Episcopal and Houston Christian set to square off for the SPC South Zone Championship.

Written by David Coady

The stage is set in Houston for the Southwest Preparatory Conference Boy’s South Zone Basketball Championship between the Episcopal Knights and the Houston Christian Mustangs on February 3rd in Episcopal’s Alkek Gym.

The Mustangs enter the game with an impressive record of 27-4 (6-0 in conference play) and are looking to claim their 3rd South zone title in the last five seasons.

They have talent across the floor and are led by sophomore point guard Montana Wheeler. His last name should sound familiar as he is the younger brother of University of Kentucky basketball standout and Houston Christian Alumna Sahvir Wheeler.

Sahvir, a graduate in the class of 2019, was a part of some of the best basketball teams the SPC Conference has ever seen. He led the Mustangs to back-to-back SPC championships in both his junior and senior campaigns, where he shattered multiple school records.

His younger brother Montana is following in his footsteps and has been dominating the court all season long. Montana’s talent has not gone unnoticed as he already has multiple offers including K-State, LSU, and Texas A&M and is ranked as the 14th best player in the state for the class of 2025 by ESPN.

With his skillset, the sky is the limit for Montana, and his season long dominance on the court has made Houston Christian the team to beat.

The storyline for the Knights is the age-old sports saying that you want to get hot when it matters most.

After falling short to New Braunfels John Paul II in a neutral tournament a week before conference play began, the Knights found themselves posting a 4-14 record.

Since that tough loss to JP II, the Knights have gone on a red-hot tear winning nine games in a row, including six straight SPC victories.

The Knights collectively have been dominating, but many of these victories can be credited to the play of guard Justin Begg.

Begg was recently made a 4-star recruit and ranked as the 17th best player in the state for the class of 2024 by ESPN. All for good reason as he is averaging 24.4 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 5.3 RPG this season. His performances against cross-town rivals Kinkaid and St. John’s alone were about as impressive as can be.

Another major reason for the Knights’ continued success is the return of forward DaSean Brodie.

Brodie missed the entire first half of the season, making his return around the start of conference play. He has steadily made his presence felt on the court, averaging 13.3 PPG through his first ten games back and dropped a season high 32 points against St. Andrew’s last week in a dominant victory.

Brodie already has offers from K-State and TCU, expecting a wave of offers to flow in this summer before his senior year. The Knights are hitting on all cylinders and are expected to be a tough matchup for Houston Christian.

Both teams are on fire and enter this game undefeated in conference play with everything on the line.

The Knights are seeking their first South Zone championship since 2018, and the Mustangs are looking to continue their dominance in SPC and claim their third title in the last five seasons.

This game should provide a great chapter in the story of this developing rivalry between the SPC’s most dominant basketball teams, and is sure to not disappoint the fans with play from top future D-1 college players.

The atmosphere will be wild with a South Zone championship on the line in this one at Episcopal’s Alkek Gym, Friday night at 7:00pm.