HS Water Polo: 13-6A Squads Battle Stiff Competition in the Bi-District Round

TOMBALL, TX -- The teams of 13-6A entered their first round of competition at the Tomball I.S.D. Aquatics Center, as girls water polo action entered the bi-district round.

#1. Tomball Memorial vs. #4. Grand Oaks

Starting in the 4:00 window, the Lady Grizzlies entered their match against the top-seeded Tomball Memorial Lady Wildcats with an intense fire in their minds.

The defenses controlled the early pacing of the match. Aggressive hands frequently broke up passes between teammates, and any shots taken at goal were quickly turned away by keepers playing at the top of their game early.

It took nearly three minutes before either team flashed the scoring that got the teams into the postseason, with the Lady Grizzlies being the first driving force. Smart passes over defending heads put scorers into effective scoring range, and Grand Oaks took advantage by tallying five goals in the first quarter.

The offense from Tomball Memorial was limited in comparison. Effective looks at the goal were few and far between for the Lady Wildcats, and what shots went up was negated by a sturdy defense or reliable goalkeeping.

Grand Oaks’ early dominance gave the team a 5-0 lead at the end of the first period. The hefty early lead and intense spirit presented the Lady Grizzlies with the chance to deal a potential knock-out blow early against the struggling Lady Wildcats.

Rather than lay down and further slip on the scoreboard, Tomball Memorial opened the second quarter with a similar approach to their first-quarter strategy. Working the ball to the interior of the Grand Oaks defense found soft spots that were exploited for the team’s first point of the match.

Finally, on the board, the Lady Wildcats needed to tighten their defense if they hoped to further shrink Grand Oaks’ lead.

The intense crowd rallied behind Tomball Memorial in their hour of need, fueling another defensive stand that kept the Lady Grizzlies from adding another score to their diminishing lead. The defense turned into offense for the Lady Wildcats, as long-distance shots off of stops tallied two more Memorial goals in quick succession.

A Grand Oaks timeout tried to stop the Lady Wildcats from building further momentum, but more empty attacks for the Lady Grizzlies found the team’s lead in more jeopardy.

The scoreless second quarter for Grand Oaks left the team with a 5-3 lead at the half, but changes needed to be implemented if they wanted to exit with a win.

Tomball Memorial entered its second-half plans with the same strategy that worked to end the first. Smart passing into the heart of the Grand Oaks defense to set up easy shots near goal. Their work culminated in two more early goals to tie the teams at five a piece.

Grand Oaks seemed helpless to stop the advancing Lady Wildcats, with the previously hot Lady Grizzly offense constantly running into an impenetrable Tomball Memorial defensive wall. High-flying saves and turnovers kept Grand Oaks from ending possessions with goals while giving the ball back to the Lady Wildcats.

Saves at the goal kept the Lady Grizzlies from fully slipping away, but their empty offense meant each save was preventing a lead-taking goal, not protecting a lead.

Fortunately for Grand Oaks, their lead was recaptured on a penalty shot with just over a minute left in the third quarter. But the optimism was short-lived, as another inside shot from the Lady Wildcats tied the teams at six ahead of the fourth quarter.

With seven minutes to decide a winner, both teams knew their fight to the finish would need to surpass their opponent’s if they wanted their season to continue.

Intense swimming during an equally intense fourth quarter saw both teams give the rest of what they had to finish strong. Close-quarters saves from both keepers kept offenses from scoring, but withering fire would eventually break through.

Three minutes ticked off the clock before the tiebreaker was scored, with Tomball Memorial getting their first goal since early in the third. The 7-6 lead was a slim margin and the Lady Wildcats’ strong defense would equally break under the pressure.

Wise passes on a Grand Oaks attack pushed deep into the Tomball Memorial defense before a Lady Wildcat foul near the goal halted play. The clear opportunity for the Lady Grizzlies was a wide-open look the team could not miss. A skip shot found the back of the net, and the tie was back on.

Now under three minutes, the teams could not afford to come away from their offensive possessions without points. Tomball Memorial’s first possession went against this belief, with the Lady Wildcats turning over the attack with two minutes on the clock.

Grand Oaks took a timeout to push the team to the middle of the pool and devise a strategy that would break the tie. But another infraction sent possession back to the Lady Wildcats within seconds.

