Shadow Creek survives late rally from Pearland 62-51

January 27, 2024

In an explosive display of offense and an aggressive style of defense, fans were treated to a fast and furious contest between an undefeated district team in Shadow Creek and a Pearland squad that is seeking to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The Oilers are clinging to fourth place with a 4-3 record behind Shadow Creek (7-0), Dawson (7-1), and Alief Taylor (6-2) and just ahead of Strake Jesuit (3-5).

The opening quarter saw Shadow Creek hit three baskets while going 4-of-8 from the free throw stripe for 12 points while Pearland hit a pair of short jumpers and also was 4-for-8 from the free throw line for eight points.

The Sharks were able to take control of the second period as Michael Collins fired in nine points and Julian Wilier hit a pair of 3-pointers to build a 28-16 lead at intermission as Pearland matched their first quarter offensive output with eight points.

The third period continue to be dominated by Shadow Creek as they outscored Pearland 19-17 for a 47-33 lead entering the final frame.

That's when things got interesting as the Oilers found a new energy offensively and with 4:41 remaining in the game, the Oilers outscored the Sharks 14-2 thanks to Alvin Glover (8 points) and Brayden Austin (8 points) to close the gap to 49-47.

Unfortunately, the Oilers were unable to stay with the Sharks as they hit 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch while Pearland went 0-for-5 allowing the Shadow Creek to close out the game 62-51 with a final 13-2 run.

For the game, Shadow Creek hit 21-of-28 free throws while Pearland ended with 10-of-22 from the charity stripe.

Leading scorers for the Sharks was Collins (21 points), Wilier (15), and Kaden Tate (11)

Pearland was led by Glover who scored 16 points while getting help from Devan Brown (8) and Austin (8).

Pearland rebounds with win over Elsik 47-42

Staying in the playoff hunt has been one of the goals all season for new head coach Delrick Brown and his Pearland roundballers.

The Oilers improved to 17-12 overall and 5-4 in district with their 47-42 win over the Elsik Rams.

Pearland remains in fourth place with five games remaining on the season. This is a marked improvement from last year when the Oilers missed the post-season and finished with a 13-20 record.

The Oilers jumped out to a 14-8 first quarter lead and closed out the first half with a 24-20 lead at intermission.

Elsik challenged the Pearland in the third quarter 12-11 to close the gap to 35-32 entering the final period.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the final eight minutes, but the Oilers outscored the Rams 12-10 down the stretch to hold for the 47-42 district win.