KATY—History looks pretty sweet in blue and white.
Clements’ dazzling playoff run continued Tuesday in its finest season ever, as the Rangers outlasted Mayde Creek, 49-42, in their Region III-6A quarterfinal at the Merrell Center.
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In a game between two teams that had never been this far in the postseason, divine intervention sparked Clements. Sophomore guard Divine Ugochukwu scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lift the 28-9 Rangers to Friday’s semifinal against Atascocita at 7:30 p.m. at the Berry Center.
“Execute the offense and defense,” said Ugochukwu, who added eight rebounds and two steals. “Win the game. Finish through. I’m ready for these moments, and I finally get to show it. We practice for those moments all the time. It was nothing for us.”
After the game, fifth-year head coach Van Price immediately made a sprint for the stands to celebrate with his wife. Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, whose son Abudallah is the starting center for Clements, joyfully looked on.
.@CHS_BASKETBALL coach Van Price celebrating with family. Hakeem Olajuwon quite happy as well. Rangers off to the regional semifinals for the first time. #txhshoops @FBISDAthletics @CHighFB @KPRC2RandyMcpic.twitter.com/ZZCzm0wg03— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1646190198
“When your kids work, things like this are possible,” Price said. “I’m just so happy for our kids, our school, and our community.”
Mayde Creek (25-11) led 25-22 at the half. The Rams hit 4 of 6 3-pointers in the first quarter and got off to a strong 8-2 start before Clements fought its way back.
Mayde Creek finished with a plus-12 point advantage in 3s in the first half, making 5 of 8 to Clements’ 1 for 10.
“We went in at half and told the guys they’re getting good shots and they (Mayde Creek) (only) got a three-point lead,” Price said. “Just stay the course. Those shots would start falling. We’ve got some good players, and those guys stepped up and made some big plays.”
First, it was Abdullah Olajuwon. The 6-foot-4 versatile forward scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in the third quarter. He added two assists for good measure.
Olajuwon’s attack off the dribble thwarted the Rams’ defense, as he was able to use his size and skill to get whatever he wanted offensively. He finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists.
Abdullah Olajuwon is having a great 3Q. Impressive dribble-drive skills. He\u2019s got 8 points and 3 rebounds in the period. #txhshoops @CHS__BASKETBALL @FBISDAthleticspic.twitter.com/oKeOC0OS7Z— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1646188065
“He’s been the jack-of-all-trades for us all year,” Price said. “Blocking shots, rebounding, scoring, assisting. He’s been all of that.”
Clements won the third quarter by four points, taking a one-point lead into the fourth. But the Rams, who forced 12 turnovers and only gave it away three times, made a rally of their own and led 35-34 with 4:53 left.
With the Rangers back ahead, 40-39, Ugochukwu drilled a wide open 3 off a pass from Olajuwon with 2:15 left. Mayde Creek freshman Christian Jones answered with a nice step-back 3 of his own to make it 43-42, Clements.
From there, the Rangers burned off more than 80 seconds of clock holding the ball and playing keep-away before calling a timeout. On the ensuing sideline out-of-bounds play, Ugochukwu got open on a back-cut for a slam, taking a nice delivery from Olajuwon high above the 3-point arc.
Divine Ugochukwu. Easy 2. He\u2019s gpt 10 this 4Q, and that might have been the back breaker. 45-42 Rangers. @CHS__BASKETBALLpic.twitter.com/cfgLdVvdpE— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1646189564
“He’s played a lot of big basketball, from AAU in high school to even coming out of middle school, when we knew he was a good player,” Price said of Ugochukwu. “Our thing was, when you’ve got kids that can play, put them in systems that allow them to play.”
After a Mayde Creek turnover, senior Jaden Campbell leaked out in transition for an easy lay-in to put the game away for good.
Defense was Clements’ anchor late. After that hot start from 3-point range, Mayde Creek went 2 of 16 from deep over the final three quarters. Rams junior guard Angel Sonnier had 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, but none of his teammates scored more than seven points.
Mayde Creek scored 17 points in the second half, and only six in the third quarter.
“We’re making history,” Ugochukwu said. “It’s a good feeling. We worked so hard and practiced for this. We wanted to execute the assignment. We finally got it done.”
.@CHS_BASKETBALL sophomore Divine Ugochukwu talks about tonight\u2019s Region III-6A quarterfinal win over Mayde Creek. Ugochukwu had 10 of 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Rangers are in the regional semis for the first time. #txhshoops @CHighFB @ClementsBooster @FBISDAthleticspic.twitter.com/oarFjovmrj— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1646191417
Coming into this season, Price thought he’d have a good team. He was just concerned about a lack of depth and size.
But over the course of the season, and with the emergence of Ugochukwu as one of the top Houston area talents in the Class of 2024, the Rangers found their way. Aside from the precocious sophomore and Olajuwon, sophomore Bryce Mathews had five points and six rebounds. Campbell added four points and five rebounds off the bench.
“The guys we have that step on the court are pretty good players, so that kind of negates everything else where we might fall short,” Price said.
Like on the court, it has been a total team effort off it.
“It’s about all the people that are a part of this,” Price said. “From our administration to our athletic coordinators, Coach Bobby Darnell and Lauryn Berger … extremely supportive and helpful. Our principal, Mr. (David) Yaffie. They’ve all been great. This has been a collective effort from everyone.”