Clear Lake Falconhoops

 

2015 State Tournament

 

Reflections on this year’s team and the 2015 State Tournament

Twenty years ago the Houston Rockets won the NBA championship and Clear Lake went to the state tournament in 5A boys’ basketball. Timmy Allen was Lake’s point guard. Wes Robertson was the Chris Stenerson inside but he was 6’5”.

Other team members were Chad Baker, Jason Maronge (6'10"), John Braxton, Bill Braxton, and Kenton Fisher and a few others whose names escape me at the moment. Coach Krueger’s hair wasn’t so gray. Coach Lynn McDonald was the assistant coach. Jim “Pud” Williams was the statistician. This team lost in the semifinals but twenty years later they are still talked about.

In San Antonio in March. Clear Lake represented 6A Region 3 at the 2015 state tournament. This was the first year of 6A classification and the first year the state tournament was held outside of Austin in our lifetimes. Several players and coaches from past Clear Lake teams (including some 1995 team members) were there to cheer Lake on. And just like before, twenty years from now people will still be talking about this year’s team.

For over four decades when most people who know basketball in this region think of Clear Lake basketball, they think first of a class act that plays team basketball. This year’s team personified a Clear Lake team - good team basketball - unselfish team players who take pride in working hard together to achieve their mutual goals…a real class act. Coach Penders and his staff have helped instill in these young men the core values of any good team plus the values stressed at Clear Lake like always treating your opponents with dignity and respect. For many of these players these values will continue throughout their lives.

Among the many attributes this team will be remembered for and that people will be talking about are the silky smooth quickness of Orion Lewis, the tenacity and determination of the amazing Chris Stenerson as he took a charge or grappled for a rebound, the spirit and heart of Nick Winfield, the abundance of guard talent, the deadly aim of the iceman Bradley George, Chris West’s impressive left side twisting layup that became his trademark, the cool demeanor and athleticism of Alex Westby, their work ethic and the support from the bench. Throughout the season, this year’s team was a lot of fun to watch. I mean, A LOT OF FUN. And let’s not forget their always making that extra pass to get a better shot. The team’s disposition was calm, disciplined, and poised. The team had noticeably exceptional composure for boys this age. They did not get rattled and they did not lose their cool in pressure situations, especially in the closing minutes.

Just like the 1995 team, this is a team which surpassed most people’s expectations. This year’s team was not picked to win their district. They were not even ranked in the preseason top 25 in the state. There was no one dominant player that carried the team throughout the season. Instead they took care of business as a team. They each stepped up when it was needed. Bradley George was the leading scorer but each of the five starters scored more than 20 points in at least two or more games this season. And as Coach Penders has so often said, “these are all really great kids”. By the way, almost two thirds of these boys take AP courses so they weren’t just smart basketball players, they are smart people.

Anytime there is a team which appears to exceed the expectations of knowledgeable basketball fans and aficionados, it speaks to the coaching of the team. Coach Penders and his staff have done what must be considered as superbly masterful in steering this squad to the state finals. Without a doubt, of the twelve Clear Lake teams who have made it to the regional playoffs, this is one of the finest teams Clear Lake High School has ever sent.  Of the four Lake teams which have advanced to the state tournament, this team was one of the two best. Finally, for those disbelievers who might have believed that Coach Penders achieved his position and status “on his father’s coattails”, this team’s accomplishments certainly disproves that ridiculous notion once and for all.

Against a wide variety of very talented opposing teams often regarded as better than Clear Lake, the Falcons (with a record of 35-3), usually prevailed. To achieve this record, a team must be loaded with exceptional talent, or have a dominant player who carries the team, or have a very talented team and superb coaching. Clear Lake’s team was the latter. They were very talented but other teams often had as much or more talent yet Clear Lake would win. That is coaching.

Semifinal game

In the state semifinals Clear Lake faced a local Schertz Clemens team that matched up against Lake very well - perhaps as talented as Lake but sleeping in their own beds and with a local hometown crowd advantage. The significantly sizeable and supportive Clear Lake fan base negated the crowd advantage. Clear Lake's bench helped do the rest.

