Clear Lake Falconhoops

YEAR	SEASON RECORDYEAR	DISTRICT RECORD
1972-73	28-7
1973-74	David Buchanan
1974-75	Robert Kramm
1975-76	Warren Sligger
1976-77	Rex Johnson
1977-78	Kevin Smith
1978-79	Frank Wood
1979-80	Colin O'Neill
1980-81	Bernie Lang
1981-82	Brad Meyer
1982-83	Brad Meyer
1983-84	Glen Puddy
1984-85	Mitch Fogle
1985-86	Michael Hobbs
1986-87	Bobby Holkan and Troy Valentino
1987-88	Troy Valentino
1988-89	David Buckner
1989-90	Tim Glover
1990-91	Eric Valentino
1991-92	Matt Webster
1992-93	Deuce Jones
1993-94	Doug Smith
1994-95	Chad Baker and Jason Maronge
1995-96	John Braxton and Kenton Fisher
1996-97	Nathan Law and Brandon Lloyd
1997-98	Nathan Law
1998-99	Derrick Hargrove
1999-2000	Richard Law
2000-01	Richard Law
2001-02	Richard Law
2002-03	Chad Rickett
2003-04	Connor Atchley
2004-05	Gordon Abner
2005-06	Kendrell Thompson
2006-07

 

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YEAR	SEASON RECORD	DISTRICT RECORD	FINISH
1972-73	28-7	9-3	Only district champs advance to playoffs until '89. 2nd in District*
73-74	34-5	11-1	first CLHS graduating class  Bi-District Champs
74-75	30-5	11-3	*
75-76	37-4	13-1	Bi-District Champs
76-77	32-5	14-1	Bi-District Champs
77-78	31-5	12-3	District Co-Champs
78-79	21-11	10-4	2nd in District*
79-80	27-9	13-1	Bi-District Champs
80-81	38-2	16-0	Bi-District Champs
81-82	29-5	13-3	2nd in District*
82-83	29-7	13-1	Bi-District Champs
83-84	31-7	12-2	Regional Qualifier
84-85	32-4	13-1	District Champs
85-86	27-10	12-3	Regional Qualifier
86-87	27-10	10-2	Regional Qualifier
87-88	35-2	11-1	Regional Finalist
88-89	36-4	13-3	Top 2 teams in each district advance to playoffs State Champions
89-90	36-4	13-3	State Finalist
90-91	23-9	11-3	Bi-District Champs
91-92	27-6	11-3	2nd in District
92-93	18-13	7-7	* (top 3 teams advance)
93-94	17-14	9-5	*
94-95	30-8	12-2	State Semi-Finalist
95-96	30-5	13-1	Regional Qualifier
Krueger CLHS career (24 years)	699-164, 29.4 wins/year 81.4% wins	283-56 11.7 district wins/season 83.1% wins	Krueger retires Did not make playoffs 6 times in 24 years
Krueger 38 year total varsity career	career: 1096-250 28.8 career average wins per year	includes Cameron, San Marcos, Clear Creek, and Clear Lake	81.4% wins
96-97	20-12	6-4	2nd in District
97-98	19-13	9-1	Regional Qualifier
98-99	17-15	10-4	3rd in District
1999-2000	25-9	13-1	District Champs
2000-2001	24-10	11-3	District Co-Champs
01-02	29-6	13-1	Regional Qualifier
02-03	24-10	7-3	Bi-District Champs
03-04	27-8	9-1	District Champs
04-05	21-15	7-5	Bi-District Champs
05-06	24-12	8-4	Bi-District Champs
06-07	33-7	11-1	top 4 teams advance to playoffs Regional Finalist
07-08	25-10	8-4	3rd in District
08-09	22-11	9-5	4th in District, made playoffs
Coach McDonald's 13 year CLHS Varsity Career	310-140 23.8 ave wins  68.8% wins	121-37 76.5% wins	2009 McDonald retires made playoffs every year (13)
Start of Coach Penders era 2009-10	16-13	6-8	* did not make playoffs
2010-11	20-15	8-6	4th in District
2011-12	28-6	13-1	District Co-champions
2012-13	20-13	8-4	3rd in District
2013-14	28-5	11-1	District Champs,Bi-District Champs
2014-15	35-3	13-1	District Co-Champions, BiDistrict Champs,  Regional Champs, State Finalist
2015-16	16-15	6-8	*Did not make playoffs
2016-17	24-9	11-3	finished 2nd in district,
2017-18	31-6	12-2	regional qualifier,
Penders CLHS Total	218-85 wins: 71.9%	89-34 wins: 72.4%	after 9 years at Lake, 72% win rate
School Total (46 years)	1227 -475	493 -127	75.8% win rate
School Average	26.7 wins/10.3 losses	79.5% district wins	* did not make playoffs  (Clear Lake has not made playoffs 7 times in 46 years)

