In a grand season closer, JV boys basketball doubled the Vista Ridge Rangers 55-28 on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

By starting with a close first quarter as both teams went back and forth, making layups and two-point shots to stay in the game. Their rebounds helped aid the Warriors’ offense, however through the quarter, the Rangers were breaking through the Warriors’ defense. The Rangers ended up taking the lead as the first quarter ended with the Warriors down 13-11.

”It felt nice to help get my team further on the lead,” Jaxon Covin ‘27 said.

Rolling into the second quarter, The Warriors evened out the score to 13-13 as the Rangers used their continued speed to strengthen their offense, which overall, didn’t prove to be effective as the Warriors stole the lead at the end of the first half.

“I think the first half was pretty good. I think we didn’t do too well defensively in the first quarter but in the second quarter we stepped it up,” Liam Beekman ‘27 said. “That allowed us to do better in the second half.” 

 The Warriors entered the third quarter far up at 30-16 after the Warriors shut down the Rangers at the end of the last half. Their individual talent shone through in the second half of the game as Covin went on a stealing streak, not allowing the Rangers to reach the key as well as give his offense the opportunity at the basket. The Rangers’ defense was not as effective as in the first quarter, but they still faced the Warriors more determined than ever.

“We dominated with good teamwork in the second half,” Dylan Joyner ‘28 said.

By the time the fourth quarter came around, the gap had greatly expanded, as the Warriors racked up 26 points on the Rangers through the duration of the game. The Rangers could feel the pressure and started playing more aggressively. However, the Warriors used their unfaltering determination to deliver a crushing 55-28 win to end the season. 

“I think [the game] was pretty fun, and it was our last game, so we all felt really good, we all wanted to do good,” Beekman said. “We all got playing time and scored a bit.”

The JV boys had a successful season, ending it with a 23-4 record. They look to the offseason where they hopefully will earn their place on the varsity team next year.

 The JV boys basketball team faced the Hutto Hippos on Friday, Jan. 24, toppling them 80-36. In this energetic matchup, the Warriors showcased their skills with a sweeping, and decisive victory.

“Our team was down at the start and then we were able to win,” Blaine Mitchell ‘26 said.

Rolling into the game, the Warriors entered with an energetic offense, almost instantly getting on the board. Their sharp passes and quick transitions presented a challenge to the Hippos as they tried to break through the defense.  Despite this, Hutto managed to hold their own. After a long stretch of Warrior lead domination, the end of the second quarter saw a 35-21 lead.

“Dishing the ball to teammates is one of my favorite things to do [as well as] getting people wide open shots,” Jake LaPenta ‘26 said. 

The Warriors’ performance was defined through key players who delivered outstanding performances through both halves, keeping the Warriors in the lead. The Warriors’ scoring spree continued throughout the game, even while facing tough opposition from the Hippos after some newfound courage.

 The Hippos, struggling to keep up, quickly fell further behind as the Warriors started the fourth quarter up double, in a 60-29 lead. During the entire game, the Warriors’ combined offensive and defensive efforts limited the Hippos’ scoring opportunities and allowed the Warriors to drop 20 points in the final quarter which ended the game 80-36.

“I think we played really well all together as a team [and] as a unit,” LaPenta said. 

This decisive win further solidifies the Warriors’ winning streak. JV Basketball will play their next game against the Round Rock Dragons on Friday, Jan. 31, at Round Rock.

JV boys basketball faced off against the Manor Mustangs on Tuesday Dec. 11, Winning with a score of 78-57 after going toe to toe with the Mustangs’ offense. The Warriors defense shined through by matching the Mustangs’ offensive attacks.

Rolling into the first quarter, each offense wasted no time getting on the board as  they soon matched each other’s plays without fault. Even with a height disadvantage the Mustangs made up for it in speed and aggression, challenging the Warriors with fast breaks and swift offense. Luckily the Warriors’ defense stayed solid only allowing a few buckets on the quarter. As the second quarter developed, the Mustangs’ offense began to stack a few points on the Warriors, with two and three point shots in close succession. Fortunately for the Warriors, a shift in momentum, the Warriors closed the gap and managed to stay up going into the third quarter leading 40-25.

“ [my favorite moment of the game was in] the third quarter whenever we went on a big scoring run,” Max Romero ‘27 said. 

Back from halftime, the Warriors did not let up, but instead, continued to stack more points on the Mustangs. In addition to their increased offense, the Warriors’ defense also improved as their rebound game only heightened the gap, grabbing points left behind by the Mustangs. However, despite their deficit, the Mustangs didn’t crumble under the pressure and continued their fast pace play style. As the game came to an end, Manor’s offense became more aggressive. As the Warriors defense never let up. To end the game, the Warriors fell into a two three zone formation to guard the Mustang’s heightened offense as the game came to a close. Soon the game came to a close as the Warriors shut out the Mustangs, ending the game 78-57 with the Warriors in the lead.

JV will play their next game on Friday Dec. 13 on the road against the Hutto Hippos to try and continue their streak of excellence.

