HS Boys Basketball: Highlanders Defend their Home-Court in Strong Showing

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Highlanders resumed their district schedule with a 65-49 showing against the New Caney Eagles in a valiant home-court defense.

A tournament in Atascocita on December 28th allowed the Highlanders to resharpen their skills during the Winter break, but their first test of 2025 would be a reawakening of what 13-6A is made of.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Highlander Head Coach Dale Reed discussed the team’s readiness after the break.

“I think it was good, wasn’t great. We had some guys miss tournament games and that takes rhythm away,” said Reed. “But I felt like we had a decent week of practice and we came out really well today.”

Defenses controlled a sizable portion of the first quarter, with neither team finding quick ways to break the opposing defense.

New Caney’s defense was based on a high-pressure zone from inside the arch, while the Highlanders favored a half-court press that went for pokes and steals to create transition looks.

The visiting Eagles found some early success by skipping passes to break the Highlander press, but the eventual pursuit from The Woodlands started to get the steals needed to stop possessions while leading to easy layups on the fastbreak.

“You just hope to not let [New Caney] get in rhythm,” explained Reed. “I thought our kids did a great job of getting after them right from the get go.”

A string of defensive stops and an 11-2 run was significant enough for the Highlanders to build an eight-point lead, the biggest of the quarter.

The Eagles did fight back by driving to the basket to get points in the paint, but the Highlander charge was enough to keep the first quarter a 17-12 contest in The Woodlands’ favor.

Much of the fight displayed by New Caney toward the end of the first quarter carried into the second. An immediate layup and three-point shot made the longest run of the game for the Eagles while tying the teams at 17.

The third tie of the game was brief due to Highlander free throws, but the fight from the Eagles proved that the visitors would continue to fight regardless of the deficit they faced.

“They never quit. No matter what the scoreboard is, they keep coming,” said Reed on New Caney. “Coach King does a great job and we knew that. We told our guys that they can’t let up for a minute.”

Dayjhon Miller’s free throws would be the last points of the second quarter before a nearly three-minute scoring drought. Missed shots from the Highlanders, empty New Caney possessions, and frequent turnovers handed control of the game back to whoever could solve the opposing defense first.

New Caney was the first to break the dry spell via a layup, but the Highlanders were more successful. A series of threes from Christian Garcia were enough to maintain and marginally stretch The Woodlands’ lead to 11 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Garcia’s 11-point second quarter was the difference maker during the eight-minute quarter that only saw himself and Miller tally points against the persistent New Caney defense.

“Christian continues to get better,” said Reed. “He’s one of our young guys, but you look over the roster and it’s the same thing over and over.”

Adjustments during the halftime break saw the Eagles settle into a high 3-2 defensive structure that still failed to stop the revamped shooting from the Highlanders. Another corner three from Garcia capped a 5-0 opening surge from The Woodlands that pushed the team’s lead to 13.

Adding to New Caney’s issues to start the second half was a noticeable shift in offensive rebounding in The Woodlands’ favor.

“We definitely talk about it,” said Reed on offensive rebounding. “We don’t want to be one and done just by firing up threes and nor making them. We want to try and extend that possession by getting another look.”

Second chance opportunities for the Highlanders with their lead appeared to be the final nail to put down New Caney’s fight.

Unopposed in their scoring, the Highlanders poured more and more points onto the meandering New Caney team that was at a loss as to how to overcome the task in front of them.

The inside looks that worked in the first were swatted away by Highlander defenders and the open looks that were taken by the Eagles missed their marks.

The lopsided third quarter closed with The Woodlands taking a 50-30 lead into the final eight minutes. With their offense still in stride and the defense maintaining their control, the fourth quarter aimed to be the final minutes before the apparent Highlander win.

“I wanted everybody to play and get people some minutes,” said Reed. “Sometimes it gets you out of rhythm, but I thought all our guys played hard.”

An expectation of continued quality from the Highlander coaching staff rang true through the entire bench. Assistant coaches Kyle Jones, Kenneth Stephens, and Kenneth Inman were all barking orders from their spots trying to get the most out of the players.

Despite the hefty deficit they were in, the Eagles salvaged a significant offensive push to start the fourth quarter. New Caney ate into the lead by hitting three early threes, in stark contrast to their previous output from behind the arch.

New Caney’s work on defense also served the team well in taking pieces out of the impressive Highlander lead. Pressure at halfcourt and switches on skipped passes saw the Eagles tip the balance to their side.

Undoing the steps made by the Eagles were the multiple fouls committed by the team. The aggressive defense saw New Caney defenders pick up fouls by reaching in on Highlander dribblers leading to looks from the free-throw line for the reliable Woodlands shooters.

The heavy Highlander lead and New Caney miscues down the stretch were enough to secure the Woodlands a 65-49 win.

The 11th win of the year and the 4th in district play is good enough to keep the Highlanders in playoff position, but the desire to continue their momentum has to come in the next matchups.

“We just have to keep growing up, taking care of the ball, blocking out, rebounding, and defending.” said Reed. “Each game is important. We have 10 of them left and we need to win them. The next one is the biggest one because it’s the next one.”

Conroe and the Tigers await the Highlanders for their next test in a Wednesday matchup on the road, while New Caney’s next opponent comes in the Cleveland Indians.

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