- Sections :
- Crime & Public Safety
- Restaurants & Food
- Sports
- More
Categories
It was only fitting that the best basketball game of the year came down to the final shot of the contest.
After trading 3-point punch after 3-point punch for 31 minutes, 51.33 seconds, the homestanding College Park Cavaliers found themselves leading 75-74 with 8.67 seconds left in the game.
But the arch-rival Woodlands Highlanders still had one last bullet in the holster.
After breaking College Park’s press, The Woodlands’ Justin Nelson put up a jumper from just inside the free throw line. The ball glanced off the left side of the rim, but Brian Nordstrom muscled in for the rebound and banked the ball up and in as the buzzer sounded to give the Highlanders a scintillating 76-75 victory Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Houston area’s 10th-ranked Highlanders to 22-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in District 14-5A play.
College Park, which has been an enigma for much of the season, dropped to 20-11 overall and 3-3 in the league.
“I thought the game was over (when Justin missed),’’ admitted the 6-foot-3 Nordstrom, who finished the game 11 points and 12 rebounds. “Justin got off a good shot and I just went and got it.’’
Nordstrom was able to grab the rebound because College Park coach Clifton McNeely elected to go with a small lineup to try and keep up with the guard-heavy Highlanders instead of having 6-foot-10 center Sam Ryan in the game.
The mistake probably cost the Cavaliers a shot at the district title, too, as Ryan might have had the best game of his four-year career with nine points and 10 rebounds. He probably would have had a much better shot to grab the board than any of the other Cavaliers in the game.
The Woodlands looked to be in control of the game when Davis Tucker hit two free throws to give his club a 74-70 lead with 1:37 left in the contest.
But Evan Cooper, who was relentless on both ends of the floor, scored with 1:15 left in the game to cut the lead to 74-72. Cooper had rebounded his own miss twice in a row before throwing in a short left-handed bank shot off the glass.
The Highlanders were trying to stall after Cooper’s bucket, but Wes Cole made perhaps his only mistake of the night when he lost the ball near half-court with 37 ticks to play.
After a time out, College Park ran the clock down to the 15-second mark before Cooper took off toward the basket. Once he drew the double team, he kicked the ball back to James Allen, who buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Cavs a 75-74 lead and set the stage for Nordstrom’s dramatic putback.
“We knew we had a two-game lead (entering the game),’’ said Nordstrom, who was being mobbed by Highlanders and crowd members who stormed the floor after the game. “But this was still a huge game for us. It was incredible.’’
The Woodlands, who hit 14 3-pointers in last week’s 88-49 win over New Caney, started off like a house on fire, burying five straight triples to grab a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Cole, who looked like a man among boys for most of the night, and Nelson both hit a pair of threes during the onslaught.
But Cooper and Allen led a College Park comeback in the second quarter as the Cavs cut the Highlanders’ lead to 30-28 at halftime.
College Park’s Matt Marlin, who is a dead-eye 3-point shooter, nailed three triples in the third quarter, but Cole added three more as the teams entered the fourth period tied at 58.
Stafford Whittington took his turn from the 19-foot-9 arc in the fourth period as he knocked down four treys to keep the Cavaliers in the game.
Tucker and Nelson, however, would add three more threes of their own to set the stage for the frantic final two minutes of play.
Both teams ended the game with a whopping 12 3-pointers. It was the fourth time this season The Woodlands has made 12 or more 3-pointers in a game.
“This was a crazy game,’’ Nordstrom said. “Everybody was making threes all over the place. It was wild.’’
Cole, who had six 3-pointers, including three from NBA range, led all scorers with 22 points. Nelson also had 14, Tucker added 13 and Brandon Caporale chipped in 12.
Cooper paced College Park with 17 points. Allen also had 15 and Whittington had 12.
The Woodlands will try and remain perfect in league play when it travels to meet second-place Oak Ridge (4-2 in district) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Highlanders beat Oak Ridge 62-51 the first time the two teams played.
College Park will try and bounce back when it hosts New Caney at 7 p.m. Friday. New Caney thumped the Cavaliers 78-59 the first time the two teams met.
After trading 3-point punch after 3-point punch for 31 minutes, 51.33 seconds, the homestanding College Park Cavaliers found themselves leading 75-74 with 8.67 seconds left in the game.
