PASADENA — The Dickinson Gators pulled off one of the greatest upsets in school history.
Five days after losing to No. 1 (4A) Yates by 60 points and a day after falling to No. 17 North Crowley by 30, the Gators knocked off No. 3 Duncanville. In a close match at the McDonald’s Invitational on Friday, Dickinson held off the Panthers, 74-68.
“Unbelievable,” Dickinson coach Mike Tucker said. “This says a lot about the character of these guys. They’re not afraid of anyone, and they proved they can play with anyone.”
The Gators (3-1) led 69-66 with 23 seconds left. Eric Owens, a power forward, got the ball in the corner behind the arc. Instead of holding the ball, Owens unleashed a trifecta.
He nailed it.
When Tucker asked Owens why he shot it, Owens responded: “I visualized it going in. I knew it would happen.”
Sam Kinslaw scored the final points for Dickinson and the pandemonium ensued. The Gators jumped up and down while screaming.
Kenny Harris finished with 17 points, and Dedrick Archie had 16. Ivory Marks added 15, while Anthony Carroll and Kinslaw each had 10.
The Gators already have won as many nondistrict games as they did a year ago.
“This is just a tribute to the kids,” Tucker said. “It was great to be a part of.”
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Dickinson 50, Pearland 47
Earlier in the day, the Gators erased a 23-6 deficit with 1:30 gone by in the second quarter to beat Pearland. Dickinson allowed just 24 points in the final 22:30.
“That was just great team defense,” Tucker said. “Awesome.”
Harris had a team-high 15 points and Anthony Carroll added 11.
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Humble Christian 78, Ball 63
A six-point third quarter doomed the Tors in their season opener.
Ball (0-1) just trailed by one at half, but couldn’t find the bucket in the third quarter, getting outscored by 12 points.
Terran Petteway had 13 while Michael Evans added 11.
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Clear Creek 67, Angleton 45
Tre Webb scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats (2-1) past Angleton.
Creek secured the win with defense, allowing just five points to Angleton in the fourth quarter. Dustin Hobaugh added 11 points.
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Friendswood 52, King 43
The Mustangs rallied from a season-opening loss to beat King. Friendswood (1-1) dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring King by seven.
Connor Nueman finished with 15 while Nolan Harvey had 12.
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Fort Bend Elkins 97, La Marque 91
The Cougars couldn’t erase a 13-point halftime deficit. Julien Lewis scored 30 points, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome a poor-shooting first half.
La Marque (1-1) scored 59 points in the second half after just 32 in the first 16 minutes. Jordan Dotson had 20 points, and Wesley Henderson added 14.
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Goose Creek Memorial 64, Santa Fe 45
Santa Fe scored in double digits in just one quarter as Memorial’s defense shut down the Indians.
Santa Fe (0-1) had 19 points in the fourth after not getting more than nine in any other quarter.
