By LARRY BOWEN
MAGNOLIA — Mighty Houston Yates wasn’t able to score 100 points against College Station, and the fourth-ranked Lions didn’t come close to putting on a dunking clinic at the Cougars’ expense.
Yates never really seemed in danger of losing their Class 5A Region III quarterfinal boys basketball game, either, leading all but the first two minutes and defeating ground-breaking College Station 90-78 at Magnolia’s gym on Tuesday night.
The Lions’ trip to the regional tournament didn’t come easy, though. Valiant and scrappy, College Station battled the bigger, more athletic Lions all the way, even causing Yates coach Greg Wise to make a rare move midway through the fourth quarter.
After junior Zane Stavinoha drove the baseline for a reverse lay-in that pulled the Cougars within 81-69, Wise called a timeout with 3:44 remaining. When play resumed, the usually rapid-firing, high-scoring Lions, who had 111 points in their previous game, went into a stall.
The tactic worked, first taking precious time off the clock and then leading to eight free-throw attempts in the last two minutes.
“The first thing I told the guys was I could not be more proud,” College Station coach J.D. Sullivan said. “We talked for over a year about making [people outside the program] believe. I feel like, if nothing else, there was a statement made with over 3 minutes to go when they go into a four-corner stall offense. Somebody believed that we had a chance to win. I think that was a sign of respect.”
Another flattering interpretation would be that Wise was saying College Station had game. Wise showed he appreciated the fact that the Cougars were game in the fourth quarter when Wise helped College Station’s Cannon Davis back onto the floor after Davis lunged onto the scorer’s table to keep a loose ball in play.
Fittingly, Davis hustled down the floor to grab an offensive rebound and draw a foul, then made two free throws that started a 6-0 run that prompted Yates’ stall tactic.
“More than anything, I could not be more proud of the incredible effort and our guys’ heart,” Sullivan said. “They played with such grit. There’s no quit in those guys, and it makes your heart swell to be a part of guys like that.
“I would rather be in a locker room with these guys after a loss than in any other locker room after a win.”
College Station finished the most successful season in program history at 28-10. The Cougars reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time, posting the program’s most wins and fewest losses.
Yates (29-3) earned a berth in the Region III semifinals. The Lions are seeking their fifth state championship in the last eight years.
Tall, fast and deep, Yates brought out the best in the Cougars. Seniors Seth Yates and Tristan Roberts combined with freshman guard Cade Kortan and juniors Stavinoha and Davis to deliver admirable performances. Yates and Stavinoha scored 21 points apiece, while Davis added 14 points and 13 rebounds despite battling foul trouble. Roberts and Kortan helped combat the relentless Yates defensive pressure, which produced 30 turnovers but never completely dismantled the Cougars.
Two of the most significant factors were Yates’ 3-point shooting and College Station’s free-throw woes. The Lions made 17 of 40 attempts from behind the 3-point line, with 6-foot-4 sophomore Jock Hughes hitting eight treys for 24 points.
The Cougars’ struggles at the charity stripe proved huge. College Station missed its first eight attempts from the line, including the front end of three consecutive one-and-one opportunities in the second quarter.
For the game, the Cougars made only 13 of 28 free throws (46 percent).
“The free throws in the first half hurt, and that’s so uncharacteristic of us,” Sullivan said. “You’re not going to shoot 100 percent from the line, but if we shoot our average, which is around 70 percent, it makes a big difference in the game. That makes it a one- or two-possession game at the end.”
Some College Station fans railed against the officials, who allowed more contact than was the norm in the Cougars’ district games.
“To me, the officiating was playoff basketball, except for a couple of the block/charge calls,” Sullivan said. “As far as the physicality and two hands on us, that’s playoff basketball. We knew it was going to happen and we were prepared for it. With the exception of a couple of times that they knocked us out of bounds, we were unaffected by the physicality.”
Yates 90, College Station 78
(Numbers indicate field goals, free throws made-attempted, fouls and points)
Yates (29-3)
Maurice Hobson 1 0-0 1 3; Joe Smith 2 0-0 0 5; Darius Hill 5 0-0 2 14; Lorenzo Phillips 2 7-8 1 13; Marcus Edwards 4 1-2 1 9; Terrand Bennett 2 0-1 1 4; Wellington Stovall 0 0-0 3 0; Jacob Shields 2 1-1 1 5; Jock Hughes 8 0-0 4 24; Troy Kinsey 1 2-2 3 4; Joshua Washington 4 0-0 4 9. Totals: 31 11-14 21 90.
College Station (28-10)
Zane Stavinoha 8 4-12 2 21; Seth Yates 7 3-6 4 21; Thayman House 2 0-0 0 6; Tristan Roberts 3 0-2 4 8; Cade Kortan 3 0-0 2 8; Cannon Davis 4 6-8 4 14. Totals: 27 13-28 16 78.
Yates 26 23 18 23 — 90
College Station 18 14 19 27 — 78
Field goals: College Station 27-51, Yates 31-67.
Rebounds: College Station 45, Yates 24.
Turnovers: College Station 30, Yates 12.
Story courtesy of The B/CS Eagle