Clear Lake Falconhoops

Congratulations to Gordon Abner and Armie Lewis who were chosen to the All Tournament Team for the Pasadena Texas Invitational Tournament held November 18-20. The Gold Division was won by Kingwood over Klein Forest 58-49 in overtime. The Silver Division was won by Katy Taylor over Clear Lake 56-45. The Bronze Division was won by Memorial over Rayburn.

Pasadena Texas Invitational Tournament Day 3, Game 2 vs. Katy Taylor Mustangs If sheer numbers were any indication, Clear Lake would be outmanned against the Katy Taylor Mustangs in the Silver Division Championship game on Saturday night, November 20, at Dobie High School. The walking wounded Lake team entered the gym with eight players, They were missing two due to injuries, Jimmy Witten (6’4” soph.), and Justin Kurtz ( 6’4” Jr., out with a broken nose). They were also missing starting guard, Scott Oswald (quarterback of the football team which had just trounced Lamar in a second round playoff game at Rice Stadium). This was the first time in school history that the football team had won a second round game. Katy Taylor brought in 13 players to outman and outgun the Falcons. The Falcons brought talent, skill, heart and determination into the gym against a team which had won its first round game by 60 points and most of its games by 21 or more. The Falcons did not match up too well against the Mustangs in some positions and the depth proved to be the difference as the Taylor bunch wore down the Falcons. In a tournament where a team plays six games in three days, depth will usually be a major factor in the final game as fatigue comes more into play. The Katy team had effectively scouted the Falcons in the earlier Taft game and knew exactly what to expect. They were prepared and they were very well coached. Lake did not appear to have scouted the Mustangs. Lake had also not taken whatever energy pills the Taylor bunch must have taken because the Falcons, probably weary from some demanding games, got out-hustled throughout the game after the first quarter. A rematch with Lake’s full team would be a much better contest probably with a different outcome. Early in the first quarter Armie Lewis got steamrolled on the floor in a scuffle after a loose ball (no foul was called). Despite going 1 of 9 from two point range, the score was Taylor 14, Lake 13 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter the Falcons scored 6 points to be outpaced by 20 by Taylor. 34-19 at the half. After a brief rest at halftime, the Falcons battled back to outscore the Mustangs 17 to 10. Taylor 44, Lake 36 after three quarters. Still anybody’s game. Similar to the fourth quarter pattern of previous games, thirty seconds into the fourth quarter, just like the coach had called it, Kendrell Thompson hit a 3 to bring the score to 39-44. Then, at 6:08 remaining, Kendrell hit a layup to bring it to 42-46, the closest it would be for the remainder of the game. The Falcons did not score a field goal after this point. They would score only 3 more points in the contest. The Falcons had 21 turnovers and a plethora of missed shots with little rebounding (the Falcons were out-rebounded 31 to 12 for the game). They were slightly outmanned and outgunned. The final score was 56 to 45. The value of a game like this can often be overlooked due to the sting of defeat. This was a beneficial game for the Falcons. Their stamina and conditioning were tested and improved as a result. This team will learn from the mistakes they made. This team will improve because of this ball game. The Falcons can be proud they finished second in the Silver Division of this Tournament. Scoring for the Falcons: Kendrell 11, Mark 10, Gordon 10, Armie 7, Brandon 6, Jordan 1 2’s: 8 of 16 (50%) not good enough 3’s: 5 of 15 (33%) not good enough FT’s: 14 of 23 (61%) not nearly good enough

Pasadena Texas Invitational Tournament Day 3, Game 1 Vs. San Antonio Taft Raiders Sometimes it just clicks. On Saturday, the final day of a three day tournament, Clear Lake met San Antonio Taft in the semifinals of the Silver Division. Knowing that Lake’s team was playing without three of their players and they were only missing two big post men due to football playoffs, the Taft Raiders had athletes who were ready to prove their point. But they had not expected to encounter such a precision, well-oiled machine as they faced with the Clear Lake team. The Falcons played almost flawless team basketball at times despite having only 8 players and a poor shooting performance overall. In the first quarter it started out looking like it might be a fairly even contest between the two teams but the Falcons changed that notion quickly as they calmly, methodically combined key rebounds with swift movement toward the basket and accurate shooting (6 of 7 from two point range). Coupled with effective defense, the Falcons held the cold Raiders to only 4 points in the quarter. 15-4 after the first. The Raiders got on track in the second quarter with improved rebounding from their big 6’9” post man and scored 14 points to the Falcons 12 to bring the score to Lake 27, Taft 18 af the half. Lee Mazurek sparked the Falcons each time he was in the game with his hustle and shot accuracy . Renowned Taft coach Mike Osterman started to see a glimmer of what he knew his team could do but he didn’t anticipate what the Falcons had in store for the Raiders in the second half. In the third quarter tenacious defense combined with continued good shot selection to enable the Falcons to outscore Taft 13 to 4. Yes, the Falcons held their opponents to 4 points again! A late 3 point shot by Brandon Wynn brought the quarter to a close at Lake 40, Taft 22. The Falcons outscored Taft 10 to 6 in the final period. Lee Mazurek’s and Jordan Villarreal’s hustle seemed to increase with every game in the tournament. How could they not be getting fatigued? The Taft team played like they were tired because the Falcons made them look tired. The final score was Lake 50, Taft 28. The Taft Raiders were in shock after such a whipping. This will probably be their worst performance of the season thanks to the tenacity of the Falcons. This game for the Falcons displayed good team basketball. The Falcons had 8 steals in the game, only committed 7 fouls for the entire game, and played controlled, effective ball thanks partly to only 5 bad passes, their lowest of the tournament. They just seemed to usually be at the right place at the right time, one sign of a well coached team coming together. Lee Mazurek was selected as game MVP Scoring for the Falcons: Gordon Abner 13, Brandon Wynn 9, Lee Mazurek 9, Mark Murphy 9, Kendrell Thompson 7, David Pearce 2, Armie Lewis 1 2’s: 14 of 28 (50%, not good enough) 3’s: 5 of 15 (33%, the lowest of the tournament) free throws: 7 of 14 (50%) dismal

