This week’s Food & Drink section focuses on Mardis Gras and Cajun tastes! The Leader • Saturday, February 17, 2018 • Page 1B
Mardi Gras, the Fattest of Tuesday beverages recipe of the following:
By Ozzie C. Davis For The Leader
1 oz Light Rum 1 oz Dark Rum 1 oz Banana Liqueur 1 oz Blackberry Liqueur 1 oz Orange Juice 1 oz Pineapple Juice Splash of Grenadine Fruit to garnish Preparation: Mix in a glass and enjoy
Some may not know, but Mardi Gras literally means Fat Tuesday. Fat seems like a taboo adjective in this politically correct day and age, but nevertheless the plus sized party lives on. If you are wild enough to take a stroll down Bourbon St. in New Orleans this week you will find a variety of drinks and cocktails. From the glassy eyes, overly aggressive opinions and staggering of the average Mardi Gras patron, you may assume that as long as a drink has alcohol in it, it would be a proper Mardi Gras themed drink. You would likely be correct. However, since we are refined Houstonians with distinguished pallets, I want to only recommend the best. O.C.D’s Recommendation (Rum Version): Rum Runner Ideal drinking establishment: Johnny’s Gold Brick During prohibition, rum runners bootlegged hooch in order to circumvent laws and avoid taxation. However, the Rum Runner cocktail is legal and taxed. But the better news is that it is delicious and brings the Caribbean coastline to
Photo by Ozzie C. Davis The Rum Runner from Johnny’s Gold Brick, located at 2518 Yale St.
your taste buds. Made from light and dark rums, berry liquors, pineapple and orange juices with a splash of grenadine, Drizly.com has a simple
O.C.D’s Recommendation (Whiskey Version): Sazerac Ideal drinking establishment: Eight Row Flint The classic Sazerac was actually invented in New Orleans in the 1800’s and is the Louisiana Purchase version of the Old Fashioned. Some even claim that the Sazerac is the world’s first documented cocktail. According to recent Louisiana state legislation, the Sazerac is also the official drink of the City of New Orleans. With accolades like those, it is surprising that only half of the people I spoke with were familiar with the Sazerac. Before reading the Bonappetit.com recipe below, don’t even begin the bourbon versus whiskey versus rye argument as that is a discussion for another day:
Ice cubes 1 sugar cube or 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters 1/8 teaspoon angostura bitters 1 teaspoon water 1/4 cup rye whiskey (such as Michter’s) 2 teaspoons absinthe (such as Pernod’s) 1 lemon peel twist
Preparation: Fill 1 old-fashioned glass with ice; set aside. Place sugar cube in another oldfashioned glass. Pour bitters, then water over sugar; muddle with back of spoon until sugar dissolves. Add ice to fill glass, then add whiskey. Let stand, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Discard ice from first glass; add absinthe. Swirl to coat inside of glass, then pour out absinthe. Strain whiskey mixture into glass. Twist lemon peel above cocktail and run along lip of glass. Discard lemon. So whether attending the parades in Galveston or your cousin in law, Boudreaux’s annual backyard crawfish boil, one needs to know which beverages to consume in order to really live up the Mardi Gras season. But be forewarned by Ozzie, these drinks are potent and should not be consumed in large quantities. As overindulgence may lead to an unnecessarily longing for dollar store Mardi Gras beads and stories that you conveniently forget to tell your teenage children.
By Ozzie C. Davis For The Leader
Photo by Ozzie C. Davis King Cake carries sweet tradition and even symbolism for the Christian faith that go hand-in-hand with Mardis Gras.