The stingy defense saw the teams trade empty attacks back and forth, with the crowd inside the aquatics center reaching a fever pitch.

The anticipation and buzz in the stands did not subside during regulation, as the final Tomball Memorial attack fell short of the goal. Two shortened periods were the payoff for the 7-7 tie at the end of regulation.

The Lady Grizzlies started with a strong handicap, having to start the three minutes down a player due to a foul suffered at the end of regulation. The one-player advantage spurred the Lady Wildcats to push early, resulting in a goal to break the tie in the opening seconds.

Time increasingly worked against Grand Oaks, with their need for a goal at an all-time high.

More empty attacks in the final seconds and an insurance goal from Tomball Memorial saw the Lady Wildcats increase their lead to two. Just three minutes in a shortened second overtime period was all that separated Grand Oaks from a season-ending defeat.

Memorial’s strategy of eating the clock in the final overtime period was enough to slam the door shut on the Lady Grizzlies. The final buzzer signaled an eruption of cheer from the loyal Tomball crowd, with the Lady Wildcats leaving with a 9-7 victory.

#2. Klein Collins vs. #3. College Park

Following the long game that was ahead of them, the Lady Cavaliers and Lady entered the pool hoping to make short work of one another.

College Park started on the right foot by peppering the Klein Collins goal with shots. Their relentless attack saw the team post five shots on goal in the first four minutes of the match, but they were halted each time.

Aiding the Lady Cavs in their early dominance was a suffocating defense that turned the Lady Tigers into an ineffective, flat attack.

Eventually, the Klein Collins defense was split too many times for the keeper to keep ahead. Elusive passing near the Lady Tiger goal worked the Lady Cavs into an easy spot to score the opening goal.

Now down early, the Lady Tigers mounted their most successful attack of the first period. Open space left shooters in a clear position and a seared shot to the back of the net tied the game.

The joy from the Kein Collins side was short-lived, however. More efficient offense from College Park gashed the Lady Tigers in the final seconds of the first period, with back-to-back goals pushing the Lady Cavaliers ahead 3-1 at the end of one.

College Park’s two-point lead would carry over well into the second quarter. An early Lady Cav goal appeared to add a cushion to the team’s decent lead, but just as quickly as it was scored it was taken away.

A long-distance shot on a Lady Tiger attack soared past the College Park defense for a goal to bring the game to a 4-2 Lady Cav lead.

Not happy with just two points separating the teams, the Lady Cav attack reasserted itself on another clinical possession. Cuts past Lady Tiger defenders worked the ball safely into soft areas where another shot near the goal found the net.

Continued aggressive play from College Park added another goal before the halftime buzzer, but the near end-to-end control put on by the Lady Cavs boded well for the team’s push to the finish through the second half.

Needing points to get back in the game, the Lady Tigers had to ramp up their offensive production to match that of College Park. Their first offensive possession came away with a score, but the surgical precision of College Park spent little time putting the Lady Cavs back up by four.

Both defenses had been thoroughly broken by their opposing offenses, with the Lady Cavalier defense suffering the most.

The once stout College Park defense had been so filled with holes that it took little effort for Klein Collins to break through it. Two more shots near the Lady Cav goal were well-placed enough to equal scores, bringing the teams to 7-5 with College Park clinging to the lead.

Luckily for the Lady Cavaliers, their offense continued to use fastbreaks to work behind the Klein Collins defense to find wide-open scores. Many came off the woodwork, but enough went through to give College Park its four-point lead back.

With the final quarter on the horizon, the Lady Tigers needed a major shift in momentum and strategy to go their way. On the other side, the Lady Cavs needed a strong finish and some insurance goals to seal the deal.

As the seconds ticked from the final seven minutes, it became clear that College Park’s push through the finish line surpassed Klein Collins.

Although the Lady Tigers did score to start the quarter, more fastbreaks and attacks into open water allowed the Lady Cavs to score goals nearly for free. Elated cheers from a now Conroe I.S.D. leaning crowd encouraged College Park to close strong.

Overwhelming points in the closing minutes created an insurmountable College Park lead. The team’s late goals made the match seem more akin to a blowout than the close-knit fight that defined the first half.

The final buzzer gave way to celebration from the Lady Cavalier bench, with the team taking home a bi-district championship on a 13-7 victory.