A day after a pair of overtime victories, the host Tigers dropped both games in Day 2 of the 59th Conroe Christmas Classic Saturday afternoon.
Conroe fell to Richmond Randle 38-33 to start the day before the decorated Little Rock Central out of Arkansas blitzed them 64-30 in the final game of the 17-team tournament.
Clear Springs won the tournament championship after beating Crosby the game before the finale. Little Rock Central, coached by 2005 Conroe alum Shelby Lewis and assistant James Glaspie, took the second place trophy north.
It was a tough day for the Tigers (7-14), who beat Waller in double-overtime and Huntsville in a single overtime frame on Friday.
Against Randle, Conroe played it close until scoring just two points in the final quarter. Senior Jadyn Ramos finished with 11 points while fellow junior Noble Wesley added eight.
Little Rock Central had a vocal and supportive crowd with many coming out to see Lewis and his team. The Tigers are the defending Class 6A state champions in Arkansas and are the state’s most successful program with 21 state titles all time.
They played the role of a defending champion just fine against Conroe.
Conroe hung with the visiting Tigers before a massive individual run by Gavyn Holman extended the lead to 13 points at halftime
Holman sank three consecutive 3s and glided through the lane for a putback for an 11-point second frame and 13 points at halftime.
Conroe trailed 15-13 before Holman’s run and didn’t score over the final 4:29 of the half after a drive to the hoop by junior Jesse Porras.
Conroe junior Johnathan Gafford had four points at the break to lead the Tigers.
Conroe was held to just eight more points after scoring five in the second quarter. A bucket underneath the hoop by Ramos broke an eight-minute field goal-less streak dating back to the second quarter.
Little Rock Central, meanwhile, kept adding to its lead. Holman, off the bench, finished with 26 points, including six 3s. Luke Moore finished with 17 points, including a pair of 3s in the first quarter and 11 points in the third quarter.
For Conroe, Gafford finished with eight while Wesley and Porras each had eight.
After four games and two games, the Tigers are off until next Saturday when they pick back up District 13-6A play at Caney Creek. Conroe is 3-2 in league play and in fourth place as the calendar flips to 2025.
Conroe junior Noble Wesley (21) drives with the ball against Little Rock Central on Dec. 28, 2024. (SportCast Media/Chirs Zorzi)