The King of Cakes, Get your country Mardi Gras style cooking fix at Esther’s As a Colorado transplant to Texas, I was completely ignorant to all things Mardi Gras and was confused when the first colorful, crown shaped pastry ended up in my office lunch room. Years later, I have a working knowledge of all things Mardi Gras and even understand a bit of its symbolism. Perhaps you, too, are baffled by the mysterious history of the Mardi Gras King Cake. Hopefully I can help you to become Cajun Conversational with what I would like to call the Ozzie’s Notes to King Cake. Although Mardi Gras and the King Cake tradition are a worldwide phenomenon, I will focus As for the cake itself, it is usually on the Gulf Coast traditions since that is likely a ring shaped pastry. It has a similar consistency the best anyway. In order to understand King Cake, we must to a French croissant and a coffee cake. It is first take a look at some Mardi Gras and Chris- layered with cinnamon and colored sugar. Some may also choose to use cream cheese based filltian background. Mardi Gras begins on January 6, which is also ings, or even chocolate and toasted coconut. The known as Epiphany and is precisely 12 days after cake is then traditionally topped with a cream cheese frosting and dusted with the purple, gold Christmas. Mardi Gras is a moving date and has several and green sugar patterns. There are many opinions of who makes the factors to determining its timeline. The date floats with the movement of the Christian tradi- best King Cake in the Gulf Coast, but as Oak Fortion of Lent and Ash Wednesday. The Lent and est resident Todd Richards mentions, two LouisiAsh Wednesday dates are tied to the Jewish tra- ana based bakeries commonly pop up, Gambinos dition of Passover. The Jewish Passover holiday and Manny Randazzo’s. Both of these locations are tied to the lunar calendar and is the first Full are able to ship King Cakes directly to your door Moon after the Vernal Equinox; the Vernal Equi- for around $50. However, Houston based bakernox is March 20. After March 21, we look for the ies and even local grocers have started making Full Moon. Once the Full Moon happens, the King Cakes for the Mardi Gras season. Now that we understand the King Cake and its following Sunday is declared Easter. Once we arrive at Easter, we must subtract back 40 days tradition, I dub thee “King for a Day” and I will while skipping Sundays to once again arrive at see you at the party. Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday) is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. So the Mardi Gras party period is between Epiphany (always January 6) and Ash Wednesday (depends on the Moon). Confused yet? Me, too. Now let’s get to the tradition and symbolism of the King Cake. According to Catholic history, on the epiphany date, the three Wisemen came to Bethlehem to visit the Christ child. The Wisemen brought with them three gifts to give to Jesus. These three gifts are where the Mardi Gras/King Cake color symbolism comes into play. Gold is for power, purple for royalty/justice and green for faith. The cake itself is usually in an oval or circle shape to symbolize a crown for the Christ child as he was to be the King of the Jews and King of the World. Inside the layers of cake, there is a hidden plastic baby toy which symHouston’s best Cantonese and bolizes Jesus. As the cake is cut up Hong Kong dining experienCe. and distributed at a party during the Mardi Gras season, whoever maKe your reservation today! finds the baby toy in their cake is then declared, “King for the Day” Join us and must bring a King Cake to the tues. - tHurs. 11:00 - 10:00 p.m. next party. It is important to keep Friday - saturday 11:00 - 11:00 p.m. in mind that nearly every day between Epiphany and Ash Wednes4705 Inker Street | (713) 861-8883 Conveniently located off of I-10 and Shepherd day are reason to party and eat w w w. g i n g e r a n d f o r k r e s t au r a n t . c o m King Cake.
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Country cooking lovers rejoice. Esther’s Cajun Café has opened a second location at 1102 Pinemont A1 after its very successful venture on Yale Street. Tee Lewis, who is the daughter of owner Esther, said that some of her mother’s friends from church altered her to the space available in Dominion Plaza which also houses the Brazos School. Since Esther lives nearby, it was an easy choice to figure out where to expand. “She loves this neighborhood,” said Lewis who noted that the space was not a restaurant to start with and required a lot of work from them to get open. “We’ve been working on it for a year,” she followed with. The interior offers table and booth dining with a window into the workings of the kitchen. Patrons can dine in and take out. While the Yale Street location has a larger menu, the Pinemont spot is starting off with a smaller spread, including peppered steak, garlic roasted baked chicken and smothered pork chops. Sides include black-eyed peas, candied yams, mac n cheese and mustard greens. A separate case contains desserts. Lewis said they will build up the menu over time. Garden Oaks resident Betty Markoski, who tried out the restaurant with her daughter Allison, said she had a friend in the Heights who goes to the Esther’s on Yale had recommended it. Markoski commented on how tender the meat was in her meal. “You don’t even need a knife to cut it,” said
Photo by Betsy Denson Esther’s Cajun Café has opened their second location at 1102 Pinemont A1. Find country cooking on Pinemont Street.