For 5A:

Through 1988 only district champs advanced to playoffs.

1989 through 1992 top two teams in each district advanced to playoffs.

In  1993 top 3 teams in district advanced to playoffs.

In 2007 top 4 teams in district advanced to playoffs.

In 2014-15 conference classifications were changed to A-6A. Most 5A schools moved up to 6A. 

Clear Lake 64 – Hastings 60

For the first time in thirteen years and only the fifth time in the school’s thirty-four year history, Clear Lake has advanced to the Regional Finals in basketball. And they did it in style and with finesse in a victory over the Alief Hastings Bears. If there were any doubts about the Falcons' ability to get up for a big game against a quality opponent, they were erased tonight in a very fast paced game at the Aldine Campbell Center in the first game semifinal match-up.

The Falcons got off to a quick start when Kendrell Thompson started it all with a signature three pointer for the first basket of the game. After Hastings countered with a trey to tie it at 3, Kendrell scored another quick three pointer to help set the tone of the game. Clear Lake took the early lead but Hastings took over 6-8 with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter. An Armie Lewis trey took the lead back on Lake’s next possession 9-8 at the 3:26 mark (Lewis led his team with 19 points in the game). Then a Jimmy Witten pass found RJ Turner for a basket with 2:40 left to put the score at 11-8. With one minute remaining in the quarter it was 14-10. A missed trey by Lake and a made trey by Hastings put it at 14-13 with 20 seconds to go. On the next possession Armie Lewis drove the lane and scored on sheer determination to end the period. 16-13, Lake by 3.

It was evident early that Lake was prepared. The Falcons were relaxed, confident and brought their “A” game on both ends of the court. Every player played well and all of the starters played what could only be described as outstanding team basketball. Based on reactions from some members of the crowd who had not seen Clear Lake play this season, it was very evident why the Falcons had made it this far in the playoffs.

Kendrell Thompson also started the second quarter with a basket and a free throw to make it 19-15. It was 21-19 with five minutes remaining in the quarter when RJ Turner scored a bucket. With 3:15 left in the first half it was 25-20, Lake up by 5 when Jimmy Witten really made his presence known. His basket then two free throws made it 29-22 at the 2:15 mark. A Hastings basket and then another basket by Witten made it 31-24. With the exception of Jimmy’s scoring, in the second quarter each Falcon starter scored one basket. Witten had a breakaway quarter and scored all of his 8 points in the period to keep the Falcons in the lead. Then, with the quarter drawing to a close, Armie Lewis did the same thing he had done at the end of the first quarter. He drove the lane unassisted and scored a layup to close the half at 33-24.

In the first 100 seconds of the third quarter the Falcons widen their lead to 41-29 as they continued their multitalented attack on the Bears. Hastings’s leading scorer, and one of the leading scorers in the region, B. J. Holmes, with a game high 23 points for the outing, countered with one of his almost unstoppable treys to narrow the margin. It was 46-36 with 4:26 remaining in the quarter before the Bears scored three unanswered buckets to narrow the lead to 46-42. The very intense basketball game continued as the Falcons executed one clever offensive play after another to keep the Bears at bay. Two buckets by Fulton Brisco, who delivered another rock-solid performance anchored by key offensive rebounds, made it 52-46. A score by Hastings and then a hard earned basket by RJ Turner closed the third quarter at 54-48.

