With about five minutes left in the June XPlosion championship game Sunday, Houston Hoops coach Willie Patrick said two things.

First, he told his team they still had enough time to erase a 13-point deficit.

Then he half-joked with a nearby reporter, telling them they’d probably end up talking to Houston Select players because they were on track to win.

Patrick went 1-for-2.

In a somewhat improbable turn of events, Houston Hoops fought back from an 18-point deficit with six minutes remaining, tying the game on Brandon Peters’ 3-pointer at the buzzer and winning 89-87 in two overtimes at Pearland Middle School-West.

“We played some good defense down the stretch. I always tell our kids just to go hard for four quarters and keep playing,” said Patrick, Wheatley High School’s coach. “This was a great game. I’m so proud of our kids. We came out sluggish but we played well at the end.”

Houston Select closed the first half on an 8-0 run, then built a 63-45 lead with less than six minutes left in the second half. Select’s Aron Harwell was nearly untouchable at the time, scoring six straight points on a free throw, NBA 3-pointer and a layup off a steal.

But Houston Hoops steadily clawed back, drawing within 10 on two Kenny Harris free throws. That kickstarted a 22-8 run that featured baskets mostly off transition and several forced turnovers.

Marshall Lang hit two free throws with a minute left to make it 73-71, Mikale McLean had a 3-point play off two missed Select free throws with 9.4 seconds left to make it 75-74, then Select’s Joe Okafor from Bellaire hit two foul shots for a three-point lead.

Peters, from Yates High School, got several looks at a tying shot before he stepped about a foot behind the arc and got a decent try off with less than a second remaining.

“I had to find a great space,” Peters said. “I got a great pass and I just made the shot.”

Both teams scored two points in the first overtime and Select led by four within the first 20 seconds of the second overtime, but Harris’ 3-point play with 1:01 left gave Hoops the lead for good, its first lead since 25-24 late in the first half.

“Coach just told us not to panic,” Peters said. “We just remembered the things we do well and we played hard. We started playing better defense than what we’d been playing.”

Harwell led Houston Hoops with 13 points. Jamel Outler, Kenny Anyigbo and Marion Grice added 10 each.

Consolation final: STR8 Ballin 78, L&S Airwalkers 16-U 67

Cypress-based STR8 Ballin opened the second half with a 19-7 run, then used a late 8-0 run to surprise L&S Airwalkers in the consolation final.

Gabriel Sanchez (Cypress Springs) and Gabriel Dow (Westfield) both scored 21 points – and each had 16 in the second half – to pace STR8 Ballin, which trailed 39-29 at halftime but used a smothering, trapping defense to lead by as much as 14 in the final minutes.

“They went on a huge run but we just decided to stick with the starters and ride them to the end. It was the last game of the day so why not?” STR8 Ballin coach Virgil Ray said. “We just use smallball. We like to push, we like to run and play uptempo. Our tallest player is 6-foot-4, so everybody has to be on the same page as far as rebounding and trying to get to the boards. We just have to make the most of our opportunities.”

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