Markoski. According to the restaurant’s web page, Esther’s great-grandmother, Mary Lewis, was known as the master of country style cooking. Gladiola Lewis, Esther’s mother, was also an expert in Cajun style cuisine. Both Momma Lewis and Mary Lewis passed their recipes down to the next generation. Lewis said that the Yale street location has been open for 10 years. “It’s always so packed,” she said. Lewis said that the Pinemont Esther’s will be open seven days a week and will offer breakfast starting on February 17. Posted hours on their Facebook page are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. but you may want to touch base first before you make a trip. Visit them at Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food on Facebook.
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Page 2B • Saturday, Febraury 17, 2018 • The Leader
Art Valet: sunshine, Year of the Dog, get some class Art Columnist
S
aturday is the Sunshine Date for First Saturday Arts Market. That’s right, I made that phrase up - I don’t want to jinx our makeup date by calling it by the name that got it canceled in the first place. Rain-date? What sun hating fool thought that name up? The market features nearly four dozen curated fine artists from all over Houston. Nearly all are fine artists, we do have a soap maker in Cammie’s Handmade Soaps. Cammie and Larry always provide a water bowl for our four legged friends, making the market pet friendly! The market is always going to be a little different, and I’m okay with that. It is an inspiring environ-
Crawfish from P. 1A pound plus veggies and sausage. We will also have chicken and sausage gumbo for the non-seafood folks.” And there will be plenty to wash it down with. “We will also have a lot of beer and cider for the event,” said Engle. “And live zydeco music from local musicians.” The Heights Chamber Crawfish Festival is the first Saturday in March and as you might guess from the name is all about the mud bugs. Recipes for boils range from the traditional to the experimental. Barking Pig owner Kristen Powell says that right now they are adding fresh citrus, garlic and Serrano peppers along with a “beautiful amount of butter” to their crawfish boils. Krab Kingz is offering a choice of flavorful butters to accompany their boiled crawfish, including garlic butter, honey garlic butter, spicy butter, Cajun butter, and lemon pepper butter. Melissa Faust of Mel’s Seafood said that because they soak their crawfish, and don’t
“dust” them with seasoning on the outside, they are “bursting with juice and flavor in the head and the tail meat is well seasoned from the inside out.” Dipping sauces run the gamut too, but The Boot keeps it traditional with a Cajun dipping sauce made up of ketchup, mayonnaise, Louisiana hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Leftovers can be used in such Louisiana delicacies as Crawfish Etouffee. An easy recipe from Genius Kitchen might get you inspired to make your own. For some, the camaraderie of the experience is what makes them a fan. “It’s all about the group of people I’m with,” said Oak Forest’s Johnny Rojas. “Sitting around a big table, music in the background, telling lies, drinking cold beers, while eating a few mud bugs. That’s the place to be.” EASY CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE Recipe by Luby Luby Luby on Genius Kitchen PREP TIME: 30 mins
Contributed photo Year of the Dog critters by Valerie Gudell of Cultured Critter Collective.
techniques to create your favorite quote. The $40 fee gets you one Tombow brush marker, a one stroke set, two alphabet sets, Canson XL Marker Paper and Bristol Board. The worshop is 12 - 3 p.m. this Saturday at Art Square Studios, 2315 Commerce Street Studio #24, Houston, Texas 77002. Visit www.facebook.com/ events/209266892982302/ If jewelry is more your thing, head to Galveston Sunday, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. and learn basic wire pendant wrapping with artist Annette Kinslow.
Cohen is an artist and founder of First Saturday Arts Market and the new Market at Sawyer Yards, find him at ArtValet.com.
