Panthers Claw Their Way To District Title

Our boys varsity basketball team won the District 16-6A Championship, with seniors Kevin Grinstead, Royal Mayfield,and juniors Ife Bolaji and Lee Pouncil leading the team through a hardfought road to glory. This victory caps off a remarkable season for the Panthers with a 12-2 district record and a 27-10 overall record.
“I’ve always known we were going to win from the start. The hard work they put in to win made it happen and that hard work can take you anywhere,” Head Coach Larry Boykin said.
The team accomplished their goals by having great team chemistry, courageousness and overcoming adversity to create key winning streaks.
The Panthers transformation under Coach Boykins’ leadership featured a powerful defensive strategy mixed with different players stepping up in key moments.
The Panthers’ road to glory had several decisive victories. They dominated Waller High-School with an electric 72-40 win.
Additionally, the team secured pivotal victories against Cypress Lakes High-School and Cy Ranch in the final two weeks of the season to decide who would be district champs. With two weeks
to play all three teams were tied for first place and our Panthers out battled them to soldfied the title.
They easily surpassed Lakes 58-39 and knocked off Ranch 39-34. Defense really lifted the team at late moments in games all season and leading to more confidence, ultimately going for the win, like the game against Cy Ranch where with Senior Royal Mayfield and Junior Ife Bolaji led the game with blocks.
The Panthers also demonstrated their defensive strength in a tight game against Cypress Park this season with a 58-55 victory.
“Defense is our best aspect, it wins us games,” senior player Kevin Grinstead said.
Another nail-biter came in an early season matchup against Jack Yates where the Panthers showcased their clutch performance in a slim 73-72 win.
“No one expected us to win as we came into the game as underdogs,” Senior Maddox Akers said.
Just as intense, their game against Langham Creek resulted in a 44-43 win. These close victories highlighted the team’s ability to perform under pressure.
Defense wins games and a lot of games this year come down to the wire.
For a lot of teams, chemistry is important, but for this team, it is everything. Chemistry is a big reason this team is where it is now. This group of people are not only just teammates on the court, but off the court they are also best friends. The players agree that their bond has helped raise their play to the next level.
The Panthers winning the district title marked a historic moments with both boys and girls winning district.
The team’s success continued in round one of the playoffs as they dominated Tomball Memorial 65-37.
The Panthers season ended with a tough loss 47-55 vs Willis in round two of the playoffs but the grit they showed the entire year will not be forgotten.