On February 11, the Conroe Tigers went into the locker room tied with Aldine Nimitz in the Region II-6A Division I bi-district playoffs.
About an hour later, the Tigers loaded up the bus to head home one last time. It wasn’t the party atmosphere the team deserved. The season ended as the Cougars rushed out to a 12-1 run in the third quarter and outscored Conroe 21-8 in the frame and fell 66-53.
Conroe stabilized in the fourth quarter for a 14-14 finish, but the damage was done.
To even get to the playoffs should be celebrated.
In a 2-4 start to District 13-6A, every loss was as excruciating as the next. A possession here, a free throw there and a defensive stop could have made any of those four losses into a win.
But the Tigers didn’t give up on that goal of a seventh consecutive playoff spot. Starting with the final game of the first round of district play, Conroe went 8-2. Head coach Tamisha Houston admitted in the postgame interview of the Nimitz loss that at times, she wasn’t sure about the playoffs. But it was a successful season in her book at 17-11.
At SportCast Media, we wanted to take some time to tip our caps to the top Conroe Tigers players, games, storylines and what to look forward to next year.
This article was produced independently by SportCast Media and should have no influence on postseason awards given out by the team, district or recognition given out from local or state media outlets.
SENIOR STANDOUTS
Alisa Sneed, Point Guard
The senior captain and three-sport standout did everything asked of her. Sneed was a leader on and off the court. And as a four-year letterwinner, Sneed can say she made the playoffs every season on varsity. At season’s end, she led the team in assists (3.3 per game), steals (3.8 per game), grabbed 5 rebounds per game for third on the team and was the second leading scorer at 7.7 per game. During a crucial stretch in January, Sneed led the team in scoring three straight games. A menace on defense, Sneed had two games with nine steals and another with eight. Sneed is signed to play softball at the University of Texas.
READ: Alisa Sneed Leaving A Legacy At Conroe High School (Jan. 23)
Alisa Sneed (3)
Saterria Poehlein, Guard
Poehlein spent her first and only year on varsity as a role player, primarily getting in for her defensive prowess and hustle. Senior night was a memorable one as she started against Willis in the final home game and scored a varsity career-high 10 points.
READ: Conroe’s Poehlein, Sneed Make It A Memorable Senior Night (Feb. 1)
Saterria Poehlein (11)
CAN’T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR
Riley Gross, Jr., Post
Gross was the team’s leading scorer at 8.7 points per game and added 5.8 rebounds, which was second on the Tigers. She came out strong, averaging 16 points per game as Conroe started 3-0 in non-district play. One of her most memorable games was the first round against Grand Oaks when she knocked down three 3s in the fourth quarter and totaled 17 points.
Riley Gross (32)
Taylor Smith, Jr., Post
Smith played some of her best ball down the stretch. She finished the season as the leading scorer with 17 points against Nimitz and averaged 7.1 points per game. Seven times she reached double-figure scoring. Smith averaged over 6 rebounds per game to lead in that department. She scored the winning free throw in a huge win over College Park in late January.
Taylor Smith (24)
Carly Boothe, So., Guard
Boothe’s success from beyond the 3-point line increased as the season went on and she led the team with 16 on the year. One of her best games of the year was the first matchup with New Caney in December when she totaled a season-high 15 points.
The Juniors
Damiri Anderson was starting games by the end of the season. She contributed 85 points and was third in steals with 37 on the season. Anastacha McGowen, also a standout for Conroe volleyball, provided key minutes and was fourth in rebounding at 3.7 per game.
The Sophomores
Maliyah Harrison started often, provided some defense and a scorer’s touch when needed. Lisa Jacques also has a bright future as she showed against Nimitz.
Maliyah Harrison (15)
The Freshmen
Kayleigh Phillips was the leader of this group as she averaged 5.4 points per game and improved on her aggressiveness to get to the hoop as the season went on. She also averaged 1.7 steals per game, good for second behind Sneed. Christy Rogers added some depth in the paint and a knack for getting to the line. Everly Cumpian was added to the roster the second half of district play and showed a fearlessness in creating her own outside shot or driving through the lane.
Kayleigh Phillips (21)
GAMES TO REMEMBER
Conroe 45, College Park 40 (Jan. 15)
Conroe snapped a long College Park winning streak and went above .500 for the first time all season in District 13-6A with the home win over the Cavaliers. Both Gross and Sneed made key free throws late to put the game out of reach. Sneed finished with a game-high 13 points.
Conroe 44, Oak Ridge 43 (Jan. 24)
Conroe earned a signature win, knocking off Oak Ridge at home in what proved to be a major step toward the playoffs. Smith went 1-for-2 from the line with 6.7 seconds left before Oak Ridge could collect its bearings off a timeout and get a good possession in before the final buzzer. Smith had 10 points to lead Conroe.
Conroe 53, Caney Creek 28 (Feb. 4)
Conroe put on a dominant performance to officially clinch the final playoff spot in District 13-6A. The Tigers outscored the Panthers 8-2 in the second quarter and 21-8 in the middle frames to cruise to the finish line. Gross put up a team-best 13 points while Sneed had nine.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Conroe is in great shape heading into 2025-26. Although they will miss their seniors – and Sneed’s production will be hard to make up – Conroe played young this year. Lots of underclassmen played key minutes in key games. Depth was big for the Tigers this season and Houston will have plenty to work with as they try to extend the playoff streak to eight seasons.
The 2024-25 Conroe basketball team stands for the national anthem on Feb. 11, 2025 before the Aldine Nimitz bi-district game. (Noah Mabry/SportCast Media)
