Kingwood Park falls under that special category and used the 2018 season to buck history. VYPE
Originally Appeared on VYPE
THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FIRST.
A team who overcomes the odds stacked against them because they have never been there or done that.
Kingwood Park falls under that special category and used the 2018 season to buck history.
The Panthers had to face Lucas Lovejoy for the title, a team that was making its eighth state tournament appearance, compared to this being Park's inaugural trip. Kingwood Park didn't back down and instead shocked the Texas high school volleyball world by sweeping Lovejoy, 3-0.
Libby Overmyer (VYPE Public School Player of the Year) was a key piece to Kingwood Park's success. Just a junior, she sacrificed everything for her team on a per-play basis. Overmyer exemplified what being a great leader on and off the court is. Expect the same as she will be back for her senior season.
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St. John's is a storied volleyball program in the private school realm, winning 14 state championships heading into this year. But the Mavericks hadn't claimed one since the 2009 season.
The Mavericks ended the drought this fall by winning another Southwestern Preparatory Conference State Championship.
Led by Celia Adams, Alexandra Lewis, Siena Zerr and Nova Manning, St. John's was able to claim the program's 15th state title.
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Ridge Point also turned in a year for the record books, reaching the state championship game before falling short to Flower Mound.
The Panthers were led by future Longhorn – Skylar Fields, who finished the year with 471 kills. Ridge Point was a junior-heavy team, meaning 2019 will again be a year to watch this crew. Claire Jeter had a breakout season, recording 490 kills, while Reagan Rutherford, Randee Hennings and Lindsey Ogle also had nice years.
This team nearly won it all this year and with the experience they have now, expect them to be a force next fall again.
Another player who stood out this year was Concordia Lutheran's Isabel Zelaya (Pepperdine-signee).
Zelaya capped off a great high school career with an amazing senior year. The future Pepperdine star had 900 assists, 512 kills, 368 digs, 90 aces and 59 blocks, which all led the team.
Phenomenal players and teams! Cannot wait to see what 2019 brings us.
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Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.
Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.
Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.
Key moment
Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.
Key stat
Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.
Up next
Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.