Highlander boys pull out two tough wins before holiday break

The Woodlands boy's basketball team faced two tough opponents before heading into the holiday break, and pulled out two tough wins to move its record to 15-1.

On Tuesday, the Highlanders got a couple of big buckets and two free throws by forward Joey Trinkle in the fourth quarter in a 46-41 win over Cypress Ranch. The day before, guard Garret Colonna scored 18 points in a 59-44 win at Tomball.

In both wins, The Woodlands did not play well on offense for most of the games, either not shooting the ball well or turning it over. But the Highlanders found ways to win by playing strong on defense and finding others to step up and contribute.

“Our defense was outstanding because of our effort and tenacity,” Highlander coach Dale Reed said. “The frustrating part is that we would get a stop and not take advantage, like a turnover or miss a shot or whatever.”

Against Cy Ranch, The Woodlands struggled to make its trademark 3-pointers as the Mustangs played tight defense on the guards. But Trinkle was able to penetrate down low and get some buckets down low in the paint in the fourth quarter.

“I thought (Joey) was really good at using his size,” Reed said. “They don’t have as much size as we do, and I think Joey took advantage of that and being effective around the basket. He hit some big free throws and did a great job down the stretch.”

The Highlanders started flat and Cy Ranch took a 6-2 lead. The Woodlands battled back with a 3-pointer by Colonna to cut the lead to 11-9 and Nolan Cass scored five points in the second quarter, but guard Daniel Baladez hit three 3-pointers in the quarter that left the Highlanders up 23-22 at the half. Cy Ranch responded in the third quarter as forward Tanner Hoyt scored seven of Cy Ranch’s eight points in the quarter, but another Colonna trey and a Trinkle bucket put TWHS up 32-30.

After The Woodlands scored the first four points in the half, the Mustangs responded with a 3-pointer by Hoyt that resulted in a 6-2 run. But Trinkle got two tough buckets in the paint to help the Highlanders regain the lead and pull out the tough win.

Yesterday against the Cougars, The Woodlands had a 20-19 halftime lead before outscoring Tomball 18-7 in the third quarter to pull away.

Colonna had 18 points on four 3-pointers to lead the team.

The Highlanders will return to action on Wednesday when they will participate in the Alvin Holiday Classic tournament.