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OAK RIDGE NORTH -- The average fan never would have known Friday night’s District 14-5A basketball game was only for second place.
Oak Ridge and College Park went after each other like it was the seventh game of the NBA Finals before the War Eagles were able to escape with an 88-78 victory at Oak Ridge High School.
The win moved Oak Ridge to 23-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play. The War Eagles will conclude the regular season against Lufkin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
College Park dropped to 22-12 overall and 5-4 in the league. It will finish the regular season at home against Conroe at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“It was pretty intense,’’ said Oak Ridge forward Terrell Lawrence, who buried six straight free throws in the final 1:30 to salt away the game. “We just had to keep our composure.’’
The War Eagles almost didn’t.
After falling behind 53-35 midway through the third quarter, College Park head coach Clifton McNeely elected to take out star seniors Adam Rowe and James Allen and play with almost strictly underclassmen the rest of the game.
McNeely has come under fire for several moves this season, and this one indeed was a head-scratcher.
But the young men he rotated in and out of the game -- Tyler Chaumet, Tanner McNeely, Zach Wright, Layton Zinsmeister, Matt Marlin and Todd Eaglin -- all played like their life depended on it.
Eaglin, who is only a sophomore, made a mockery of Oak Ridge’s man-to-man offense as he continually broke his man down off the dribble and scored with either hand.
Chaumet was a defensive menace and buried a couple of 3-pointers, Tanner McNeely came up with a couple of timely baskets and big steals and Wright was a one-man hustle machine.
The super subs were playing way above their heads and Oak Ridge looked to be on cruise control.
But, after senior Stafford Whittington hit the first of his four second-half triples, it suddenly was 58-46 at the end of three periods.
The game see-sawed back and forth for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter before Whittington, who was the only senior who played during the final 12 minutes, hit back-to-back threes to slice the War Eagles’ lead to 65-63 with 3:20 left in the contest.
After Alonzo Jefferson scored, Marlin hit a short jumper to cut the lead to 67-65 with 2:43 to play.
McNeely immediately called timeout after the basket and most folks were expecting the long-time head coach to put Allen and Rowe back in the game as several of the subs were clearly out of gas.
But McNeely stayed with the shock troops and Oak Ridge regrouped in time to pull away for the victory.
After College Park missed a chance to tie the game, Jefferson converted an old-fashion three-point play to increase the lead to 70-65.
The Cavaliers threw up a couple of wild shots that Oak Ridge converted into easy baskets at the other end and suddenly it was 75-65 with under two minutes to play.
Whittington’s final 3-pointer sliced the lead to 76-71 with just over one minute left, but Lawrence hit six straight foul shots to give Oak Ridge control of second place in the final district standings.
“I was kind of nervous,’’ admitted Lawrence of the free throws. “But we shoot free throws all the time in practice. I just had to concentrate.’’
College Park now must beat Conroe on Tuesday to sew up the league’s third playoff spot.
New Caney (5-4 in the league) also will host The Woodlands on Tuesday. If the Eagles upset the district-champion Highlanders, it could set up a one-game playoff for the third and fourth seeds in the playoffs.
Oak Ridge started the game like it was intent on blowing out the Cavaliers right from the get-go as Logan Griffin, Sean Kovar and Robert Tyson took turns from behind the 3-point line to give the War Eagles a 27-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The War Eagles’ lead, behind the inside play of Scott Bastian and Lawrence, grew to 41-28 at halftime and 53-35 early in the third quarter before McNeely elected to put in his 6-foot-and-under team for the final 12 minutes.
College Park sophomore sensation Evan Cooper, who has been the team’s catalyst during district play, did not play the entire second half of the contest.
“I was kind of getting nervous there (in the fourth quarter),’’ admitted Lawrence. “We always seem to fold at the end. But we just kept playing hard (and everything worked out).’’
Oak Ridge and College Park went after each other like it was the seventh game of the NBA Finals before the War Eagles were able to escape with an 88-78 victory at Oak Ridge High School.
The win moved Oak Ridge to 23-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play. The War Eagles will conclude the regular season against Lufkin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
College Park dropped to 22-12 overall and 5-4 in the league. It will finish the regular season at home against Conroe at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“It was pretty intense,’’ said Oak Ridge forward Terrell Lawrence, who buried six straight free throws in the final 1:30 to salt away the game. “We just had to keep our composure.’’
The War Eagles almost didn’t.
After falling behind 53-35 midway through the third quarter, College Park head coach Clifton McNeely elected to take out star seniors Adam Rowe and James Allen and play with almost strictly underclassmen the rest of the game.
McNeely has come under fire for several moves this season, and this one indeed was a head-scratcher.
But the young men he rotated in and out of the game -- Tyler Chaumet, Tanner McNeely, Zach Wright, Layton Zinsmeister, Matt Marlin and Todd Eaglin -- all played like their life depended on it.
Eaglin, who is only a sophomore, made a mockery of Oak Ridge’s man-to-man offense as he continually broke his man down off the dribble and scored with either hand.
Chaumet was a defensive menace and buried a couple of 3-pointers, Tanner McNeely came up with a couple of timely baskets and big steals and Wright was a one-man hustle machine.
The super subs were playing way above their heads and Oak Ridge looked to be on cruise control.
But, after senior Stafford Whittington hit the first of his four second-half triples, it suddenly was 58-46 at the end of three periods.
The game see-sawed back and forth for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter before Whittington, who was the only senior who played during the final 12 minutes, hit back-to-back threes to slice the War Eagles’ lead to 65-63 with 3:20 left in the contest.
After Alonzo Jefferson scored, Marlin hit a short jumper to cut the lead to 67-65 with 2:43 to play.
McNeely immediately called timeout after the basket and most folks were expecting the long-time head coach to put Allen and Rowe back in the game as several of the subs were clearly out of gas.
But McNeely stayed with the shock troops and Oak Ridge regrouped in time to pull away for the victory.
After College Park missed a chance to tie the game, Jefferson converted an old-fashion three-point play to increase the lead to 70-65.
The Cavaliers threw up a couple of wild shots that Oak Ridge converted into easy baskets at the other end and suddenly it was 75-65 with under two minutes to play.
Whittington’s final 3-pointer sliced the lead to 76-71 with just over one minute left, but Lawrence hit six straight foul shots to give Oak Ridge control of second place in the final district standings.
“I was kind of nervous,’’ admitted Lawrence of the free throws. “But we shoot free throws all the time in practice. I just had to concentrate.’’
College Park now must beat Conroe on Tuesday to sew up the league’s third playoff spot.
New Caney (5-4 in the league) also will host The Woodlands on Tuesday. If the Eagles upset the district-champion Highlanders, it could set up a one-game playoff for the third and fourth seeds in the playoffs.
Oak Ridge started the game like it was intent on blowing out the Cavaliers right from the get-go as Logan Griffin, Sean Kovar and Robert Tyson took turns from behind the 3-point line to give the War Eagles a 27-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The War Eagles’ lead, behind the inside play of Scott Bastian and Lawrence, grew to 41-28 at halftime and 53-35 early in the third quarter before McNeely elected to put in his 6-foot-and-under team for the final 12 minutes.
College Park sophomore sensation Evan Cooper, who has been the team’s catalyst during district play, did not play the entire second half of the contest.
“I was kind of getting nervous there (in the fourth quarter),’’ admitted Lawrence. “We always seem to fold at the end. But we just kept playing hard (and everything worked out).’’
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