By Jim Irish
Cedar Creek boys basketball opened its 2022 season with two victories on the road.
Last Friday, The Eagles played a competitive Northeast Early College squad, putting it away in the fourth quarter for a 69-57 win.
Cedar Creek led 20-16 after the first quarter and outscored Northeast 15-7 in the second.
“They were very resilient,” Cedar Creek coach Valentino Maxwell said about Northeast. “Starting on the road is tough for any program. The first quarter we were slow. We had a great second quarter.”
Point guard Robert Conrad, a 5-foot-11 junior, led the Eagles with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and five assists.
Kenji Franklin, a 6-6 sophomore, scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and made 3 steals.
Bryan Allen, the quarterback on the football team, added 17 points.
The Eagles shot 44% (26-of-59) from the floor and 63% (17-of-27) from the free throw line.
On Saturday, Cedar Creek outscored Eastside Early College 24-0 en route to a 92-30 victory. All 12 members of the Eagles scored.
“You want to attack the basket when you’re on the road,” Maxwell said. “You don’t want to settle for shots.”
The Eagles outscored Eastside in each of the four quarters, including 27-6 in the third.
Conrad, Franklin, and newcomer Phineas Koplin all chipped in 16 points. Koplin hit 3-of-4 3-pointers. Conrad had seven steals.
Cedar Creek connected on 52% (39-of-75) from the floor but only 44% (10-of-23) from the free throw line.
"...All 12 (players) could work for significant minutes."
-- Cedar Creek coach Valentino Maxwell
Maxwell was pleased with the depth of his squad.
“We just got the football guys,” he said. “All 12 (players) could work for significant minutes. It’s only going to make us stronger. It’s never been that way in the past.”
Cedar Creek will face a stern test against Class 6A Del Valle at home in a non-district matchup on Tuesday. The Eagles fell to Del Valle 65-61 last season.
On Thursday, the Eagles will compete against Katy Cinco Ranch and San Antonio Lanier in the Austin tournament.
In another season opener on Saturday, Bastrop lost to Rockdale 65-47 on the road Tuesday.
No statistics were available.
The Eagles play host host to Belton on Tuesday.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer living in Bastrop, Texas