Newspaper Article Credit: Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
'Cats surge in 3rd for win over T-M
By Stuart Duncan (Contact)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Calallen vs. T-M
CORPUS CHRISTI: The Calallen-Tuloso-Midway rivalry seems to bring out the best
in the Wildcats this season.
Calallen used a huge third-quarter run to overturn a 10-point deficit en route to
a 53-44 District 31-4A boys basketball triumph over the Warriors Friday night at
Tuloso-Midway High School.
The Wildcats (21-8 overall, 6-1 district) swept the season series against T-M (15-13, 5-2).
They also won the previous meeting between the teams, 74-44 at Calallen.
"Any time you can beat a team like T-M twice it's huge, because
their kids play so hard and they're so well-coached," said Wildcats
coach Jeff Crews, whose team remained in at least a tie for first in the
district with Flour Bluff (which also entered Friday with a 5-1 district mark).
"We talked at halftime about endurance, and we knew no matter what
happened in the second half we were going to fight to the end tonight.
We weren't going to quit."
Instead, Calallen used a huge second-half run to turn the tables, outscoring the Warriors
23-4 in the third quarter to take a 46-37 fourth-quarter lead.
T-M wouldn't come closer than six the rest of the way.
Wildcats guard Scott Ryan (10 points, two 3-pointers) and forward Michael Conroy (18 points,
two 3-pointers) combined for five points down the stretch to help Calallen put the game away.
"Calallen just made plays when it needed to tonight," Warriors coach Bobby Craig said.
"Our kids played hard -- we just didn't shoot the ball well tonight."
The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the decisive third quarter to cut a 10-point
deficit to two, almost two minutes into the frame.
Warriors guard Phillip Belford (who led T-M with 18 points and four 3-pointers) answered
with a long jumper from the right wing to push the lead to 35-31 before Wildcats guard
Deron Belford made a free throw and Conroy followed with a baseline drive for a layup
and a short bank shot to give Calallen the lead, 36-35, with two minutes remaining in
the third.
Scoreboard
........................Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Calallen (16-4).........11 12 23 07 53 FINAL
Tuloso-Midway (12-11).. 17 16 04 07 44
February 1, 2008 - Tuloso-Midway H.S.
Calallen Scoring
.................PTS --- 3FG
Michael Conroy...18 ---- 2-2 100.0%
Scott Ryan ......10 ---- 2-2 100.0%
Dustin Vaughan....9
Josh Anderson.....7
Deron Belford.....6
Tuloso-Midway Scoring
................PTS ---3FG
Phillip Belford 18 ----4-4 100.0%
Matt Willoughby. 6 ---1-1 100.0%
Travis Nelson... 6
Alex Benavides.. 5 --- 1-1 100.0%
Drew Becquet.... 4
