This story was written by a student as part of the Conroe ISD Student Journalism Network.
Story by: Julia Randle, College Park High School Senior
Photo by: Jia Esparza, College Park High School Senior
The College Park Basketball team made a historic march to the Final Four after a long season of practice and intense competition, finishing with a 29-10 overall record and 13-3 in District 13-6A. While the Cavaliers didn’t win the district title, Head Coach Clifton McNeely’s squad got hot down the stretch to make only the third state tournament appearance in Conroe ISD history.
CP was led by 6-foot-3 senior Aiden Buckmon, who has committed to continue his career at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. The Cavaliers won 13 of their last 14 games since January 4 prior to Tuesday’s semifinal loss.
The Cavaliers fell to Denton Guyer, but knocked off Spring, Klein Collins, Wylie East, and Horn en route to the regional championship. CP joins two Conroe High School teams as the only ones to advance to the state tournament. The 1968 Tigers also lost in the semifinals, while the 1985 team lost to Houston Madison in the championship game.
With College Park’s coaches’ ingenuity and players’ strength, CP has set the pace for the team’s future.