'We practice harder than anyone': Stony Point's toughness has them making history

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Grueling summer practices made some of the Stony Point players question head coach Antoine Thompson and his coaching staff full of former college basketball players. Now that the Tigers are playing in the UIL 6A boys basketball semifinals for the first time in school history, the team's tone has changed.

The Tigers (37-1) take on Beaumont United at 8:30 p.m., Friday at the Alamodome for a spot in the state title game. After all the sweat they poured onto the hardwood preparing for this moment, there's a sense of pride and accomplishment just making it through the tough workouts, but the players know the job isn't done yet.

"We practice harder than anyone in the state," Stony Point forward Josiah Moseley said. "When people come and visit our practices, they compare them to college practices, and I think that's what our coaches are trying to do."

That's exactly what they're trying to do. Head coach Antoine Thompson said there's a reason the entire staff played college hoops in the past, and they want to outwork everybody long before the opening tipoff.

"The biggest thing we talk about every day is being prepared and staying locked into our work ethic," Thompson said. "You know, a lot of people can't handle what we do. We like to simulate all our practices like college practices. We know what that looks like and what it identifies as."

It not only breeds toughness, Thompson said, but it also creates accountability. If a guy isn't working hard enough, the team leaders take care of it. If there's pushback over a certain aspect of practice, like conditioning, it doesn't last long.

Players like Moseley, an imposing 6-foot-8, 225-pound figure, will play for Villanova next year. He wasn't so sure about the tough early-season practices, but now that the Tigers are on the doorstep of a state title shot, he knows it was all worth it.

"I realized that it helped us and allowed us to play like we play," he said. "A lot of times, our practices are harder than our games. We play at a really fast pace and it helped build us for that."

Moseley averages nearly 23 points per game for the Tigers and was one of 48 finalists for a spot on the McDonald's All-American team. He's the team's leading rebounder also at 8.6 per game and poured in 32 points to help the Tigers get by San Antonio O'Connor 65-42 in the regional final.

Uzziah Buntyn and Junior Goodlet average double figures in scoring at 12 and 11.1 points per game, respectively, and both average around two steals per game. The Tigers are shooting 50% from the field this season and Buntyn connects on 38% of his 3-point attempts. Landon Short is also a dangerous threat from beyond the arc, making 37% of his long-distance tries. Moseley's presence around the rim has him shooting 62% from the field but also 31% from 3-point range. The Tigers can score from anywhere on the floor.

Beaumont United (34-3) edged Clear Springs 49-48 to win the Region III title and are led by dynamic duo Kayde Dotson and Clarence Payia. Dotson averages a team-high 18 points per game while Payia pours in 17.4 points per game and hauls in 7.5 rebounds per game. They're anchored in the middle by big Weston Davis, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound center who averages 10.5 rebounds per game and chips in 9.2 points a contest. The Timberwolves also average almost nine steals per game.

While Thompson wants the players to enjoy the moment, he also can't let them lose focus on what's in front of them. It's a chance at history they may never get again.

"This might be once in a lifetime, or this could be what our culture is every year getting back to the state championships," he said. "We want them to have fun, but at the same time, our preparation and work ethic can't change because that's what got us here."