Creek falls to Brook sharpshooters

Despite a close battle throughout most of the first half, the Clear Creek Wildcats ultimately fell victim to Clear Brook’s sharpshooters on Tuesday night.

The Wolverines drained 10 3-pointers to blow past the visiting Wildcats 77-53 to stay undefeated in District 24-5A.

“Our game plan was to prevent them from driving the ball in the paint, and they were able to knock down their shots,” Clear Creek coach Jeff Carroll said. “With a team that good, you’ve just got to pick your poison. Tip your hat to them; they’re 18-2 for a reason.”

The Wildcats had few answers for Clear Brook’s aerial assault and fell to 1-1 in district play and 10-12 overall. Clear Creek entered the game with an established reputation for consistently tough defense. They had allowed an average of less than 50 points entering the game, but Clear Brook (18-2, 2-0) didn’t follow the trend.

Clear Brook built a 17-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter and the situation got tense.

While running down the court, several players from both teams became overly physical. An all-out brawl seemed imminent when several Clear Brook players came off the bench onto the court as if they were going to fight. Clear Brook coach Jason Pillow subdued his players, and two Wolverines players were ejected from the game.

Three technical fouls were called as a result of the altercation — two on Clear Brook and one on Clear Creek. The lost players and game delay didn’t seem to slow the momentum of the Wolverines, who climbed to a 22-point lead by the start of the fourth.

For the remainder of the game, the officials began calling more fouls, which worked against Clear Creek’s scrappy style of defense. While it was 3-pointers that helped the Wolverines build their lead, free throws secured the victory.

Carroll was frustrated by the many missed opportunities on the night, including a forgotten jersey that caused three Wildcats to have to exchange numbers.

Despite the struggles, junior Mitchell Becker had 16 points and five rebounds in the paint. Austin Smith had 13 points, Colby Davis had 10 points, and Dion Lewis and Blake Maness both added seven points.

For Clear Brook, senior forward Fred Richardson led with 21 points, including four 3-pointers. Junior Chase Mullen scored 14 points, Chris Campbell had 13 points, and Davon West added 12 points. Taylor Thomas and Jovan Yancy both had six points, and K.J. Boyd added six steals and seven assists.

Clear Brook hosts Clear Springs on Friday night, while Clear Creek travels to Brazos-wood.