Midway through the final quarter it was 60-52 as baskets by Armie, Kendrell, and Christian Enriquez added to the tally. It was 60-56 when the Falcons went to their slow down, clock management game to use up almost four minutes remaining on the clock. The superb defense by the Hastings Bears paid off some but they had to resort to fouling as the clock ticked away. Precision passing by the Falcons was again a key factor in the win. A last second  desperation shot by A&M bound B. J. Holmes was nullified by outstanding defense by the Falcons. Four clutch free throws down the stretch by Lake's Armie Lewis, the leading free throw shooter in the region, made the final score 64-60. The Falcons were 7 for 7 from the free throw line tonight.

This was a superb, fast paced basketball game where both teams played exceptionally well. The Falcons showcased their wide ranging talents as each of Lake’s starters repeatedly sparkled in pressure situations. The steadfast reserves came in and did their job with only a slight notice in the change of personnel. Armie Lewis had a calming, stabilizing influence on his teammates and some of the crowd whenever he controlled the ball. Kendrell Thompson had one of his best overall games of this season on both ends of the court as he added an outstanding nine key rebounds and 14 points to the cause. Fulton Brisco, who has elevated his play during the playoffs to remain one of the team’s leading scorers, turned in another rock-solid effort on both ends of the court as well. RJ Turner’s intense defense and aggressive offense continues to be one of team’s mainstays. Jimmy Witten, perhaps one of the most underrated inside men in the region, once again provided the beacon from which his teammates radiated. Ever the warrior on both ends of the court, Witten’s grit and determination, combined with his intelligent basketball, inspired his teammates one more time.

The Falcons face the #2 state ranked Kingwood Mustangs at 4 p.m. Saturday in the regional finals at the Campbell Center. Perhaps the Houston Chronicle’s Sam Khan really does know his stuff since he predicted this match-up almost three weeks ago. The winner of that game advances to the state playoffs in Austin next weekend.

The keys to victory for the Falcons in the Kingwood game will be:
1. a good night's rest.
2. Lake's superb outside shooting combined with pinpoint accuracy in their passing. 
Kingwood will not allow Clear Lake's guards to penetrate successfully and they will stifle Lake's game in the paint. The Falcons must overcome the quickness of Kingwood's guards to get many decent outside shots.
3. Partially contain Kingwood's inside game.
4. Stop Kingwood's #21 Trevin Harris and contain #11 Trumaine Johnson.

The Falcons have proven repeatedly that their offense can rise to the level required to win a  game like this. If Lake can patch a few of the holes in their defense, the underdog Falcons should pack their bags for Austin.

Photos for this game can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/falconhoops Sunday afternoon.

Individual Scoring:
Armie Lewis 19, Kendrell Thompson 14 (9 rebounds), Fulton Brisco 12,
Jimmy Witten 8 (7 rebounds, 7 assists), RJ Turner 6 (6 assists), Christian Enriquez 5

FALCON STATS	FG made	FG attempts	%
2's	21	35	60.0%
3's	5	12	41.7%
free throws	7	7	100%

SCORE BY QUARTER	1	2	3	4
Clear Lake	16	33	54	64
Hastings	13	24	48	60

LINESCORE	1	2	3	4	Final
Clear Lake	16	17	21	10	64
Hastings	13	11	24	12	60

REBOUNDS	LAKE	THEM
Offensive	12
Defensive	19

Kingwood 59 – Clear Lake 51

Today in the Aldine Campbell Center the Clear Lake Falcons met the Kingwood Mustangs in the Region III 5A Finals to decide who would get to make the trek to Austin next week to the state tournament. The #2 state-ranked Mustangs were making their fifth consecutive appearance in the regional playoffs. This was Clear Lake’s first regional finals in thirteen years. A Kingwood win clinches the Mustangs’ third consecutive state tournament appearance.

Clear Lake had every intention of stopping the Kingwood powerhouse and making the journey themselves but it was not meant to be this year. The underdog Falcons had the heart, the grit, and the determination, but not quite enough horsepower.