DIRECTIONS: In Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Sauté vegetables until soft, about 30 to 45 minutes. Add Crawfish tails and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mushroom sauce, let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add to crawfish mixture, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve on hot rice.
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TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 30 mins SERVES: 4 INGREDIENTS 1 (1 lb) bag peeled crayfish tail, not drained 1/2 cup butter 1 large yellow onion, minced 1 large bell pepper, minced 2 stalks celery, minced 2 stalks parsley, minced Some spring onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 can mushroom, cream sauce Cooked rice
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Best part? No experience needed. Again, all materials provided for a cost is $125 per student. You keep your own wearable creation and written instructions. Affaire d’Art, 2227 Post Office St, Galveston, Texas 77550, affairedart.com Celebrate Chinese New Year “indoors” at Studio 8 for Year of the Dog at Art Square Studios on Commerce, Saturday afternoon 1 - 5 p.m. Hosted by studio artists Valerie Gudell, Penny and Rob McDonald, artists Jai Jones, #20 and Marilyn Lewis #15 will also have open studios. View (and purchase) Year of the Dog-related creatures and other art, highlighting Barrio Dogs. Art Square Studios, 2315 Commerce St., Houston, TX 77002.
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ment, both shows are. That’s probably why I’m on edge without sun or the markets. What to do? Just because you’re an adult now doesn’t mean you can’t do what you did when you were child. Create! Cold, damp weather is the perfect time to spend time indoors and I’m not talking about binge watching TV shows you’ll forget about tomorrow. Get some class. Literally! Houston has instruction on almost anything you can imagine - and I’ve dug up a few classes that will keep your mind off our glowing ball of happiness. Saturday afternoon is a Brush Lettering for Beginners course taught by Houston watercolor artist Lauren Ellzey. The three-hour workshop is a modern take on calligraphy. You’ll work through the basics of the brush pen including creating proper strokes, layouts and letters. By the end of class you will use the learned
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The Leader • Saturday, Febraury 17, 2018 • Page 3B
Craft Chronicles
Getting down to the nitty and gritty of cleaning Shop @ It’s Febrewary once again and welcome back to Craft Chronicles. This time around the sun we will be discussing the work behind the scenes that gets us from grain to glass. We will delve into the sometimes not so luxurious world of those that work diligently day in and day out to ensure that we get a fresh supply of our favorite brew whenever our heart desires. In the brewery world, to guarantee freshness, cleanliness is next to godliness. Actually, lots of things in the brewery world start with cleanliness come to think of it but we don’t have unlimited space to talk about cleaning so we’ll start with something small. How a beer keg gets “turned around� sounds like a great start. Most craft beer
fans don’t realize what exactly it takes to get a keg cleaned and ready to fill full of the good stuff. It isn’t like we can just pop open a keg, reach in and scrub it out like many homebrewer’s are able to do. Commercial kegs only have a 2� hole at the top by which to gain entry into the stainless steel vessel. That entry is guarded by a one way valve with lots of pressure keeping it sealed tight. If we were to pop the locking ring off, the valve and spear (the dip tube that pulls liquid from the bottom of the keg) would shoot sky high in a not so safe fashion. So how do they clean those impenetrable tanks? First off they connect a coupler and tap it just like we were going to actually pull beer out for a
party. This coupler is special, however, in that it lacks the very important one-way valve that keeps beer from running back into the keg once it is breached. They flip the keg upside down so the cleaner will pump up through the spear and drain back down to the bottom. Generally speaking, breweries will use a somewhat or fully automated system that cleans the keg thoroughly. The keg must first be drained of any old beer that might be left behind. A hot caustic chemical wash to scrub beer scale and other organic matter that clings to the inside is then pumped through and afterwards an acidic rinse will neutralize any leftover caustic. A thorough rinse follows quickly after. Finally, sanitizing
Landon Weiershausen Columnist
agent is now pumped in and CO2 is used to push out any remaining oxygen. The keg is now ready to be filled with the suds we desire and is shipped out to the local bar for mass distribution awaiting its turn to get emptied and cleaned once again. All this talk of cleaning has made me thirsty, I’ll see ya’ll at the bar.
