Deer men exit playoffs after loss to Northshore
The Deer Park men's basketball team's season came to an end Tuesday night with a 60-35 loss to Northshore at Humble's Summer Creek High School.
The Deer, who finish the season 13-22 (5-5), had difficulties getting started against a relentless Mustang press and an offense that seemed to never miss. The Deer had an early 2-0 lead but then watched Northshore (31-3) go on a 17-4 run and never look back.
"They couldn't miss a shot early it on, it seemed," said head coach Louie Means about Northshore. "We struggled trying to get into our offense and by the time we found any kind of rhythm, it was too late for us."
The Mustangs went into the halftime break leading 38-12. Still Means and the Deer felt there was some hope in their efforts.
"We said that if we could find a way to cut that lead in half, we still had a chance. We knew we couldn't get it all back at once, but we felt like if we could put together some stops and hit some shots of our own, we could at least get back in it," he said.
Part of Means' theory came true. Northshore struggled to get their offense going while missing several open shots to open the second half. Unfortunately for the Deer, they suffered the same drought.
"It was a missed opportunity for us. We had some chances to get back in it quickly, but we were still struggling. They cooled off and we were still cold," he said.
Robert Martinez led the Deer with eight points, followed by Dennis Lawton who chipped in seven. Taylor Morris and Jeremy Dockan had four points apiece.
Means said he was disappointed by the early playoff exit, but more so because of the student athletes who played their last game in Deer Park's maroon and gold.
"It's a sad time right now. For them, it's the last time they suit up together, play together, compete together. They came up and bonded and for them on the court, this was it," Means said. "For me and the coaching staff, it's sad because this is the last time we get to coach a lot of these guys. They came up and spent four years with us and we got to watch them grow and mature."