In the first quarter the lead changed ten times and the game was tied four times, a truly intense encounter. The first basket of the game came when Kendrell Thompson nailed a three pointer on an assist from RJ Turner. Always a good sign. On the first play down the court under Kingwood’s basket, Jimmy Witten caught a solid elbow from Kingwood’s post man Mike Singletary which completely knocked out Jimmy’s front tooth. Witten left the court briefly but returned, sans the front incisor, to reenter the game. There was no foul called on the event. A fired up Andrew Gorie replaced Witten and had two consecutive outstanding plays in the next 40 seconds. On the first he stole the ball which was intended for his opponent (Singletary). On the next trip down the court he took a charge from Singletary to cause a turnover. Kingwood took the lead 3-5 with 4:46 remaining in the first quarter. At the midpoint of the quarter it was tied at 5. This would be the first of four ties in the first quarter. It was tied again at 6 with 3:10 left in the period. Lake went ahead 9-8 but the Mustangs next basket put them back in the lead 9-10. A second three pointer by Kendrell put Lake back ahead 12-10. This see-saw lead change was a good indicator of how the game would go.

A brief digression to mention that Armie Lewis was playing injured is also noteworthy. Lewis was playing with a noticeable limp from an injury received the night before in the Hastings game but he insisted he was okay. Talk about grit and determination from these youngsters.

Kingwood tied it at 12 before a hard fought basket underneath by Jimmy Witten put Lake up 14-12. Kingwood tied it at 14 but as the clock ticked out the few remaining seconds of the first quarter, Kendrell drained his fourth consecutive trey to make it 17-14 Lake up by 3. What a great first quarter!

In the second quarter it was tied at 17 and 19. Clear Lake retook the lead 22-21 on a trey by Armie Lewis. Kingwood extended their lead to 7, 24-31 by the end of the first half. In the first half Kingwood got 19 rebounds (9 offensive) while Clear Lake had a total of 4. Clear Lake shot two free throws in the half compared to nine by the Mustangs.

In a very exciting third quarter when Kingwood normally puts their opponents away, Lake stunned the Mustangs by taking the lead in the game. At the 6:36 mark in the quarter a basket by RJ and two free throws by Kendrell made it 28-33. At the 5:33 point Armie drained a trey to make it 31-36. Another three pointer by Armie made it 34-38. A basket by Kendrell made it 36-38. Kendrell then got a critical rebound, dribbled down the court on the left side, and passed back to Armie at the top of the key. Armie nailed his third consecutive three of the quarter to make it 39-38 with 3:22 showing on the scoreboard clock. Then a steal by Christian followed by a leading pass to RJ as he and his opponent raced down the court toward the Lake goal. RJ never really gained control of the ball but somehow he made the ball go through the hoop - a truly outstanding lay-up by RJ. 41-38 Lake. With two minutes remaining in the pivotal third quarter, Clear Lake led 41-40. The standing crowd watched the excitement as the ball changed hands a couple of times in the last minute. In the final seconds, #11 Trumaine Johnson, who had really not been an offensive force in the game due to terrific defense by RJ and his teammates, drove in at an angle from the left side of the basket to loft an arching shot to put Kingwood ahead 41-42 as the clock expired. Johnson traveled so badly he should have been wearing track shoes but no call. It was his only field goal of the game but it gave Kingwood some added inspiration.

The first goal of the final quarter came at 7:23 when Jimmy drove down the lane and passed off to Fulton for a basket from underneath, 43-42 Lake. Kingwood then proceeded to rack up 9 unanswered points with two treys and two free throws before Kendrell hit another three pointer to put the score at 46-51 with 2:40 remaining in the game. Kingwood went to their slowdown game to run the clock and made their free throws down the stretch to win the game 51-59 despite a valiant effort from the Falcons.

Reflections
Despite the loss Clear Lake has so much to be proud of in their season. With their appearance in the regional final, Clear Lake made it to the top eight teams in the state in 5A. Not bad for a team that was unranked in the region for the first two months of the season. Not bad for a team that was unranked on the state level for almost three months of the regular season. It is always better to move up in the rankings than to start out high and move down so few minded that this very special team was underrated throughout most of the season. Many high school basketball aficionados claimed that Lake was too short, that with only a 6’5” starting post man Lake could not play with the bigger teams but Clear Lake proved them wrong several times. This team could shoot the lights out and they are all shooters. And they are all great kids as well. There were a few disappointing moments along the way but overall there were so many thrilling moments of premier basketball packed with excitement and enthusiasm that this team will be remembered for a long time at Clear Lake High School.

