Clear Lake Falconhoops

Deer Park’s Coach Louis Means, known to be a terrific coach who can do much with a little talent, should never be underestimated and with his twice all-district point guard Adrian Morales (#21) at the helm, the Deer have no shortage of talent this season as they are expected to be a primary contender for their district championship.  

Additionally, this year’s Clear Lake squad is the most inconsistent team in the early season ever to play at Lake. Some of their early season performances have totally confounded many Lake on-lookers. Confounded them because the team seems to have multiple distinct personalities which range from a well-oiled machine to a bunch of kids in a pick-up game who seem to only know how to play one-on-one and cannot recognize when to capitalize on a three-on-two situation. Granted high school basketball is expected to be somewhat inconsistent but these boys can turn it into an art form that causes grey hair overnight! 

But the Falcons are also expected to be in contention for their District crown along with Clear Brook, Clear Springs, and Galveston Ball and there is no absence of talent on the Clear Lake team. With Kyle Ashton emerging as a standout player. there are no real superstars yet among the multi-talented Falcons but at least three players who appear to be just about to break out as a major force who must be stopped if one hopes to defeat the Falcons.   

The fatigue from Deer Park’s efforts in the CCISD Tournament was a slight factor although throughout most of this game they played with an air of confidence that usually comes from knowing you are better than your opponent. The Deer slightly trailed the entire game but they did not lose their composure until desperation started to set in with under two minutes remaining in the game. 

Clear Lake came into the contest relaxed and prepared and it was evident from the outset. The Falcons were composed and confident.…always a very good sign. The pace of the game was mostly slow and deliberate which benefitted Clear Lake. One key to a Falcon victory would be hampering the Deer’s Morales, who is able to take control of a game and win it single handedly. Morales was held to 11 points.  

Lake’s Kyle Ashton scored 8 of his 11 points in the first quarter. Although he may feel he did not have a breakout game like he has had in some of the earlier outings, Kyle was a major force to be reckoned with and made several critical plays. He tied with Morales for game high scorer. Jacob Horton missed his first four three point attempts before connecting with three in a row in the third quarter to punctuate the notion that when you stop one Falcon scoring threat, another one rises to replace him.  

The multifaceted McCollum twins were all over the court causing alarm and concern for their opponents with a combined 17 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals. The mental telepathy between these boys that comes from being a twin brother and playing ball together for so long was less obvious in this game but it did not impede their effectiveness. Thanks to the skills of Brick Pomeroy and the McCollum twins, excellent ball movement throughout the game by the entire team combined with the team’s good judgement to showcase a deliberate, methodical attack. Patience, balanced scoring across the team and excellent support from the bench helped to enable a win by the Falcons.  

But the key to Lake’s triumph was Jared Miller. Miller was the stabilizing rock that the Falcons built their victory on. His solid performance on both ends of the court was his best outing this season. His two steals in the first quarter were critical to Lake’s taking control of the game and helped to set the tone for the entire contest. At multiple junctures in the game Jared made key timely plays to keep Lake in the lead. Jared’s teammates know he is capable of even more than he demonstrated in the Deer Park game and their confidence in him has not waivered this season. As an adult it is really pleasing to see boys this age believe in each other like these boys do.  

With the team’s biggest obstacle being its inconsistency, the victory over Deer Park was no insignificant accomplishment. It took a planned, purposeful effort to defeat Deer Park and provide Clear Lake High School with its 999^th victory. Hopefully it also made it clear to each of the teenage minds what consistent play can do for this team when they retain their composure and play deliberate basketball.  That is not to say that we as parents and fans should rely on nothing but their best in every contest throughout the season. After all, they are teenagers. But we can use this game as a primary example of what can be accomplished as we offer them encouragement so vital to their success.

Action photos for this game can be found at Current season albums  by Thursday 11:30 a.m.

Individual Scoring:

Kyle Ashton 11 (5 rebounds), Jared Miller 10,

Mark McCollum 9 (4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), Jacob Horton 9, Matt McCollum 8 (5 assists, 3 steals), Brick Pomeroy 4, Blake Gregorcyk 3, Jake McKnight 3.