But the arch-rival Woodlands Highlanders still had one last bullet in the holster.
After breaking College Park’s press, The Woodlands’ Justin Nelson put up a jumper from just inside the free throw line. The ball glanced off the left side of the rim, but Brian Nordstrom muscled in for the rebound and banked the ball up and in as the buzzer sounded to give the Highlanders a scintillating 76-75 victory Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Houston area’s 10th-ranked Highlanders to 22-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in District 14-5A play.
College Park, which has been an enigma for much of the season, dropped to 20-11 overall and 3-3 in the league.
“I thought the game was over (when Justin missed),’’ admitted the 6-foot-3 Nordstrom, who finished the game 11 points and 12 rebounds. “Justin got off a good shot and I just went and got it.’’
Nordstrom was able to grab the rebound because College Park coach Clifton McNeely elected to go with a small lineup to try and keep up with the guard-heavy Highlanders instead of having 6-foot-10 center Sam Ryan in the game.
The mistake probably cost the Cavaliers a shot at the district title, too, as Ryan might have had the best game of his four-year career with nine points and 10 rebounds. He probably would have had a much better shot to grab the board than any of the other Cavaliers in the game.
The Woodlands looked to be in control of the game when Davis Tucker hit two free throws to give his club a 74-70 lead with 1:37 left in the contest.
But Evan Cooper, who was relentless on both ends of the floor, scored with 1:15 left in the game to cut the lead to 74-72. Cooper had rebounded his own miss twice in a row before throwing in a short left-handed bank shot off the glass.
The Highlanders were trying to stall after Cooper’s bucket, but Wes Cole made perhaps his only mistake of the night when he lost the ball near half-court with 37 ticks to play.
After a time out, College Park ran the clock down to the 15-second mark before Cooper took off toward the basket. Once he drew the double team, he kicked the ball back to James Allen, who buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Cavs a 75-74 lead and set the stage for Nordstrom’s dramatic putback.
“We knew we had a two-game lead (entering the game),’’ said Nordstrom, who was being mobbed by Highlanders and crowd members who stormed the floor after the game. “But this was still a huge game for us. It was incredible.’’
The Woodlands, who hit 14 3-pointers in last week’s 88-49 win over New Caney, started off like a house on fire, burying five straight triples to grab a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Cole, who looked like a man among boys for most of the night, and Nelson both hit a pair of threes during the onslaught.
But Cooper and Allen led a College Park comeback in the second quarter as the Cavs cut the Highlanders’ lead to 30-28 at halftime.
College Park’s Matt Marlin, who is a dead-eye 3-point shooter, nailed three triples in the third quarter, but Cole added three more as the teams entered the fourth period tied at 58.
Stafford Whittington took his turn from the 19-foot-9 arc in the fourth period as he knocked down four treys to keep the Cavaliers in the game.
Tucker and Nelson, however, would add three more threes of their own to set the stage for the frantic final two minutes of play.
Both teams ended the game with a whopping 12 3-pointers. It was the fourth time this season The Woodlands has made 12 or more 3-pointers in a game.
“This was a crazy game,’’ Nordstrom said. “Everybody was making threes all over the place. It was wild.’’
Cole, who had six 3-pointers, including three from NBA range, led all scorers with 22 points. Nelson also had 14, Tucker added 13 and Brandon Caporale chipped in 12.
Cooper paced College Park with 17 points. Allen also had 15 and Whittington had 12.
The Woodlands will try and remain perfect in league play when it travels to meet second-place Oak Ridge (4-2 in district) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Highlanders beat Oak Ridge 62-51 the first time the two teams played.
College Park will try and bounce back when it hosts New Caney at 7 p.m. Friday. New Caney thumped the Cavaliers 78-59 the first time the two teams met.
Comments •
Related News: Sports
Houston native competes for Team Navy in the 2026 Warrior Games
HS BASEBALL: The Woodlands, Grand Oaks, And Willis All Head Into The Regional Semifinals Hungry For More
HS BASEBALL: Gutsy Game 3 Performances From The Woodlands, Grand Oaks, and Willis Punch Them A Ticket To The Regional Semifinal Round
FIFA World Cup with Margaritaville Lake Resort