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Make sure to join us in our craft adventures each month. Landon is the owner of Farmboy Brew Shop. Email landon@ farmboybrewshop.com. Cheers!
Decant Urban Winery to open on Wakefield By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
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There’s a lot going on along Wakefield Drive and now you can add an urban winery to the list. Decant Urban Winery hopes to be open by Fall of 2018. Already popular in cities like Austin and Seattle, urban wineries are popping up in other US cities too – including Houston. Solaro Estate Urban Winery opened in 2014 on TC Jester Boulevard. Just what is an urban winery? Grapes are imported from various wine growing regions around the world and fermented at the urban winery where customers can directly sample and buy the wine. “Urban wineries are a renaissance,� said Kristina Tucker, who will be the chief winemaker at Decant. “Originally all of the wine produced in the US was produced in the major cities prior to prohibition. After prohibition the idea that wine had to be enjoyed only amongst the vines has created a distance between wine and its customers. Our customers want to be in close contact with their wine, so we are removing the stuffiness of wine and showing our customers the fun and craftsmanship of winemaking.� Decant is a family business. Oak Forest resident Ron Tucker is the general manager and Kristina’s husband. Ron’s sister, Meredith Hitchcock, who has a technology and advertising background, is doing marketing and public relations for the endeavor. “We knew we wanted to have a winery, but it was once
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Decant Urban Winery will be opening at 948 Wakefield Dr. (Facebook photo).
we saw the opportunity so close to home during the local farmer’s market that our plan came together,� said Ron. Kristina Tucker graduated with a Masters of Science in Horticulture from Texas A & M, where she focused on Oenology, which is the study of wine. Hitchcock and the Tuckers have studied the business model on how to make and produce wine, including the importing and crushing of grapes, as well as aging, fermenting and bottling the end product. “We are looking at best practices of other wineries to know what works but also matching that with our uniquely Houston stamp.� said Ron. Hitchcock says that Houston has one of the largest wine consuming populations and noted that the location of Decant in a former body shop on Wakefield between the Wakefield Crowbar and
the Great Heights Brewing Company was well thought out too. “This is a great community,� she said. “Cisneros Design Studio is developing the architectural plans for the building to transform our metal warehouse into a wine production facility and tasting room,� said Ron. “The Tasting Room will be surrounded by the production facility so that customers are in the heart of where their wine was crafted.� To start, the trio plans to offer a flight of a red wine, a white wine and a rose. The first wines will be a Beaujolais style which are younger and ready to drink, but will be aging wines as well for future releases. They are planning on offering cheese and charcuterie plates and intend to expand to other small bites. “We are also looking at the possibility of hosting local food trucks and other types
of events in the future at the winery,� said Kristina. “I think Decant will be a great place to relax with friends or have a small bite with Houston’s own fine wine.� For more information, and to follow their transformation, visit Decant Urban Winery on Facebook.
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Historic dates, like stepping stones, create a footpath through our heritage. Experienced by one generation and recalled by those to come, it is through these annual recollections that our heritage is honored. In 1879 the Forty-fifth Congress deemed George Washington’s birth date, February 22, a historic date worthy of holiday recognition. Washington was a man of his time: a farmer and a soldier. Named commander-in-chief of the American Continental army, he led the colonies to victory over England, securing independence for an infant nation. His political leadership led to his election as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Once the states ratified the Constitution, he was elected the first President of the United States, completing two terms. Everything about George Washington was entwined with the evolution of a young nation. His name was associated with virtue, honesty, strength, courage, and patriarchal leadership. Schools, bridges, towns, the national capital, and even a state were named in his honor. His likeness graced currency, stamps, sculptures, and paintings. Manufacturers deemed his image as public property. Historian William Ayres has stated that Washington must “surely hold the record for the number of times the image of a historical figure appeared on goods made for the American home.� In the late 1870s, Senator Steven Wallace Dorsey (R-Arkansas) proposed the unprecedented idea of adding “citizen� Washington’s birth date, February 22, to the four existing bank holidays previously approved in 1870. Originally federal worker absenteeism had forced Congress to take a cue from surrounding states and formally declare New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day as federal holidays in the District of Columbia. The idea of adding Washington’s Birthday to the federal holiday list simply made official an unofficial celebration in existence long before Washington’s death. A popular proposal, the holiday bill required little debate. Signed into law January 31, 1879, by President Rutherford B. Hayes, the law was implemented in 1880 and applied only to District federal workers. In 1885 the holiday was extended to federal workers in the thirty-eight states. Washington’s Birthday had become the first federal holiday to honor an individual’s birth date. From the White House Archives at www.archives.gov C. L. Arbelbide is a historian and storyteller specializing in federal holiday history.
