HS Boys Basketball: 17-Point Comeback Leads to Incredible Victory for the Willis Wildkats

WILLIS, TX -- In a tough matchup just over 24 hours since their last win, the Willis Wildkats forged an immaculate comeback against the College Park Cavaliers in a thrilling 80-75 Wildkat victory.

The short turnaround from Thursday evening's competition into Friday's action presented a unique challenge the teams had not faced since early-season tournament play. With just over 24 hours to prepare for the next game, the teams had to study, strategize, and prepare themselves quickly.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Willis Head Coach Wayne Ware discussed how he and his assistants prepared the team for a difficult matchup against one of the district’s best.

“For us, it was just about us getting back in the gym on Thursday and watching a lot of game film so we could show our team what we’re doing wrong on offense and defense,” said Ware

Even with the short break, the momentum of a strong win over the Grizzlies likely fueled College Park’s early onslaught to start the first quarter.

Tyson Forrest started his night with multiple threes to kickstart back-to-back 5-0 runs for the Cavs. His scoring and help from College Park’s other excellent guards quickly pushed the team up by eight in just over two minutes.

Meanwhile, Willis meandered on their first offensive possessions. Frequent misses and no offensive rebounds, due to not crashing the boards, meant the Wildkats were in danger of falling behind by double digits early.

Coach Ware and the Wildkats took a timeout to stop the Cavalier momentum and rally out of the break, getting the team back into the contest.

“We pride ourselves on being tough on the defensive side and the offensive side,” said Ware. “[College Park] came in and were very physical with us and I think it caught us off guard. But once we settled in, I thought we came out and played a heck of a ball game.”

Revived shooting from the corners and harassment from the Wildkat full-court press put pressure on the previously lopsided scoreboard. With the Wildkats locking down defensively, the score started to rebalance back to a two-possession margin.

College Park’s lead was challenged so strongly that Coach McNeely called a timeout of his own to stop the bleeding on the scoreboard. Just three points kept the Cavs in front at the three-minute mark, and the revamped Wildkat attack needed to be stopped.

Luckily for Coach McNeely, the adjustments made during the pause worked in limiting the Willis shooters while putting the initiative back in the hands of his energetic guards.

The dribble-penetrations from the Wildkats that got Willis back in contention were collapsed in on and forced into difficult shots or stolen for fastbreak opportunities.

With the defense figured out, College Park put the ball into the hands of their potent scorers to rebuild the first-quarter lead and carry it into the second. Ian Inman and Aiden Buckmon feasted on open opportunities from behind the arch for sizable Cavalier runs.

A 10-0 run carried over from the first quarter into the second, leading to the rebuilding of College Park’s double-digit lead. The 14-point Cavalier cushion was too much to overcome quickly, and the Wildkats needed to string together successive stops and buckets to get back in the contest.

A lengthy scoring drought did provide a chance for the Wildkats to climb back from their deficit, but the Willis scorers found also tough sledding through the adverse shooting environment.

Willis did take a couple of possessions to the hoop to snag a few useful buckets that brought the score back to single digits, but it was not enough to completely wipe away the Cavalier stranglehold.

College Park shifted on the fly from distance shots to driving the lane for layups, finding much more success.

But with how dense the scoring was on Willis’ side, the Cavs still lost ground on the scoreboard. The previously 14-point Cavalier lead had shrunk to eight heading into the locker rooms.

The resurgent Willis attack and lengthy scoring drought came together to give College Park questions on how to adjust before entering the second half up 41-33.

“At halftime, we told them that [the Cavaliers] were going to run out of gas because just last night they played Grand Oaks in the same type of ball game,” explained Ware. “It was an up-and-down type of ball game in back-to-back nights. If you’re not conditioned for it, you’re going to lose your legs.

With their adjustments in place, the Cavaliers came flying out the gates to start the second half on another tear that re-extended the team’s lead for the third time.

Quick passes, clamping defense, and knock-down shooting all combined for another 10-0 College Park run that accelerated the lead up to 17 before the midpoint of the third.

Adding to the Willis woes were a series of destructive turnovers that undid any potential pushes the Wildkats may have had.

No points at the crucial junction and a rapidly advancing Cavalier offense meant Willis was in serious trouble of losing their chances before the fourth had even started.

The Cavalier stranglehold ended the third quarter with the visitors up 64-47 with a final eight-minute quarter left to determine both teams’ playoff hopes.

Unrelenting in their pursuit to forging a comeback, the Wildkats entered the fourth quarter with one of their longest runs of the game. Seven uncontested points brought the nearly 20-point game back down to 10 in just over a minute.

In response to the sudden push, the Cavaliers called on players like Jacob Oman and Forrest to handle the scoring while defenders doubled on the assignments of Inman and Buckmon. Oman’s size attracted defenders at the elbows, allowing Forrest to cut backdoor into the paint for open looks.

Another noticeable shift for College Park was the team’s willingness to slow their offensive tempo. With how aggressive Willis was on the attack, decreasing speed allowed the Cavs to eat the clock while effectively playing keep-away.

But even with the slower tempo, Willis’ hustle man-to-man defense still forced multiple steals. These steals turned into breaks that led to easy layups for the rampaging Wildkats who refused to surrender the game.

“After the Caney Creek ball game, a game that we won, we went back and watched film to where we gave up 41 points in the second half to them,” said Ware. “We knew that we could do better. So after that game, we have tried to pride ourselves on our defense.”

Willis’ combination of fast offense, reliable free throw shooting, and stingy defense got the Wildkats into their closest position for a complete comeback.

Their hopes were realized during a 6-0 run fed off of a complete collapse from College Park’s ability to break the full-court press. A steal on an incoming Cavalier inbound bounced into the hands of a waiting Wildkat who tied the teams at 71 with just over a minute remaining.

Complete and total pandemonium erupted in the Willis gym following another steal and layup that gave the Wildkats their first lead of the game.

“Honestly, that was the first time that we’ve had it here for basketball,” said Ware discussing the crowd. “With me here now, I’m hoping that we can get that same energy every single ball game because our boys deserve that support.”

More clutch free throws from Chandler Beasley ensured the Cavs would need four points to deadlock the teams again before the end of regulation.

“Mainly our starting five, they can all shoot the ball at a very high percentage from the free throw line,” said Ware. “I knew that once when we got our lead, they had to start fouling us, if we didn’t turn the ball over, we would win the ball game.”

Luckily for College Park, critical makes from the charity stripe by Evan Mason meant the team’s hopes stayed alive even as the team started to intentionally foul. But no threes or quick twos meant the Cavaliers were constantly playing from behind.

The final nails to College Park’s coffin were slow but crushing. A pursuit steal from Tyshon Nixon and some final free throws sealed the deal in a stunning 80-75 comeback win for the playoff-hopeful Wildkats.

“For today, it's monumental. It’s a huge step in the right way that we want to go,” said Ware. “But come Monday, the win means nothing. It’s back to work and it’s onto the next ball game.”

Willis’ win keeps the team within the playoff picture with the team’s next matchup against the struggling New Caney Eagles on Tuesday.

The loss for College Park sets the team back in a devastating way, dropping them two games behind the Grand Oaks Grizzlies. Fortunately for the Cavs, they get an easy chance to bounce back against the last-place Caney Creek Panthers in a Tuesday night home game.