The host will sit backstage while the main rejects or accepts the contestants starting off asking basic questions. However, the questions soon morph into more risque, intimate topics. The risque content of 20v1’s garnered mixed reactions from viewers when these videos came out. While some disliked them and thought they were out of pocket, others enjoyed them for that exact reason, cultivating a specific audience of young susceptible teenagers. These types of videos easily get a million views on YouTube, and clips posted on social media get a lot of traction. However 20v1 videos are exploiting people for views, and promoting harmful stereotypes toward the Black community and even sexualizing children. 

While a 20v1 is similar to speed dating, it’s very different at the same time. In speed dating, the effort is usually mutual, and participants both ask and respond to questions. But with 20v1 there is a huge imbalance of power. Immediately the main is placed on a pedestal, so naturally, the 20 participants will try to outperform each other in order to be chosen. Some will do the most to avoid being rejected. Participants will flat out argue with the host and the main, and  even sexualize themselves in order to secure their spot. Even though the advertised ending is finding a perfect match, the true intentions of the video are much more twisted. The centerpiece behind these videos is to create controversies at other people’s suspense. 

These videos have harmful effects toward society more specifically towards the Black community, enforcing certain Black stereotypes by only showcasing Black people in a certain light. Many Black women feel that dating as a woman of color is a struggle already, due to harsh or untrue prejudices. The popularization of this type of content has set the Black community back, and made them feel like they have to overcompensate for these harmful stereotypes against them dating culture. Lah Mike, a YouTuber who makes 20v1 videos, said many viewers felt that the Black YouTube community is “cooked right now,” and that he was going to “try to face that.” 

In response to the Black community’s criticism, Mike did a 20v1 with Black single mothers to acknowledge and appreciate them, with the goal in mind to “make some single Black moms taken.” In this video, single Black mothers were looking for a romantic relationship with the famous rapper, Lil Woody. Lil Woody was accompanied on this episode by another host, the popular child rapper, Lil Rt, and these two would stand on stage. The single Black mothers came on stage one by one and introduced themselves, with their child or children present. One single mom walked into frame with her daughters and asked Lil Woody if he would rather date an adult actress, or an adult dancer. Another single mom came on stage with her son, with Lil Rt asking her son about his intimate relationships. For a video claiming to have a positive objective, the nature of the conversations seemingly contradicts it. These types of conversations reinforce the drawn out idea that Black women are promiscuous and easy. These ideas date back to before the 15th century, when European travelers first went to Africa and were shocked by the cultural differences. Tribal practices and seemingly revealing clothing gave Europeans the impression that African women are immodest and lustful. These harmful ideas were further upheld during slavery. Slave owners would frequently sexually assault enslaved women, excusing the crime by claiming that Black women have a never ending sexual appetite. From then on, these dangerous stereotypes have been repackaged and implemented in different ways to this day. 

Mike may be attempting to find love for single Black mothers, but in reality he’s projecting a negative representation of Black women as a whole. Further, since the target audience is viewers between the ages of 12 to 24, it leaves an impressionable mark, especially when the frontal lobes of viewers in the target demographic’s frontal lobe most likely aren’t fully developed yet. The people who consume this content could be subconsciously internalizing these negative beliefs to be true, affecting their own perception of dating Black women. 

In addition to their harmful depictions of Black women, many 20v1’s also sexualize children. While many people enjoy this content, all the participants in these events should be 18 or older.

Mikeadelabu, another 20v1 YouTuber, attempted to make a kid friendly version featuring Lil Rt, but they failed miserably. In the beginning of this video, Mikeadelabu makes it clear that the objective is to find Lil Rt, who is underage, a girlfriend. When one of the participants came on, Mikeadelabu asked her if she would date Lil Rt.  After she says no, he then proceeds to say “but you came out here,” insinuating something more. Mikeadelabu also asked Lil Rt inappropriate questions in front of the participants, asking Lil Rt if he liked a girl’s looks or if he’d “ever have two girlfriends.”These questions out of context are not problematic on their own, but when they are directed towards  underage Black girls, it becomes gross. These types of comments contribute to the adultification of Black girls, and it forces them to be perceived in a certain light, especially in media.  

A study done by Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality showed that Black girls between ages five and 14 were perceived to be less innocent and more educated on adult topics, than, White girls in the same age group. These subconscious perceptions are harmful, because they affect how society treats Black girls. With these stereotypes floating around, these types of videos just add fuel to the fire.

 These types of videos capitalize off of oversexualizing children and perpetuating harmful stereotypes toward dating in the Black community, and Black women and girls. But in the face of backlash, many of these YouTube channels aren’t doing anything to address or stop it, with some even using the bad press to rake in more profit. In the end, viewers should really contemplate the content they’re interacting with, whether it’s reposting a clip or leaving a hate comment. The content you choose to interact with has a big impact both your and other people’s perception of people, and often only further perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Undoubtedly, any interaction with content, whether it be good or bad, aids in the growth of those content creators, giving them a platform to put out anything they see fit. 

Media like 20v1 advertises harmful stereotypes about the Black people in order to create profit which does harm to the Black community as a whole. And we need to think if this is the content we want to support by interacting with or we want to oppose by not engaging with their content. Something. Free will is the most valuable thing we possess and what you choose to do with it can make the biggest difference.