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Page 4B • Saturday, Febraury 17, 2018 • The Leader
Waltrip, Heights lead local National Signing Day charge By Mike Tenney For The Leader National Signing Day was a busy one for local schools and student-athletes with nearly 30 seniors signing letters-ofintent to play college football. Heights High School will have a dozen young men playing at the next level and Waltrip, which is a three-time defending district champion, had another eight sign their names on the dotted line. St. Pius X and St. Thomas each had four players sign, although two of the Eagle players took preferred offers giving them high status as a walk-on candidate to play somewhere down the line. The Heights had the most football signees of all the schools represented last week at the annual Houston ISD signing ceremony last week at the Delmar Field house with 13 and Lamar, which was the District 18-6A champion, was second with 12. Both school had three different tables set up to accommodate all the athletes they had signing and family in attendance. For
both the Heights and Waltrip, the players will go from big schools -- like defensive back Jalen Green to the University of Texas -- to a number of small schools like Lamar University and Bethel College. Green, who had his senior season shortened with an injury but the ability to play a number of positions and play them well while playing for the Bulldogs, led a large contingent of Heights’ players who have the opportunity to keep their careers going. Safety Noah Bush signed with Army, wide receiver Jacoby Hopkins is going to Texas State, fullback Raphael Adams is headed to Wayland Baptist University and defensive back Marco Domio signed with Blinn Junior College. Running back Curtis Melrose will play at Grandview University in Des Moines, Iowa, quarterback Kamron Williams is going to Bethel College and wide receiver Kameron Curtis will take residence in Beaumont and play at Lamar University. Five Heights’ seniors will remain teammates with Tyriq Paul, Matthew Wright, and of-
fensive tackle Jaylon O’Neil all choosing to play at Texas A & T while inside linebacker/defensive end Joshua Reed and tailback Erick Hubert are going to Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas. Johnathan Ogugua, the leading scorer for the Heights’ basketball team, also signed and he will attend Butler Community College. Waltrip had athletes in three different sports make their futures official with their signings. Besides the eight in football, Ulysus Rodriguez will play baseball at Hill College and Amber Johnson will run track at Prairie View A & M. Three senior football players -- Samuel Lemond, Cameron Boudreaux, and Tyree Burton -- will be at Tyler Junior College and Jonah Butler and J’Lon Kearney are going to Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma. Tyrell Buard is headed to Stephen F. Austin to play for the Lumberjacks in the Southland Conference while quarterback Cameron Howe signed with Texas A & M-Commerce and Ricky McElroy is headed
Photo courtesy of Waltrip HS Football (Twitter) Waltrip athletes after signing their National Letters of Intent Feb. 7. The Rams had 10 total athletes sign letters of intent, among the highest total within our local area
to Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. St. Pius X had four studentathletes make their football commitments official with offensive tackle Tyler Vrabel, the son of former Houston Texans’ defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, signing with Boston College in the ACC
and wide receiver Jacob Jefferson joining Northwestern in the Big 10. Defensive players Benil Johnson is going to Texas A & M-Commerce and Ricky Lester will be at Liberty University in Virginia. St. Thomas had a pair of players -- lineman Max Banes and linebacker Melvin Larkin
-- sign with the University of Houston and two others will go the preferred walk-on route in college. Defensive back Jackson Hanna will be at the University of Texas and try to play for the Longhorns while wide receiver Blaine McDaniel will be a walk-on at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
