Highlanders break away late from War Eagles

CONROE, Texas - Romello Wilbert scored 17 points and A.J. Bullard chipped in 12 points as The Woodlands Highlanders used a 15-3 fourth quarter run to break away late in a 50-35 district victory over the Oak Ridge War Eagles on Tuesday night.

“All night our defensive intensity was great, we never let their two best players get going and overall I was so impressed with how hard our guys played,” said Highlanders Head Coach Dale Reed.

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The game was a low scoring affair in the first half as both teams combined to make just 15 field goals in the first 16 minutes of play, that resulted in just a five-point lead for The Woodlands at the halftime break.

The Woodlands (19-10, 6-4) started to methodically pull away from Oak Ridge (12-19, 1-10) in the third quarter. Romello Wilbert drove the lane for a lay-up and a foul and with the three-point play the Highlanders had a seven-point lead with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Alex Hammonds continued to try to keep Oak Ridge in the game as he hit a 3-pointer from the left wing along with a lay-up with just 2:51 left in the third quarter. Hammonds finished with a game-high 18 points.

“We were comfortable with a five-point game at halftime and we just couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second half. Romello got going, and we just really struggled to score,” said War Eagles Head Coach Neil Laminack.

Wilbert continued to drive the lane in the second half, making three lay-ups and then going 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the second half. Kyle Spears hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to give The Woodlands its biggest lead of 36-26 with 6:34 left in the game. The Highlanders outshot Oak Ridge 44-percent to 30-percent for the game.

The Highlanders continued to force turnovers and turn those into transition baskets by A.J. Bullard and fast break opportunities that got The Woodlands to the free throw line to seal the victory.

The Highlanders got a bit of good news as their win along with a College Park loss at Summer Creek Tuesday night, clinched a playoff berth for The Woodlands. The night got better as Kingwood lost to No.2 Atascocita, giving the Highlanders control over their own playoff seeding destiny. If The Woodlands wins their final two games on Friday versus Summer Creek and Tuesday at Kingwood, The Woodlands would finish with the No. 2-seed in playoffs out of District 16-6A.