Highlanders fall to No. 3 North Shore

KINGWOOD, Texas - North Shore's up tempo game can be difficult to get a handle on as The Woodlands High School boys' basketball team found out Saturday in the championship game of the 2013 Insperity Holiday Classic.

The No. 3 state-ranked Mustangs scored the first 17 points of the game and cruised to a 66-40 victory over the Highlanders.

Shane Toner finally got the Highlanders (15-6, 2-0) on the scoreboard. His putback and-one accounted for all of points scored in the first quarter by The Woodlands, which trailed 20-3.

A Shane Moran jumper cut the Mustangs’ lead to 20-7 as the Highlanders began to pick up the pace. But North Shore led 31-13 at halftime.

The Woodlands defeated Kingwood 25-24 in the semifinals earlier Saturday.

The Highlanders jumped out to an 18-8 lead before the tourney hosts scored the next 10 points to tie the game early in the second half. The Woodlands forged a 23-22 edge after three quarters and both teams scored two points over the final eight minutes.

The Highlanders host Cy-Lakes at 2 p.m. Monday before returning to District 14-5A play at 7 p.m. Friday when they welcome in Lufkin.

Cody Mason and Cameron Burkett lead the team in scoring with a combined average of 25 points per game. Mason leads in rebounds while Zach Manning is the leader in both assists and steals.