LHN girls’ hoops takes aim at another state championship By Mike Tenney For The Leader The Lutheran North girls’ basketball team begins its quest for a second consecutive TAPPS 4A state championship and fourth straight trip to the Final Four when it opens the playoffs Tuesday evening, Feb. 20 on their own court. The Lady Lions have become basketball royalty not just in Houston but across the state with their current group of seniors trying to finish their high school careers knowing nothing except yearly trips to the Final Four, including last season’s triumph over Lubbock Trinity Christian in the state finals. Now they are looking to add another gold medal to their resume and state tro-
phy to the Lions’ showcase with veteran head coach John Slomcheck feeling like they definitely have a shot at it. “I’m looking forward to (the playoffs) and I know the girls are looking forward to the playoffs,” Slomcheck said. “We haven’t lost a district game in four years. My seniors have been to three straight Final Fours and we won it all last year, so I think we’re ready to go play. We graduated four seniors from last year, so we had to rebuild a little bit, but the girls have done very well. The girls love the game. They enjoy playing the game. They play the game the right way. They play hard. They work so hard in practice every day. We know teams are going to be gunning for us because we did
win it all last year, but that’s part of getting to play this time of year. So I think we’re excited looking forward to the playoffs.” One would think with the success the team has had, the Lions would be part of a meticulous system that Slomcheck operates every year, but the Niles, Ohio native says it doesn’t work like that. “We change up what we do every year if we have too,” he said. “It all depends on the players. Last year, we were very guard-oriented, so we ran four guards out there and we wanted to get up-and-down the floor. This year, we have a couple of taller post players so we’re more of a half-court team. We still like to run, but we have good players inside
and we throw it into the post much more. So we take our players, and then every year, we try to figure out the best way for them to be successful and for the team to be successful.” Senior 6-foot-1 post Alyse Fields, who was second team all-state last year and is still weighing her college choices, currently leads the team in scoring , averaging over 17 points a game. Senior 5-foot-9 guard Cydney Rivera, who has signed to play at Towson University, is the team’s other big scorer and she recently passed the 2,000-point scoring mark for her career. Junior 5-foot-10 forward Savannah Rebeau, along with senior shooting guard Diamond Taylor and se-
nior 5-foot-8 wing Sophie Heine round out the starting five. Sophomore guard Elena Martens, freshman guard Victoria Noack, and sophomore post Skylar Robbins are the first three players off the Lutheran North bench, but because they rolled over their district opponents, winning several games by at least 40 or 50 points, the bench has gotten a lot of playing time in the past few weeks. Junior Jackie Garcia, sophomore Tabitha Weiser and freshman Sydney Cassens have also contributed heavily to the school’s fourth consecutive recent 10-0 district championship. Slomcheck said the Lady Lions need to play well right now and do the little things right if they want to win a sec-
ond consecutive state title. “We just have to go out there and play like we’re capable of playing,” he said. “We need to play good transition defense. We need to be smart with the basketball. We just need to go out and play the game the way we know we can. We’ve played a tough schedule to help us get ready. We’ve lost to Wheatley twice. We lost to Kinkaid, which is a power in the (Southwest Preparatory Conference). We’ve lost to Yates. We’ve played in the Houston ISD tournament. And we took care of our business in district. So at this point, we just need to go out and play and keep improving. ” The Lions finished the season with a 16-8 record.
Lunch & Learn Event Wed. February 21st, 11 AM to 1 PM Daniel Carlson Seminar and Book Signing Overwhelmed with the idea of moving from your home to a 55+ active adult apartment? Learn how downsizing can truly be “rightsizing” your life with Author and Overture resident, Daniel Carlson. Lunch & a signed gift copy of the book will be provided.
CALL OR EMAIL TO RSVP FOR LUNCH & LEARN limited seating available*
713.396.5023 OvertureTanglewood@greystar.com
55+ Active Adult Rentals 504 Bering Drive Houston, TX 77057
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