HS Boys Basketball: College Park Avenges December Loss By Conquering The Rival Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The College Park Cavaliers got revenge on the rivaling Woodlands Highlanders by defeating the green and red on their home floor by a score of 58-42.

A tough 79-85 overtime loss to the Highlanders in December had significantly hampered the Cavaliers' hopes of winning the district title. However, work behind the scenes got the team ready for their rematch.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, College Park Head Coach Clifton McNeely took accountability for the team’s loss before the winter break while acknowledging the team’s issues with sickness and injuries.

“I had to admit to myself, I didn’t prepare our guys to win. I didn’t do a good job and that one’s all on me,” said McNeely. “We did the best that we could execute. We haven’t had our whole team in practice for a week and a half now. Ian, Robert, and Quintyn have missed practices this week. But they came and played Tuesday and tonight.”

Despite College Park’s issues with players missing time, the support around the team could not be understated.

Waves of students, parents, and family members filled the College Park side of the gym, with each fan encouraging their guys through the adverse situations.

“I don’t think it makes a difference what sport it is, in District 13-6A, we’ve got the best student body,” said McNeely. “We have kids here at College Park that care about each other and they just jump from sport to sport, activity to activity.”

The rivaling squads took to the floor with the fans bearing down on them to tip off a slow-paced and defensive opening quarter.

Intense perimeter defense from The Woodlands ensured few open looks for the Cavalier shooters to work with. When College Park did put up a shot, the typical clang off the rim ended the possessions with no points going onto the scoreboard.

Fortunately for the Cavs, sophomore guard Tyson Forrest was able to lead the charge for the team offensively. His eight-point opening surge on offense was enough to keep the team ahead despite the lackluster production from the usually high-scoring offense.

Even with their defense locking down their opponent, the Highlanders struggled mightily to gain traction.

Numerous turnovers undid any momentum The Woodlands had built up on their defensive stops. What meaningful possessions did get taken near the basket by the Highlanders usually ended in a miss.

“If we stopped the penetration and got out on enough of their three-pointers, they were going to have a very difficult time scoring,” explained McNeely. “They couldn’t hit a shot early in the game or get in the paint.”

The offensive woes for the Highlanders were only compounded during a second quarter that saw the Cavaliers find their steps on the way to a strong scoring performance.

A flurry of drives to the rim from multiple scorers got the Cavs their strongest push of the game. An immediate 7-0 run to start the second quarter nearly tripled the Highlanders on the scoreboard.

Aiden Buckmon came into his own during the second quarter of play, ending the half with a game-leading 11-point half. His effort on offense nearly totaled all of the points scored by The Woodlands, highlighting the lopsided scoring.

Without a consistent means of attacking the impenetrable Cavalier defense, the Highlanders resulted to skip passes to try and find holes in the zone coverage.

Multiple intercepted Highlander passes turned into fastbreak points for College Park. Only a few of The Woodlands’ possessions during the second quarter resulted in points, leading to a seven-point total for the team.

The sizable 30-13 lead would have been demoralizing for any other matchup. But with the rivalry, bragging rights, and playoff potential on the line, neither team had any desire to call off the dogs.

In a dramatic shift from their nearly silent first half, The Woodlands released a strong offensive presence during the third quarter that got the team back into contention.

Revived shooting from Ben Alexander and Raymond Caceres dug into the College Park lead one shot at a time.

The Woodlands paired their revamped shooting with a defensive performance akin to the team’s full potential. The constant harassment of Cavalier ball-handlers, diving for loose balls, and stepping into passing lanes were all needed to swing the control of the scoreboard to the Highlanders’ favor for the first time.

“We came out and missed some easy shots in the third quarter and made some uncharacteristic mistakes,” said McNeely. “I think that some of our guys didn’t relax given the magnitude of this game. The Woodlands needs a win to get in the playoffs and we need a win for higher seeding. You had to know it would be competitive.”

The combination of stingy defense and new-look offense won the quarter for the home-team Highlanders. It was a much-needed push that brought the Cavalier lead down to 12 at the end of the third, but continued effort would further chip away.

Critical makes from the Highlanders got the team within two possessions of forcing a tie at the start of the fourth quarter. With pressure mounting against them, the Cavaliers looked to their reliable guards to take over.

After putting up 11 in the first half, Buckmon answered the call and proceeded to dump another nine points on the Highlander defense.

The 20-point performance was crucial, but the help from Forrest and center Jacob Oman was crucial in getting the game back under control.

“Aiden Buckmon has been sick with the flu, he’s been in bed, he’s had a fever, he’s had a bum ankle,” said McNeely. “But he’s a warrior that has done everything. He’s a four-year starter that has never lost here. I knew that if he showed up today, it was going to be pretty hard to beat us.”

Hope was rapidly fading from the Highlanders as the team was forced to play increasingly desperate defense against a Cavalier offense that failed to waiver under the pressure.

Even when asked to hit free throws with fans getting as loud as they could, the Cavs still managed to push through and hit the game-sealing shots.

Intentional fouls were the last gasps from The Woodlands to stave off the incoming Cavalier victory, but clinical shooting finished the game in a 58-42 College Park road victory.

College Park’s win sets the team up with an advantageous position to secure the top spot in 6A Division One, Coach McNeely’s focus is entirely inward.

“We’re not really worried about anybody else in the district. We’re worried about us getting better,” said McNeely. “I need the guys to get healthy. The flu, stomach viruses, and the usual aches and pains have to be dealt with and it’ll come down to us getting back in the gym to keep working.”

College Park will get a slight breather from tough competition with a home game against the Cleveland Indians set for them on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the tightrope act of playoff contention has been cut for the Highlanders, but the benefit of ending the year on a positive note is still in the cards should the team knock off the New Caney Eagles on Tuesday night.

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