The Conroe Tigers had a shot at knocking off a state-ranked team while producing what could have been a signature win of the season so far.
An insane reverse layup with a foul and a free throw made by senior Alisa Sneed put Conroe up a point with just under a minute to play.
But No. 25 Grand Oaks got a foul called on Sneed on the inbounds which sent the guard to the bench the rest of the night with five and the Grizzlies made the Tigers pay for late mistakes with free throws for a 45-43 District 13-6A win Tuesday night.
It’s the third straight two-point game between the Grizzlies (16-3, 7-0) and the Tigers (9-8, 2-4) dating back to last season. Conroe won both of those as both teams eventually made the playoffs.
Up 43-42, Grand Oaks starting point guard Bree Riley, who signed with Abilene Christian University last month, knocked down a pair of free throws on Sneed’s final foul. The Tigers turned it over on the following possession and then the clock burned before Conroe was called for an off-ball intentional foul with 7.5 seconds left. Evangelina Despain split at the line.
“We fought,” Conroe coach Tamisha Houston said. “There were good things. But we still didn’t take care of the ball. And down the stretch when it mattered the most, we just weren’t prepared for that. That has to fall back on me, maybe settling them down a little bit. We work on our press and our press breaks so much. It’s totally different when you’re going against another team.”
Riley finished with 26 points, one above her scoring average for the season.
Conroe might not have gotten back in the game without junior forward Riley Gross, who caught fire from beyond the arc with three consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Conroe led 29-23 at the 5:07 mark of the third quarter after a layup by Sneed, who finished with 13 points.
Riley knocked down a jumper to start a 11-0 run where she scored nine points, including a 3.
Grand Oaks led 38-31 after three quarters for a 13-point swing.
The Pit was the noisiest it’s been all season in the final minutes of the second quarter.
The Tigers used an 8-0 – primarily off their offensive rebounding – to take a 21-19 lead into halftime.
Gross scored four of those points while Kayleigh Phillips fed a nice pass into Christy Rogers on the block for a bucket with 22 seconds to take the lead.
Grand Oaks led by two after the first quarter and were primarily paced by Riley, who had 11 points at the break. Hannah Reynolds had two key buckets on back-to-back possessions for the Grizzlies, but her bucket with 4:20 left in the second quarter was their final points of the half.
Conroe was 9-for-29 in the first half as it saw plenty of open looks. It turned over 12 times, however.
With Gross’ 3s, Conroe might not have gotten back in it. Her third from the top of the arc with 2:34 left made it a 42-40 deficit and the crowd exploded. She had a team-high 17 point after totaling 15 Friday at Cleveland.
“It’s good for her confidence,” Houston said. “We have to try to find her more opportunities to get her the ball in those situations.”
Conroe pounded the ball inside often off of last Friday’s performance against Cleveland where the forwards produced 45 points.
“We’ve been talking to our guards about getting the ball down into the post,” Houston said. “They’re down there working. Sometimes we’re ready to reverse it without even taking a look inside. We’re bigger than everybody. There’s no reason that we should not be dominating on the inside.”
Conroe had won four of six coming while Grand Oaks pummeled New Caney and Caney Creek last week. The Grizzlies haven’t lost since Dec. 7 (North Shore).
“I’m proud of their effort,” Houston said. “I hate that it came down to free throws at the end. That’s a teaching moment for our freshmen in what to do and what not to do to foul to stop the clock.”
Conroe’s four district losses are by a combined 14 points. It fell to College Park on the road last month, The Woodlands at home before Thanksgiving and at Oak Ridge last week.
“For us to lose these games turning the ball over the way that we are and shooting such a poor percentage from the floor tells me everything I need to know about our potential and where we could be,” Houston said. “I hope the girls can see that.”
It’s still December and the Tigers still have two more first round games left, including a Friday afternoon matinee at Willis (2:30 p.m.) before Christmas break.
By many metrics, Conroe’s games shouldn’t be so close. Turnovers and shooting woes have plagued them.
But the Tigers are still in games, which is largely positive.
“We’re right there,” Houston said. “And hopefully it will start clicking for us pretty soon. I’m going to stay as positive as I can.”
Conroe junior Riley Gross goes up for a shot in the lane against Grand Oaks on Dec. 17. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
