Central Texas boys basketball teams are in the thick of district play as the calendar enters 2026.

Though teams finished tournament play last week, most schools are at least two games into district play, which is the most important time of the season. While teams have been in action since mid-November, these are the games that truly count, with the goal being to qualify for the state playoffs in the last week of February. 

In District 25-6A, the lone nine-school district in the Austin area, most teams have already played five games.

Here’s the American-Statesman’s top 10 power rankings entering Jan. 5: 

Though the Warriors (20-5) lost to two teams from California early last week, they bounced back to knock off Bowie, our previous No. 1 team, 77-66. Nolan Barkley’s double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds and Sun Jinkal tallying 24 points and six rebounds paced St. Michael’s, which begins TAPPS District 3-6A play this week. 

The Chaps (17-5) went 3-1 at the Strake Jesuit tournament and beat Hays in nondistrict play. Mack Martin tallied 23 points in a 92-70 win over Stratford, Bo Ogden scored 23 points and Blake Cannatti finished with 20 points during a victory over Jordan, Martin and Ogden combined for 42 points to defeat Cy-Park, and Cannatti, Ogden and Martin all hit double figures in the win against Hays. 

The Bulldogs (20-3) finished 3-1 at the Pride of Texas tournament in Corpus Christi before losing to St. Michael’s. Joshua Baskin averaged 18 ppg, 4 rpg and 4 apg and Lamin Jabbi tallied 8 ppg and 4 rpg in Corpus Christi to earn all-tournament honors.  

The Warriors (17-2) won their division at the Hays tournament by defeating Connally 92-26, Austin High 52-42, Dripping Springs 60-50 and the hosts 63-47. Luke Carpenter and John McNair both averaged 16 ppg to pace Westwood to the title. 

The Vipers (18-4) went 3-1 at the Glenn tournament and beat Cedar Ridge 52-40 in district play. Trey Block poured in 21 points and Hayden Brannan added 12 points in the win over the Raiders. 

The Cavs (15-7) finished 2-1 at the Allen tournament with wins over San Antonio Pieper and Tyler Legacy. Lake Travis coach Brandon Shaver noted that Tate Tapken, Aaron Mathis, Alex Jacob and Will Slyker all played well in the three-day event. 

The Timberwolves (14-4) only played once, but they made it count with a 59-50 win over Lampasas. 

The Hawks (17-6) won the rugged Glenn tournament by defeating Vista Ridge 64-58, Copperas Cove 83-76, Houston Memorial 68-44 and the hosts 65-57. Legend Samuel earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 17 ppg, including going off for 28 points against Vista Ridge. DJ Hardge (11 ppg, 5 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 spg) and Ryan Longoria (13.5 ppg) were also voted to the all-tournament team, while Tristan Thomas averaged 9 ppg, 4 rpg and 3.5 apg. 

The Dragons (15-5) went 3-1 at the Hays tournament with wins over Liberty Christian, Weiss and Killeen Ellison and defeated Hutto 64-52 in District 25-6A play. Luke Reeve tallied 18 points and seven rebounds, Max Lipinsky had 13 points and seven assists, Matthew Holland recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Teyo Barnett finished with 10 points to lead the win over the Hippos. 

The Patriots (17-5) finished 3-1 at the Hays tournament with wins over Rockdale 64-32, Austin High 76-47 and La Joya 82-55. Cayden Hinderman-Close averaged 16 ppg to lead East View, including pouring in 26 points against La Joya. Cameron Sanford (13 ppg) and Isaiah Villegas (11.5 ppg) also played well for the Patriots. 

The Texans (20-2) went 3-1 in tournament play, including wins over Liberty Hill and Lockhart, to continue a scorching start to the season. 

Glenn (13-9) finished second at its own tournament, losing to Hendrickson in the final after beating Texas Lions Academy 74-55, Hutto 78-77 and Vandegrift 84-77. Dallas Hernandez (21 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg) and Hudson Roberts (20 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg) earned all-tournament honors. 

Dripping Springs (12-9) went 3-1 in the gold division of the Hays tournament with wins over Rockdale, East View and El Paso Pebble Hills. Rushton Budge averaged 26.5 ppg and 5 rpg in the tournament to lead the Tigers. He also passed 1,000 career points during the event. 

Vista Ridge 53, McNeil 49: Gavin Howard scored 21 points and Cayden Sneed finished with 18 points as the Rangers (15-7, 2-2) picked up a District 25-6A win.

Anderson 65, Cedar Creek 42: The Trojans (8-14, 1-0) opened District 24-5A play with a win as Miles Rickards tallied 12 points and four rebounds, Austin Haywood had nine points and six rebounds and Luke McReynolds finished with nine points. 

McCallum 65, Crockett 34: Ethan Plummer poured in 27 points and both Darby Roldan and Ben Cook finished with 12 points as the Knights (7-11, 1-0) started District 24-5A play with a dominating victory. 

LBJ 72, Lago Vista 37: Marquis Murry II tallied 27 points, eight rebounds and five steals, Tre Riley had 16 points and DJ Johnson added 10 points to lead the Jaguars (9-12, 1-0) to an easy win in their District 25-4A opener. 

Manor New Tech 48, Northeast 29: Kamerion McBride finished with 16 points and nine rebounds and Legend Williams recorded 11 points and five boards to pace the Titans (17-3, 1-0) to a win to begin District 25-4A play.