In their first out-of-town tournament in years, the boys basketball team faced some of the top teams in the state at McDonald’s Texas Invitational in Houston during this year’s Thanksgiving weekend. Winning one game but losing four, the Eagles did not advance as far as they hoped.
“It’s always a disappointment when you lose to any team,” senior basketball player Jake Moore said. “But we did compete as a team every time we stepped on the floor.”
In their first game, the Eagles lost to Pearland 41-57. Falling short of a win in their second game, the team lost 52-58 to Hebrend.
Friday, the team played Spring Dekeney and won 74-56 but lost 61-67 to Fort Bend Marshall later that day. In their fifth and last game, the team lost to Kingwood 51-54.
Because of last year’s successful season, the Eagles were placed in the tournament’s Division 1, which consisted of 24 teams, 16 of which were ranked in the state in 4A and 5A class divisions.
“Overall, we knew we were going to play some really good teams,” varsity basketball coach Justin Reese said.
Despite the losing record, the Eagles felt the tournament provided a much-needed learning experience.
“I think we got a ton of experience not only as individual players but as a team as well,” senior varsity player Nylan Yancy said. “I think this left a major positive impact on the team for the rest of the season.”
Playing high caliber teams, the Eagles felt encouraged to play better and start their games stronger. Although they knew their competition was fierce, the team was disappointed with the results.
“Some of these games we should’ve won,” Reese said. “We weren’t consistent enough.”
Moving forward, the team wants to the experience gained from the tournament in their upcoming games this season.
“It helped show us that there is a lot of improvement to do – that we are capable of anything,” Moore said.
The Eagles plan on going back next year and advancing further in the tournament. As for now, the Eagles continue to work on team building and team chemistry while working hard to win district.
“We learned this weekend that we can beat the best teams if we play well,” Reese said. “But we also learned that if we don’t play our best, we can get beaten.”
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