HS Basketball: Beast Up Invitational hosted by Grand Oaks - Day 1

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Another basketball weekend kicks off again but this time its tournament time. All area teams are on the road this weekend but Grand Oaks is hosting its own tournament. The Beast Up Invitational kicked off Thursday with 16 teams from around the Houston area.

The Grand Oaks Grizzlies kicked off their leg of the tournament in the afternoon against the Sam Houston Tigers. It was a bit one sided as the Grand Oaks stands roared making it impossible to communicate on the court. The Grizzlies held the Tigers to just 4 points in the 1st quarter and only 14 by the half. They played in their typical aggressive momentum, battling the inbound and forcing turnovers. By the half it was 35-14 which was a comfortable lead for the Grizzlies to sub in their entire secondary and give their starters a breather.

Grand Oaks has the lead going into the second half.

Halftime
Grand Oaks - 34
Sam Houston - 14 pic.twitter.com/3eJ4sqZ9c7

— Woodlands Online Sports (@WOLsports) December 2, 2021

Once again in the second half, the Grand Oaks Grizzlies smothered the Tiger’s offense and creating forced turnovers and bad shooting situations. As they increased their lead, all of Grand Oaks’ subs played in the game and touched the ball. Unfortunately for the Sam Houston Tigers, the home court advantage and the massive student crowd gave Grand Oaks the momentum to keep increasing their lead. The final score of their first game was 68-29.

Box Scores – Games 1-4
Gym 1
Grand Oaks JV - 46, MacArthur – 50
Waltrip – 46, Bryan – 64
Tomball Memorial – 44, Aldine Davis – 40
Grand Oaks – 68, Sam Houston - 29

Gym 2
Klein Cain – 52, Cleveland – 43
Kingwood Park – 54, Klein Collins – 37
Klein Oak - 57, Galena Park – 35
Montgomery – 60, Waller - 35


The Grand Oaks Grizzlies played once again at 7 pm against the strong Klein Oak Panthers who came off a massive win against Galena Park earlier in the day. These 2 teams were to close out day one of the Beast Up Invitational and this was one close game.

To start off there were 2 technicals on either team which gave both 2 free throws and the ball. Although the momentum shifted both ways Grand Oaks struggled to connect and make baskets. This could be because of a hard first game 6 hours before their final game, or it could be because they were overthinking. One thing they did that was consistent was press the inbound to try to get turnovers but the Panthers quickly found a way to counter this. This was a nail biter, the teams were going point for point, gaining and losing the lead throughout the first half. At halftime the score was 29-27 with the Grand Oaks Grizzlies taking the lead by the slightest of margins.

Grand Oaks takes the lead back from Klein Oak

Halftime
Grand Oaks - 29
Klein Oak - 27 pic.twitter.com/06gUAwXvIr

— Woodlands Online Sports (@WOLsports) December 3, 2021

The second half was aggressive on both ends. The Klein Oak defense woke up and pressed Grand Oaks just as much as they did to them. The Grizzlies struggled to connect and put point on the board but so did Klein Oak. The teams were consistent with each other again going point for point in the second half. But with small mistakes the Grizzlies lost the lead and struggled to catch up. Klein Oak played consistent throughout the game also making small errors but connecting on a few more buckets. The final score was Grand Oaks 44, Klein Oak 47. Tomorrow will be more matchups in the morning and the semi-finals in the evening.

Box Scores – Games 5-8
Gym 1
MacArthur - 33, Kingwood Park - 34
Waltrip – 33, Klein Cain - 72
Aldine Davis – 60, Montgomery - 61
Grand Oaks – 44, Klein Oak - 47

Gym 2
Bryan – 43, Cleveland - 35
Grand Oaks JV – 38, Klein Collins - 58
Sam Houston – 19, Galena Park - 35
Waller – 37, Tomball Memorial - 87