By Pat Turner
View Sports Writer

Clark’s boys’ basketball team began its Class 5A playoff quest in a bi-district meeting with Victoria Memorial earlier this week.

If head coach Kevin Hamilton has his way, his Cougars will have the same impressive run as last year’s squad, which advanced to the Region IV semifinals.

Like last season, Clark finished fourth in District 28-5A, but the Cougars entered the playoffs on a winning note.

Clark clinched the fourth post-season spot with a win over Jay two weeks ago. This past week, the Cougars pulled out a 50-49 victory Holmes.

Clark faced an 18-10 first-period deficit, but Chris Blake’s 12 point showing helped the Cougars get back on track.

Clark basketball players aren’t the only athletes enjoying post-season highlights this week.

Clark swimmer Chelsea Miller is going to the Class 5A State Meet in the 100-yard breaststroke. District 27-5A’s Girl Swimmer of the Year finished fourth in the Region 7 Meet, but her 1:06.52 was good to earn t a call-up.

In soccer, Clark leaped into the District 28-5A lead with wins over Taft (2-0) and Jay (4-0).

Clark (8-2-1, 5-0-1) moved into first after O’Connor dropped decisions to Marshall and Warren.

The Cougars, who struggled through league play this past season, have shown signs of being a title contender all year. This past week helped solidify that reputation.

The Cougars are receiving offensive contributions from Francisco Garza, Placide Buduri, Oscar Barboza and Roger Trevino.

The Cougars have also been sound defensively, with goalkeeper Ryan Webb leading the unit.

Clark looks to keep the pace in Round 2, starting with Friday’s match against Holmes.

“It’s an awesome feeling to be at the top,” Clark coach Eddie Ashley said. “We went through a lot of frustration last year, and this year it’s probably more stressful, because there are four teams close behind us. But we’re halfway through district and the kids are excited about being there.

“We know it’s still too close for us to get comfortable. But we’re in a situation where we can control our own destiny. We’re going to talk about that this week. We want to be in a situation where we don’t have to worry about any other team having to help us. We want to take care of our business.”

Clark’s girls started the week with a 1-0 league loss to Taft, but the Lady Cougars recovered with an 8-0 victory over Jay.

Samantha Baker paced the offensive show with two goals as Clark improved to 4-5-3 overall and 3-1-2 in 28-5A.