Pasadena Texas Invitational Tournament Day 2, Game 2 vs. Houston Jones The Clear Lake Falcons were a slightly better team today when they faced the defending state champion (4A) Houston Jesse Jones Falcons. (For the first time in school history the Falcons faced two teams also named Falcons in the same day.) With only four returning lettermen Jones did not pose a threat even close to last year’s champions. They were formidable competition however. After a bit of a slow start, the Falcons got on track. With three minutes gone in the first quarter we gained the lead when “G” (Gordon Abner) stole the ball at mid-court, drove to the bucket and scored despite being fouled. After a successful free throw it was 10-8. This was the first of multiple steals and a preview of what was to come as G went on to score 20 points. The first quarter was a close contest though. The highly effective Jones guards did cause most of the grief as their scoring from outside and their penetration was keeping Jones in the game. Jones regained the lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Seconds before the clock expired a Mark Murphy free throw allowed Lake to regain the lead 18-17. At 5:31 remaining in the second quarter "G" tied it at 21 with a free throw, 21-21. Then a key steal by Jordan Villarreal and a feed to Lee Mazurek bumped it to 24-21 when Lee hit a clutch 3 from the left side of the court. Then another steal by Jordan and a feed to G who drove down for a layup increased the lead to 26-21. Lake is now in control. Lake increased their lead to 13 but Jones would come back little by little. At the half it was Lake up by only 4, 33-29. Lake scoring was balanced across all players as it has been in most games so far this short season. Two minutes into the third quarter, Lake increased their lead to 10 early in the 3rd but Jones came back and cut it to 6 or 7. This sequence would be repeated several times in the second half. At the end of three, it was 55-43. In the fourth quarter Lake maintained the ten plus point lead throughout the quarter. Jones scored too easily on Lake throughout the game and the holes in Lake’s defense were too obvious. Mark Murphy had his best game of the tournament so far with several key rebounds and some timely saves. Lake seemed to be getting into a rhythym in this game. They seemed to have an extra bit of energy despite having played four games in two days and they played with good intensity throughout most of the game. Jordan Villarreal sparked the team with his steals and Lee Mazurek’s confidence as he hit three key baskets in the fourth quarter added to the margin of victory. The final score was 68-54. A feel good win for Lake. Scoring: Gordon 20, Armie 12 (5 assists), Mark 10, Lee 9 (6 assists), Kendrell 7, Brandon 6, David 2, Jordan 2. 2’s: 19 of 34 (56%) not good enough 3’s: 5 of 8 (62.5%) very good free throws: 15 of 25 (60%) not good enough

Pasadena Texas Invitational Tournament Day 2, Game 1 vs. Jersey Village The Jersey Village Falcons had hoped that they could compete with the Clear Lake Falcons today in the first round of the games the teams would play on Day 2 of the tournament. They tried but they just did not quite have the talent. They were a good team but no match for the Clear Lake Falcons. Lake took an early lead with Armie Lewis scoring early and Kendrell Thompson hitting 2 trey’s in the first quarter to put the Falcons up 15 –11. Lake never looked back but maintained the lead throughout the game. 26-19 at the half; 40 -27 after three, and a final score of 50 to 40. It was a good contest and good practice for the Falcons. An opportunity for them to further hone their impressive skills prior to district games which really matter. That is what tournaments are for. Enjoy it, work hard, get better, win and enjoy it, prepare for district play. But sometimes bad things happen in a game where the athletes are often taxed to the breaking point. In today’s game, in the first quarter, an ill fated connection between an opponent’s bone and a Falcon nose sent Justin Kurtz to the floor in what had to have been considerable pain. Yep, he broke his nose. He heard it pop. He could easily recognize the sound and the sensation because it was not the first time his nose had been broken. It was the fourth! Three times in the last year. When a phenomenal athlete like Justin plays with the drive and intensity that he often does, it is no wonder things get broken and pain is inflicted. Whether it is worth it or not is not the subject of this article. My intent is to acknowledge the contribution Justin makes to his team and the value that represents to his team and his school. Justin’s playing days may be over. The doctor had cautioned him previously on repeated injury to the same area. There are many people who recognize how valuable Justin is to the team and they all hope he recovers soon and is allowed to continue his participation in basketball. The Falcons are a far better team with Justin. Losing Justin would be a major blow to the team but Justin’s well being far outweighs the joy and satisfaction that comes from excelling in a school team sport. We all have to face the day when participation in a sport can no longer continue regardless of how much we enjoy the sport. Sometimes it is increasing age that prevents us when our bodies tell us “You cannot hope to do this well any more. If you continue it, you will get hurt”. When it is time, you will know. Sometimes it is an unfortunate injury or physical change that stops us. But we all have to face that day if we love sports. Hopefully, Justin will not be robbed of the remainder of his high school playing career and the lifelong memories that will come with that. His team is eager to have him back as soon as possible. Scoring: Kendrell 12, Mark 9, Armie 9, Jordan 7,Brandon 6, Gordon 5, Lee 2 2’s: 9 of 23 not good 3’s: 5 of 9 very good free throws: 17 of 21 very good