Panthers look to Garland Tournament to make ready for district

The Colleyville Heritage boys basketball team lost a tough one to Grapevine last week, and coach Stephen Hamrick said it was pretty much the type of challenging game he expects whenever the two GCISD teams lock horns.

The Panthers will compete in the Garland Tournament over the Christmas break where Hamrick said the objective is to continue to improve.

“We’ve got three good games to prepare us for district, and we are just looking to build,” Hamrick said. “We’re still trying to put some pieces together and figure out our personnel. There have been some moving parts throughout the year, so we are just going to try to continue to build and get better every day, and get ready for that next season [district competition].”

Colleyville Heritage lost by a score of 67-49 and Hamrick said Grapevine played very well offensively.

“Grapevine shot the ball extremely well,” Hamrick said. “Rivalry games are always very fun and exciting. We got off to a decent start, but it was very difficult for us to sustain, and Grapevine got extremely hot from the perimeter and shot the ball very well. They got the necessary stops and propelled themselves to a win. It was a great experience for our guys.

“There are only three guys from last year’s team to have been a part of the rivalry between Colleyville and Grapevine, so I thought it was a great chance for a lot of them to get their feet wet and see what that’s all about.”

Niko Bossinakis scored 21 points in the game for the Panthers.

Colleyville Heritage opens up the Garland Tournament with Mesquite Horn at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Lakeview Centennial High School.

Hamrick said he expects to face a strong team all the way around.

“They are a very solid basketball team and very athletic,” Hamrick said. “They are a team that really does a good job on the defensive end, and they try to dictate tempo with their defense. It will be a good opportunity for us to start preparing for Euless Trinity when we start district.”

Colleyville Heritage will open district play with Trinity at 3 p.m. on Jan. 2 at CHHS.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Panthers look to Garland Tournament to make ready for district."