THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Rudder High School Athletics


COLLEGE STATION BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM SLIPS PAST RUDDER 37-35

College Station boys basketball team slips past Rudder 37-35

JEFF PERKINS

The Eagle | 1/15/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura McKenzie

In a physical District 19-5A boys basketball game that fit Rudder’s style of play more than College Station’s, the Cougars stepped up to the challenge.

College Station junior Owen North sank two free throws with two minutes left, and the Cougars held off a Rudder rally to earn their first district victory 37-35 on Tuesday at The Armory.

Rudder (7-17, 1-3) erased a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit and took a 35-34 lead on a steal and a layup by Keithron Lee with 3:45 left. A free throw from College Station’s Scott Decker tied the game, and on the next possession, North calmly hit both ends of a one-and-one to give College Station (12-14, 1-3) a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was just another free throw,” North said. “I had to make them.”

Treztan Garcia stole the ball on the next possession, and the Cougars played keepaway for a minute and a half before a travelling violation gave Rudder one last chance with 23.7 seconds left. But the Rangers struggled to get the ball to the post and settled for a Jeremiah Johnson 3-point attempt, which rattled out at the buzzer.

It was a fitting final stand for College Station, which allowed just 15 points in the second half.

“It was kind of appropriate that we winded up having to get a stop to win it,” College Station head coach JD Sullivan said. “I thought our defense was fantastic.”

The Cougars struggled against Rudder’s aggressive half-court defense and failed to find a rhythm for most of the first half as they committed 10 turnovers. The Rangers’ penchant for going for steals also paid dividends as they scored 11 points in transition to help build a 20-13 lead shortly before halftime, but a turnover with 30 seconds left gave College Station a chance to cut into the lead. The Cougars took advantage as Garcia hit a 3-pointer to get within 20-16 at intermission.

College Station rode that momentum into the third quarter as it went on a 6-0 run to grab a 22-20 lead, making Rudder pay for its aggression with three straight layups. Rudder took the lead back with layups from Lee and sophomore Justin Headges, but North answered with a flurry of buckets and nifty passing. The 6-1 guard split a pair of free throws to cut Rudder’s lead to 24-23, then had assists on back-to-back possessions, setting up Nick Panin for a layup and Garcia for a 3-pointer to give the Cougars a 28-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

North then opened the final period with a pair of driving layups, and Jaden Hall added a putback to extend College Station’s lead to 34-24 less than two minutes into the quarter. North finished with a game-high 13 points to go with four assists and two steals.

“There was a lot of physicality in both halves, but I thought we handled it better in the second half,” Sullivan said. “I thought [North] was fantastic. We lean really heavily on him when it comes to handling the ball, and as physical as they were in the first half, it can wear you down. He never asked for a sub, never showed any negative emotion. He kept playing, and that shows you the evolution of a leader.”

Rudder’s Grayson Adams completed a three-point play with 5:51 left to kickstart a Rudder rally, and Lee and Johnson each scored four points over the next two minutes to give the Rangers a chance. Lee led Rudder with 10 points and five steals.

“We were sleepwalking a lot of the game, but give College Station credit: They’re always going to run their stuff and play disciplined,” Rudder head coach Mike Carrabine said. “We finally showed a little bit of life in the fourth quarter, but the energy level was low. We can’t do that against anybody, because we’re not good enough to do that against anybody.”

College Station 37, Rudder 35

(Numbers after names indicate field goals made, free throws made-attempted, points.)

COLLEGE STATION (12-14, 1-3) — Owen North 4 5-6 13, Treztan Garcia 3 0-0 8, Jaden Hall 3 0-0 6, Scott Decker 3 1-2 8, Nick Panin 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 14-29 6-8 37

RUDDER (7-17, 1-3) — Keithron Lee 5 0-0 10, Justin Headge 3 0-1 6, Carlos Moreno 2 0-1 4, JoDarius Hayward 1 0-0 2, Grayson Adams 3 2-2 8, Jeremiah Johnson 2 1-2 5. TOTALS: 16-41 3-6 35.

College Station 5 11 12 9 — 37

Rudder 8 12 4 11 — 35

FG%: College Station .483; Rudder .390. FT%: College Station .750; Rudder .500. 3-pointers: College Station 3 (Garcia 2, Decker 1); Rudder 0. Turnovers: College Station 17; Rudder 13. Rebounds: College Station 19 (Hall 6, Panin 5, Garcia 3); Rudder 19 ... Click here to read full article

ARTICLE SOURCE:

PRIVACY POLICY | © 2024 MASCOT MEDIA, LLC