HS Boys Basketball Playoffs: Historic Playoff Run Ends in Bitter Loss for College Park

WACO, TX -- The historic run that saw College Park reach the State Final Four ended with a 44-68 loss to the Denton Guyer Wildcats on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers entered the State Semifinals as the first Conroe ISD team to reach that point in 40 years. A surprising run of close calls and a blowout win pushed College Park into elite company, with the Wildcats as their next opponent.

Denton Guyer has carved its piece of the UIL pie by becoming a constant in the boys' basketball scene. According to MaxPreps, the Wildcats are the fifth-ranked team in the state. If the Cavs did not play up to their expected level, the Wildcats would be ready to take on College Park.

The expected hero for College Park throughout the playoffs had been Aiden Buckmon. The senior guard was electric in past rounds, and he resumed his play by being the only Cavalier scorer during the entire first quarter.

Buckmon’s nine-point opening quarter was valuable, but the lack of help from the rest of the roster meant College Park was playing from behind early.

In comparison to the one-man Cavalier show, Guyer’s scoring was further spread out. Three scorers tallied 15 points in the first quarter for the Wildcats, which was enough to keep the top-five team ahead going into the second quarter.

College Park did see an uptick in production from other players at the expense of Buckmon dropping in scoring. Tyson Forrest, Ian Inman, and Jacob Oman all joined in the scoring during the second, but a team-leading five points from Inman was not enough to make up the deficit the Cavs faced heading into the halftime break.

A 29-21 Wildcat lead was not insurmountable, but the suffocating defense put on by Guyer was clearly affecting the efficiency of the typically on-fire Cavaliers.

Guyer’s defensive authority manifested in the third by keeping College Park’s scorers to just five points during the entire eight-minute quarter. Minuscule numbers from the Cav offense, led by three made free throws from Buckmon, signaled the likely end for a historic College Park season.

Significant separation and a mountain of team fouls from the Cavs led to a Wildcat march that ended the fourth quarter with 22 free throws for Guyer.

The imbalance of second-half scoring ended the game in a heartbreaking 24-point loss for the Cavaliers.

But despite their loss, the pride of College Park has to be placed on their team’s historic effort. Great scoring, a solid presence on the glass, and a veteran leader in Clifton McNeely put together the deepest playoff run for a Conroe ISD team since 1985.

The loss hurts, but the banners in the College Park rafters, along with the knowledge of historic accomplishments, have etched this year’s Cavalier team into the record books forever.