The Kingwood Boys Basketball Varsity team had a fantastic showing of defensive basketball in the second half in last night’s game. The Mustangs have assembled a strong group of varsity players this year that is rising and coming together as a team. Our district also has the No. 9 ranked Atascocita High School Eagles and several strong teams that include the Mustangs, C.E. King, Beaumont United, Beaumont Westbrook and Summer Creek. The Mustangs have already played C.E. King, losing by one point in that game as well.
Last night, the Mustangs played consistently well and had a strong showing in the district match-up against the Bulldogs. The game came down to the last second on the buzzer, as any good basketball game does. The first half started slow, with the Mustangs staying in the game and keeping the score close, only being down by 5 points at halftime.
In the second half, Kingwood came back out of half-time with renewed energy to win this game and were able to take the lead from the Bulldogs late in the 4th quarter after a 15 point comeback. However, Summer Creek hit some big 3’s down the stretch and Kingwood ended up losing by 1 point in a heartbreaking game.
Junior, Malachi Redic
We interviewed a few of the players to get their perspective after a night to reflect on a tough loss. The first question was focused on how they felt about the game and what each of them thought was the game changer against Summer Creek, keeping the score tight till the end of the game. As always, it was interesting to see the variety in their responses.
“The game changer last night was definitely us playing hard defense throughout the 4th quarter. It really wore them out and allowed us to run our offense and get open shots to bring us back close.” – Dylan Brewer.
“The game changer for our team getting close to beating Summer Creek was us calming down in the second half and hitting easy shots that the defense gave us.”- Rafael Aghayev, Captain.
“We came out a little slow, and when the second quarter came around, we started to feel the game and started to play harder with more confidence. ” – Malachi Redic.
We also asked the same players to reflect on how they see their team getting ready for Friday’s game against Beaumont Westbrook and the rest of the district play against tough teams, with the Atascocita Eagles and Beaumont United still to come. Once again, each player had their own perspective, still closely aligned to where they see this 2023-2024 season heading.
Senior, Dylan Brewer
“We have a great chance of winning Friday night’s game. We have a strong team that has good chemistry now. I feel like the first two district games showed us where we are as a team and what we need to work on. If we continue to play with poise and confidence these next couple of games we have coming up, we will win.”- Malachi Redic.
“First and foremost, our coaching staff gives us a scouting report for all the tough teams we have on our schedule, and that gives us an idea of what we need to prepare for going into the games. As for the team, all of us watch film and practice hard so we can get out on a hot start at the beginning of the game.” – Dylan Brewer.
“Our team is getting ready for the rest of districts because we are hungry for a win; taking two tough district losses in a row really puts a chip on your shoulders.” – Rafael Aghayev, Captain.
What we saw last night was a strong basketball team from Kingwood, ready to play and be a contender against Beaumont Westbrook on Friday. Coach Kolby Huseman, the Kingwood native, came back to Kingwood High School last year and is now in his second season of coaching for the Mustangs. The opportunity to coach at Kingwood brings with it many memories for Coach Kolby Huseman, who was part of the state championship team in 2005 as a senior coached by his dad, Royce Huseman. Coach Royce Huseman coached the Mustangs until 2017, leaving a solid legacy behind in the same gym and coach’s office. We asked Coach Kolby Huseman to comment on last night’s game against the Summer Creek Bulldogs and the upcoming season ahead for the Mustangs.
“I was proud of the boys, and of the fight and toughness they showed throughout the game. It never feels great after a loss like that, but overall, I was encouraged because we are showing that if we can continue to play like we are capable of, we can compete with and beat anyone in the district on any given night. The guys are getting better and better each game, and we look forward to seeing what we can accomplish.” – Coach Kolby Huseman.
Game Highlights for Kingwood: “The thing that stuck out to me the most is just how we dug in and recovered from every run they went on, and the execution we showed within that to be there with the lead at the end with a chance to win it.”- Coach Kolby Huseman
Coach Huseman, what and/or who contributed to the team doing so well last night and coming very close to turning the tide against the Summer Creek Bulldogs?
“I think the biggest things were just the guy’s toughness and togetherness. They didn’t let the physicality or anything else affect their mindset, and really pulled for each other, celebrated each other’s successes, and clearly cared more about the team’s success than anything else.” – Coach Kolby Huseman
The next big home game that will need the Kingwood community support will be Tuesday, January 16th, against their hometown rival, the Atascocita High School Eagles, played at KHS. What can we expect from this varsity team this season?
“Look forward to building on how we have been playing the last few weeks and taking the fight to all the teams in the district!” – Coach Kolby Huseman
KHS Basketball Alumni supporting the Mustangs. (Kingwood Basketball Twitter)
Last but not least, let’s not miss this impressive showing of Kingwood Alumni in town during the holidays to support the Mustangs last night. Let’s pack the stands in the upcoming home games to be that spirit that is needed to cheer on this team to win their next few district home games at KHS @ 7:00 pm. #goblue
