice to be recognized and it's an honor," Leech said.  "But we've been ranked before and you've got to just take it for what it is. The main thing is to keep getting better because positioning for the playoffs is what it's all about.  We want that number one bid.  We want that bye."