What to watch for this week in boys and girls high school basketball around Houston.
Highlanders rally past Cavaliers; Wheeler’s passes turn heads
The Woodlands tops rival — again
1 College Park is a 0-for-7 against rival The Woodlands in standout guard Quentin Grimes’ four-year career. The futility goes back further, with the Highlanders winning 14 of the past 17 meetings. The Cavaliers seemingly were in control Tuesday, leading 33-23 at halftime and 55-47 with less than eight minutes to play. But when The Woodlands started its comeback, College Park collapsed, committing nine turnovers in the fourth as The Woodlands went on a 21-0 run to win 77-64 in front of a packed house at home. So are the Highlanders in the Cavs’ heads? Coach Clifton McNeely says no. “They raised their defensive intensity,” McNeely said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the streak. We had some guys who didn’t step up and make plays down the stretch, (but) it has
nothing to do with the team we had last year or the year before that. Bottom line, when you’re playing in big games, it comes down to playmakers. Quentin played very well for us at times, (and) he made some critical turnovers at times. Romello (Wilbert), who’s their star player, made plays, but Romello’s supporting cast stepped up, and they delivered and supported him. We’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys involved the next time we play them.”
Wheeler dealing for Mustangs
2 Texas A&M commit Sahvir Wheeler is an assist-machine, dropping dimes by the dozen for Houston Christian, which rolled again Tuesday, improving to 25-5 overall (and 3-0 in Southwest Preparatory Conference play) with a 96-69 win over Texas Christian. The 5-8 Wheeler – the Houston-area’s high school counterpart to Rockets point “gawd” Chris Paul — finished with 22 points and seven assists, giving him 826 career assists halfway through his junior season. In two wins last week, he supplied 21 and 10 against St. Andrew’s, and 20 and 14 against St. Stephen’s, and he exploded for 31 points, 13 boards and 11 assists in a win over Kinkaid. “He’s an elite passer — just the highest-level passer I’ve seen in high school,” coach Ron Crandall said. “The only guy I’ve seen in person, who I can compare him to, especially on a Houston local level, is T.J. Ford, with the way they can pass the ball. His vision is hard to describe. Sometimes you wonder, ‘How in the world did he see that guy?’”
Panthers roaring past opponents
3 Klein Oak (18-7, 7-1) is riding a four-game winning streak under second-year coach Kolby Huseman, the son of longtime Kingwood coach Royce Huseman, after posting its 11th victory in the last 12 games Tuesday at home, clipping Klein 55-46 to maintain its hold on first place in District 15-6A. Tim Eldridge scored 22 points and Salim Salim added 11. The breakthrough win came last week, with the Panthers going on the road to knock off reigning 15-6A champ Klein Forest 63-62 on a late, game-winning threepoint play by Eldridge, who finished with 20 points. With 6-6 guard Tevis Stukes and 6-7 center David Ilesanmi leading the defense, the Panthers are in the driver’s seat for the district title, and their first playoff appearance since 1996.
North Shore clips Eagles’ wings
4 The North Shore Mustangs opened the second half of 21-6A play with a bang, handing Atascocita its first district setback, 54-51 at North Shore. Tayvion Johnson, a 6-7 forward, played above the rim, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and nine
rebounds. The unsigned senior boasts eight double-doubles and 67 blocks on the season, helping the Mustangs to an 18-9, 6-2 record — one game behind the Eagles (21-6, 7-1), who maintained their district lead with six games to go. They beat North Shore 42-38 in the first round.
Sharks serve notice
5 Shadow Creek proved it’s a serious threat to the region again this week, sweeping reigning Region III-5A champion and state finalist Fort Bend Marshall in an 88-65 road rout. The Sharks rolled 73-44 in the first round. They’ve won seven straight since a 77-71 loss to Elkins, giving them sole possession of first in 23-5A at 17-5, 9-1 — a half-game ahead of the Knights. Tyron Henry racked up 35 points after supplying 27 points, six assists and three steals in a 71-65 win over rival Manvel last week.
Cy Creek evens score with Falcons
6 The Jersey Village girls took the first game with Cypress Creek, 57-40 back on Dec. 12, but the rematch went to the Cougars (25-4, 8-1), who prevailed 6556 to remain in a tie for first with Cy Ranch (25-5, 8-1) in loaded 17-6A. Kyndall Hunter scored 20 points, Rori Harmon supplied eight points, five rebounds and four assists, and Taylor Jackson had six points and nine boards – and all three are freshmen.
Elsik snaps Oilers’ winning streak
7 The Pearland girls were riding a 13-game winning streak going into this week, but Elsik put a stop to that, winning 58-55 at home. The Rams outscored Pearland (19-12, 7-1) 23-14 in the fourth to improve to 16-5 overall, 5-2 in 22-6A. Jordan Sanders led the way with 22 points, and Jaden Shanklin added 18.
Elkins vs. Shadow Creek boys
7 p.m. Friday, Shadow Creek 8 The two state-ranked squads — the Sharks are 12th, the Knights 18th — meet once more for control of arguably the toughest 5A district in the state, which also includes Marshall and thirdplace Texas City.
Cy Falls vs. Cy Creek boys
7 p.m. Friday, Cy Creek 9 The Golden Eagles have passed every postchampionship test so far, but they narrowly escaped the first meeting with the Cougars, rallying for a 56-53 win, and this one’s in a hostile environment.
Atascocita vs. Summer Creek girls
7 p.m. Friday, Summer Creek 10 First place is at stake in another big game on a loaded Friday night, with the state-ranked Eagles, 10-0 in 21-6A, taking on the rival Bulldogs (25-4, 9-1), who struggled offensively in the first meeting.