Connally boys hold on in wild finish to top Hendrickson, win District 23-5A title
PFLUGERVILLE — With his team’s lead in peril late in the fourth quarter Friday after an 8-0 run by Hendrickson in less than a minute, Connally coach John Howie decided a bit of levity was needed during a timeout.
“So y’all are going to make this difficult, huh?” Howie asked his players, drawing smiles and laughter.
It apparently was a stroke of coaching genius, as the Cougars flipped the script and ended the game on a 9-2 run for a 58-50 home win to secure the outright District 23-5A title.
“It’s exciting, and I’m just really happy for our guys, who have worked really hard all year,” Howie said. “Coming in as a first-year coach, these guys trusted and believed in what I wanted them to do and how I wanted them to do it. It’s just been a blessing. We’ve been fortunate as we’ve played well at the right times, and it wasn’t pretty all the time — but sometimes you just got to do what you got to do to win.”
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The Cougars (25-8, 13-0) might not exactly be a Cinderella story as they returned a decent amount of talent from last year’s squad that won 22 games and made the playoffs, but few probably saw them having a chance to make a perfect run through a tough district four months ago.
Connally, which claimed its first district title since 2006, also pushed the area’s current longest winning streak to 17 games. The Cougars haven't lost in more than two months.
“I don’t even know what to say — it just feels so great to know that all the work we’ve put in has come to fruition and has made us a better team,” said senior guard Kendal White, who finished with seven points. “I love the support from the fans and everybody believing in us. We’re just ready to keep the train going.”
Needing a spark, Connally turned to defense
The Cougars never trailed after taking a lead late in the first quarter, but it wouldn’t be easy against a Hendrickson team with an effective zone defense and an electric guard in Davion Allen.
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Connally struggled at times against the Hawks’ ever-changing zone, but the Cougars’ aggressive man-to-man defense forced Hendrickson (25-9, 10-3) into multiple turnovers and created several transition baskets.
“We did a good job of being true to who we are,” Howie said. “We’re a pressure defensive team, and we like to try and scramble and get teams out of their rhythm. If we’re the best defensive team, we have a chance to win every night. The guys have really been consistent with how they’ve worked, and they’ve bought in completely.”
A wild finish — for both teams
Allen, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and Clint Smith, who had four 3-pointers, kept Hendrickson in the game. But when Mekhai Bryant scored a basket in the paint, then Brian Phelps stole the inbounds pass and produced an old-fashioned three-point play to put Connally up 49-40 with less than two minutes to play, it appeared the Cougars had a certain win.
However, the Hawks had other ideas — and it produced one of the wilder final two minutes to a game you’ll ever see.
After Amir Thompson's free throw, Hendrickson snared the first of four straight turnovers on a full-court press that led to seven straight points, as Allen, Wyette Williams and Smith had layups and Thompson hit another free throw.
Less than 60 seconds after trailing by nine, the Hawks found themselves behind only 49-48.
But Connally regrouped after Howie’s quip and handled Hendrickson’s press well the rest of the way. Phelps had five points and both Jordan Lawrence and Jordon Wright sank layups.
'I never pushed the panic button'
“It was a little dicey down the stretch, but I never pushed the panic button,” Howie said. “When I don’t panic, our players don’t panic, and we ended up figuring out a way to finish. On offense, we just want to play confident and not have guys second-guess what we’re doing.”
Bryant scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half to lead the Cougars, Phelps finished with 12 points, and Lawrence added 10. Smith had 16 points for the Hawks, who will rue missing 12 free throws.
After cutting down the nets Friday, Connally will try to complete a perfect district season Tuesday at East View.
“We just believe in each other,” White said. “If we could go 14-0 in district, as a senior that would be a great way to end the regular season.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Connally boys snag District 23-5A crown with win over Hendrickson
