HS Boys Basketball: Fast-Paced Cavaliers Blaze Past Grizzlies in District Opener

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The College Park Cavaliers (6-0) hosted the Grand Oaks Grizzlies (1-9) in the first district matchup of the 2023-2024 boys basketball season, taking a 66-39 win.

A sizable crowd filled the College Park High School gym, and the Cavs did not disappoint their home faithful.

The unbeaten and top 15 team in the state, according to MaxPreps, opened up the scoring early against the Grizzlies. Their style of stretching the floor with quick ball movement allowed efficient scorers to shoot the ball freely from behind the arc.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, College Park Head Coach Clifton McNeely spoke on his team’s efficient scoring to open the game.

“We worked on getting to the rim and getting inside early to open it up for the shooters,” said McNeely. “We talked about shooting the ball within our pace and rhythm, and I thought our guys did a very good job of that.”

Open buckets and a suffocating man-to-man defense kept College Park handily in front during the first quarter. The team led Grand Oaks by as many as 13 in the fast-paced opening quarter, led in scoring by Junior Aiden Buckmon, who finished with 10.

Scoring slowed up from the first quarter to the second for both teams, as sixth-men and bench players were tasked with the scoring duties.

Even with the substitutions, the Cavaliers continued their blistering offensive pace. The Grizzlies were unable to keep up with the College Park guards running the floor in transition after rebounds.

The pace built the impressive lead for College Park up to 29 points as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Grand Oaks made defensive adjustments during the halftime break, switching to a half-court press and trapping Cavalier ball-handlers.

“The great thing is, we’ve got guards that have played before, and they’re veterans,” said McNeely. “They understand how to react to it and how to attack it.”

The adjustments were reciprocated by College Park, who went full-court with their press. The pressure against Grand Oaks slowed their scoring significantly in the third quarter. The Grizzlies only posted seven points in the penultimate quarter, further growing the disparity between the two teams.

With a 58-25 lead in hand going into the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers went deep into their rotation to give minutes to their entire team.

“I was very pleased with them until the fourth quarter where some made uncharacteristic turnovers,” said McNeely about his bench players. “I told them we have to be able to count on every guy. It’s not every night when they’re going in to have to play.”

Despite the bench utilization from College Park, the Grizzlies slipped farther away from their opponents on the scoreboard. The Cavaliers led by as many as 37 points down the stretch in a fourth quarter that saw the team collectively ease off the gas.

Grand Oaks capitalized on clinical mistakes and turnovers from the Cavaliers to notch points with the less seasoned players in.

The points gathered by the Grizzlies made little difference in the overall result of the game, which ended 66-39 in favor of the Cavaliers.

It will be a fast turnaround for both teams to finish the week with a tournament starting Thursday. The Cavaliers plan to utilize the time to get quick lessons across to their guys while resting the nine-man roster.

“The biggest thing is the rest,” said McNeely. “The goal now is to get better as a team and grow closer, then come back for some district ball next week.”

Both teams will play in non-district tournaments to finish their respective weeks before returning to district play on December 5.

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