Clemens had scored 90 or more in 20 games and had scored 100 or more in 8 games. They had won four of their five playoff games by margins of 40 to 50 points but Clear Lake had previously defeated Clemens 80-76 in the Austin Westlake Tournament in a game that went to the wire.

In the semifinals Clear Lake controlled the game and prevailed 78-69 in an impressive victory which was a treat for the crowd to watch. Lake owned much of the crowd as a result of their impressive team basketball. Chris Stenerson was a beast in this game with 15 rebounds and 23 points (Chris’ average during the regular season was just over 6 rebounds per game). Bradley George led all scorers with 25 points.

State Finals

In the finals Clear Lake faced Plano West High School. The entire season Plano West, with an enrollment of 5531, was ranked #1 in the state and nationally ranked among the top 15. Plano West had stacked the team with talented players who moved in the previous year and some were required to sit out from the varsity for one year so some played JV ball last season. In addition, they all played on the same AAU team in the off season. Among the five seniors starting for Plano West were four D1 players: two headed to Texas A&M, one to Ohio State and one to UCLA (football). Their heights were 6’8”, 6’8”, 6’7”, 6’4, and 6’10”. In the entire season Clear Lake had not seen that much height across all the teams they faced, much less on one team. This team of noticeably talented athletes was as tall as the starting lineup of the San Antonio Spurs! More than a few long time state tournament goers said that this Plano West team might be the most talented team they had ever seen at the state tournament. Perhaps.

How does a school, even a school with over 5500 enrollment, assemble a team with that much talent? By benefiting from what is known as “open enrollment”. In open enrollment a player can play for any school in the district and is not restricted to a school’s residential zone like Clear Lake is. If a player changes schools, he must sit out one year. That is a partial explanation of how they stacked their team.

At least four of the teams in the state finals this year came from open enrollment districts. Certainly this is unfair but the solution for this dilemma is the topic for another day. Suffice it to say Clear Lake was “David” and Plano West was “Goliath”.

So the stage was set and many did not give Clear Lake much of a chance to win. I predicted Lake would only lose 3 games (see the image below). Although I accurately estimated what Lake’s season would be like through the regional finals, I must admit I underestimated our team’s chances in this state finals game. I projected we would play them close, lead for the first three quarters and until there were about five minutes remaining in the game before Plano West would take over and dominate. I based this on Plano’s scores (by quarter) in other games during the regular season, discussions with other high school boys’ basketball aficionados and my observations from watching Lake this season. Although I had tremendous confidence in our team, I underestimated how well we would play in the last five minutes against staggering odds. It felt so great to be wrong about that.

In the first half against one of the most talented teams in the nation, Lake outplayed Plano West in every aspect of the game; shooting, rebounding, points in the paint, free throws, transition, defense, hustle, execution, everything. At the half Lake led 31-26.

In the third quarter it was still pretty much the same. At one point Lake led by 10. Plano West attempted a more intelligent game plan by taking it inside more. With all that height advantage you would think PW could score at will. But so could clever Clear Lake. At the end of the third, it was Lake leading 40-34.

David outplayed Goliath the entire game with one exception: Plano West’s 6’8” guard Dennis “DJ” Hogg (bound for A&M) hit four three pointers in the fourth quarter. In the final four minutes Lake would score and then Plano West would score to tie the game. It was like watching a chess match as the lead bounced back and forth. With 36 seconds remaining a layup by PW tied it at 54 after Lake’s Chris West hit two free throws (he went 4 for 4 and the team went 10 of 11). On Lake’s next possession Chris West was called for a charge which gave PW one last chance. Much of the crowd was probably thinking overtime at this point. With time running out DJ Hogg, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, launched a successful 19 footer an instant before the buzzer sounded. Thus Plano West (33-2) claimed the first 6A championship on a buzzer beater. Lake finished the season 35-3.

It was evident last June that this was a very special Clear Lake team. This state finals game was an even more fantastic basketball game if you believe that “team beats talent” as many who know the game do. In front of a crowd of 10,781 and against one of the premier teams in the nation, this demonstration of Lake’s team basketball was something to behold. Many regulars at the tournament felt that this game was one of the very best games they had ever seen at the state tournament. Quite a testament to a team that was not even projected to win their district. This team’s accomplishments will proudly serve as a sterling reminder to many of what Clear Lake basketball is all about.