After coming close to taking the Kingwood Holiday Classic a couple of times (most recently in 2014) the Atascocita Eagles basketball team finally climbed the mountain in 2017.
Led by Kobe Wilson, Atascocita finished the game on runs of 20-8 and 8-0 and beat Seven Lakes in the championship game 55-46 on Dec. 28 to capture the tournament title for the first time.
Playing the tournament this year on their home floor, the Eagles started off with a decisive first round win over MacArthur, 68-44 on Dec. 27.
Then, in a quarterfinal matchup later that day, the Eagles trailed Humble 32-30 at the half, but used a 26-12 third quarter to eventually pull away and win 67-50.
After beating Cypress Springs 62-44 in the semifinals, the Eagles faced off with Seven Lakes in the championship game.
In a game that was tight and close all the way, both teams went back and forth until Seven Lakes emerged with a 38-35 lead late in the third quarter.
Then, Atascocita began to make its move.
Trey Davenport started it with back to back three pointers to put the Eagles in the lead; Wilson took over after that, finishing with 23 points and the Eagles converted eight free throws at the end of the game to eventually seal the win and the title.
In addition to their first tournament team title, the Eagles also saw Wilson named tournament Most Valuable Player.
HUMBLE
Meanwhile, also in the Kingwood Holiday Classic, the Humble Wildcats split four games in the tournament.
The Wildcats defeated 6A school Oak Ridge to begin their tournament, lost to Atascocita, then beat Kinkaid, then fell to Cy-Lakes later in the day.
The Eagles return to the court Tuesday night at Summer Creek, then host Baytown Sterling Friday. The Wildcats, undefeated in district 21-5A play, host Porter Wednesday and Crosby Friday.
