Leander boys basketball using depth to push for postseason bid in Class 5A

Leander seems to be reaping the benefits of being young a year ago.

Dominated with underclassmen last winter, the Lions still turned in a respectable campaign and missed the playoffs by one game with a .500 record in what was a tough district.

Now, with essentially everyone back and a playing rotation with plenty of seniors, the plan is to make missing out on the postseason a one-year deal — and the first month of the season has shown Leander may be one of the stronger Class 5A teams in the area.

Improving to 7-3 overall following an impressive 48-34 win over Vandegrift on Tuesday at Leander High School, the Lions proved that even though they may have no superstar, the sum of their parts is pretty good.

Whether it’s athletic big men in Garrett Sisk, Khalil Liggins and Sean Dalberg, or reliable guards such as Hayden Lucas, Mason Sickles or Ryder Bradley, Leander has numerous options that can hurt you.

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In fact, seven different Lions scored against the Vipers, with only two reaching double figures.

It’s that balanced attack and lack of ego that longtime coach Clint Bradley appreciates about his team.

“We’ve got a lot of experience back from last year, but most importantly all of our guys are very unselfish,” said Bradley, who may be one of the area’s more old-school coaches. “It’s an easy group to coach as they don’t get caught up in individual statistics and they put the team first. They play hard and they play smart and that makes our job as coaches a lot easier.”

This type of roster is something Bradley is even more thankful to have with the Lions being in a tough District 25-5A that appears to have no weak teams.

Leander is less than two weeks away from what will be a high-profile district opener vs. Liberty Hill, but with essentially his entire rotation having endured a similar situation a year ago, it’s a two-month gauntlet Bradley is comfortable entering.

“We’re going to do what we do,” he said. “We’ll have to game-plan for each opponent as each team in our district has different strengths. But we’ll defend in the half-court and execute on the offensive end — and then let the chips fall where they may.”

What the Lions did well Tuesday was shoot the ball and play defense.

Dalberg scored six of his game-high 12 points in the first quarter off jump shots, helping Leander to a lead from the very start.

Sickles, Lucas and Ryder Bradley all hit 3-pointers, while the Lions’ third-quarter zone defense kept the Vipers in check during a 12-2 run Leander used to push its lead to 38-18.

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Vandegrift (8-4), which has also had a strong first month to the season and seems to be much improved from a year ago, never threatened to get back in the game.

Ryder Bradley tallied 11 points to join Dalberg in double figures for Leander.

“This team works hard, moves the ball well and plays well together,” said Sisk, who finished with seven points. “With everybody back from last year, we’ve got really good team chemistry. And we’re all bigger, faster and stronger and turn the ball over less.”

The Lions will host their own tournament this weekend with a tough field, then they have one game next week before welcoming the Panthers for district play.

Sisk noted district games require a bit of a different approach, but it’s something he and his teammates are looking forward to as their goal is to get back to the playoffs.

“I love this team and just how connected we are,” he said. “In district play, you really have to just zone in on your opponents, know their style of play and how to counter it.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Leander boys basketball defeats Vandegrift in nondistrict play