Soapbox
1. Officiating
Kingwood is a very physical team of big strong boys who are very well coached and adept at stretching the limits of what constitutes a foul. At best officiating is a very inexact endeavor administered by humans prone to error as we all are. In other words, sometimes the fellas in the striped shirts call every little picky foul their x-ray vision might perceive. Other times they just let them play and barely blow the whistle. In this case, these hot shot officials imported from an adjacent region were observed allowing too much fouling to occur in the Friday semifinals. If they allowed as much “physical interaction” as they did in the semifinals, it would favor Kingwood and that is exactly what happened.

While I am on the subject of the officials, let’s grade their paper. They allowed too many lane violations by Kingwood, they did not call a couple of dozen fouls which should have been called, and they failed miserably at enforcing the five second closely guarded rule. One of the reasons the officiating in San Diego was noticeably better was their diligent enforcement of the basic rules namely traveling, closely guarded for five seconds, and lane violations. Sure we had the best officials in the city for the San Diego tournament but today’s contest was a 5A regional final. Did we have the best officials San Antonio had to offer (or wherever)? In my opinion, two of the three officials calling the finals game today are going to be great officials but they are certainly not there yet. One official clearly demonstrated twice either he did not know the closely guarded rule or he was confused. This is not an excuse for why my decorum was less than exemplary as I verbally reprimanded the refs on numerous occasions in this game but it does partly explain my behavior. These boys have worked too hard for too long to be denied anything less than the best officiating money can buy. Anyone familiar with the politics involved in an official receiving a choice assignment like a 5A regional playoff (where they receive a percentage of the gate) could offer an explanation of why they are chosen and I do not begrudge them the money. Perhaps they should receive more. But I want them to earn every penny of it in every second of the game by always doing their very best.

 2. Wear your seat belt
Since I am very old school but not so old I do not remember how much orthodontia costs, I would impose two requirements on any child or grandchild of mine who wanted to play high school level boys basketball the way it is played today. He must, without exception, wear a mouth guard and he must wear eye protection. The game has gotten so much faster and with so much more allowable contact it is unwise to even consider not having eye and teeth protection for boys this age. This is not a recent conclusion of mine due to Jimmy's unfortunate incident. It just reminded me again how necessary it is.

3. Unsportsmanlike-like conduct of the Kingwood student fans
Kingwood has one of the premier basketball programs in the state of Texas regardless of whether they recruit some of their players or not. I have probably witnessed at least 20 Kingwood basketball games in the last five years. This year’s student fans are not the worst of the lot but loudly booing their opponents when they arrive on the court and flagrant taunting of individual players when the game is not underway is poor sportsmanship and simply low class. This is not the fault of the student fans; this is a failing in leadership of the parents and school officials to influence their children properly. Kingwood has a better team than last year when they lost to Plano in the 5A state finals but I cannot cheer for them at the state tournament again this year.

Photos for this game can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/falconhoops

Individual Scoring:
Kendrell Thompson 19, Armie Lewis 12, RJ Turner 11,
Jimmy Witten 7, Fulton Brisco 2

FALCON STATS	FG made	FG attempts	%
2's	9	23	39.1%
3's	9	20	45.0%
free throws	6	7	85.7%

SCORE BY QUARTER	1	2	3	4
Clear Lake	17	24	41	51
Kingwood	14	31	42	59

LINESCORE	1	2	3	4	Final
Clear Lake	17	7	17	10	51
Kingwood	14	17	11	17	59

REBOUNDS	LAKE	THEM
Offensive	2	14
Defensive	6	16

At the completion of the regular season before the Varsity playoffs begin, the teams have the following records:

Varsity
29-6, 11-1, District Co-Champions
Junior Varsity
29-3, 12-0, District Champions
Sophomores
17-11, 5-7
Freshman A Team
22-8, 9-3, District Champions
Freshman B Team
20-9, 7-5