Cavaliers Top The Tigers

THE WOODLANDS, Texas --The College Park Cavaliers ended their yo-yo-like basketball season with a crushing 67-26 victory over hapless Conroe on Tuesday night at College Park High School.

The most exciting thing about the game was College Park’s dance team at halftime. They put on quite a show to some very upbeat music.

The fathers of seniors Michael Stolle, Adam Rowe, Sam Ryan, James Allen, Stafford Whittington and Mitchell Mactier also put on quite a free throw exhibition at halftime of the junior varsity game.

David Rowe, who won the one-minute free throw competition by making nine foul shots, had a shot for a year’s worth of chicken sandwiches but cast his half-court bomb off the top of the backboard.

“I should have adjusted a little bit,’’ David Rowe said with a laugh. “I am right-handed. I should have moved over some.’’

As far as the game goes, this one was over before it started.

Clifton McNeely elected to start five of his six seniors on senior night and they obliged by jumping out to a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the contest.

The margin grew to 17-7 at the end of the first quarter and 40-17 at halftime as all 15 College Park players rotated in and out of the game like it was a tag-team wrestling match.

Conroe coach Jason VanRobays was coaching his fool head off on the sideline, but his team simply was overmatched the entire season.

The lowly Tigers ended a miserable year at 1-29 overall and 0-10 in District 14-5A play.

College Park, meanwhile, used most of the game to fine-tune for next week’s playoff matchup with either Westfield or Klein Forest.

The Cavaliers, who improved to 23-12 overall and 6-4 in 14-5A with the victory, finished third behind The Woodlands (9-1) and Oak Ridge (7-3) in the District 14-5A race.

Allen, who should battle Oak Ridge’s Scott Bastian and The Woodlands’ Wes Cole for District 14-5A MVP honors, paced the Cavs with 15 points.

Matt Marlin also chipped in 11.

Conroe, which was held to only one point in the third quarter and nine points in the second half, was led by Domanik Jones with 9 points.

The playoff matchups that are set next week have The Woodlands taking on Klein and Spring battling New Caney.

Oak Ridge will play either Klein Forest or Westfield, while College Park will play the team Oak Ridge doesn’t match up with. Klein Forest and Westfield tied for second at 10-4 in 13-5A, one game behind district-champion Spring (11-3) and two ahead of fourth-place Klein (8-6).

How will the playoffs break down?

The Woodlands (25-5), which beat Klein 38-30 earlier in the season, should have its way with the much bigger and slower Bearkats (18-13). But the Highlanders are going to have to play at an up-tempo pace. If they get into a half-court game with Glenn Arnold’s Bearkats, they could be one-and-done.

Spring’s only shot of losing to New Caney (18-10) is if the Lions have to play the game in New Caney, where the Eagles finished 9-3 overall and 4-1 in District 14-5A play.

Spring (27-7) has maybe the best guard in the Houston area in Don Thomas, who finished the year averaging 23 points per game.

Oak Ridge (24-8) and Klein Forest would be a thrilling matchup of very athletic teams. The War Eagles, however, have not played well on the road all season, making this a must-win-the-flip-for-home court game for Rob Stewart’s club.

College Park would match up much better with Westfield than Klein Forest, though Westfield does have one of the top centers in the Houston area in Rashard Washington.

Klein Forest (22-9) probably has the best sophomore in the Bayou City in 6-foot-7 Derail Green, and one of the best 3-point shooters in the area in Angel Avila, who has made more than 40 triples on the season.

Predictions: The Woodlands will be the only 14-5A team to advance past the first round. Oak Ridge, College Park and New Caney don’t play well enough away from home to pull off an upset.