The Southwest Preparatory Conference Winter Sports Championships began today, with events taking place at various venues in Houston.

All Saints’ Episcopal School of Forth Worth and Kinkaid School of Houston kicked off the Division I bracket of the boy’s basketball tournament, held at Crum Gym on the Episcopal High School campus.

Kinkaid jumped out to an early lead over the Saints, taking a 9-6 advantage into the 2nd period.  With 1:26 left in the first half and his team facing a two-point deficit, Kinkaid’s Garrett Lowery drew a foul under the net and took advantage at the free-throw line to pull the Falcons into a 21-21 tie.  A flurry of fouls had both teams trading free throws, and All Saints’ had a late basket to end the half with a 25-22 lead.

Kinkaid’s Michael Atmar gave the Falcons an offensive spark with a pair of threes early in the third quarter, opening the door for his team to take a lead into the final period.

The momentum began to swing the Falcons’ way in the fourth quarter, as Kinkaid stretched their lead to 9 (46-37) with 6:46 left to play.

All Saints’ took a time-out to regroup, and it paid off, as Jeremy Smith drained two quick three pointers, grabbed a steal, and picked up a foul to pull his team within 5 (48-43).

The teams continued to match each other point for point, as the Saints showed their ability to hit three pointers in the clutch, while Kinkaid increased their intensity on the offensive boards, grabbing a number of second and third chance scoring opportunities.

A couple of last second fouls by All Saints’ sent Luke Minett to the line, where he capped off the 59-51 win for Kinkaid.

Alex Minett paced the Falcons with 14 points, followed by Sam Thompson with 12.  Luke Minett and Garrett Lowery each added 8.

All Saints’ Jeremy Smith led the way for his team with 13 points.  Other scorers in double figures for the Saints were Duran Hollis with 12 and Kyle Scott with 11.

After the game, Kinkaid coach Scott Zimmerman gave all the credit to his players, noting that a round of tough early-season match-ups prepared his team for today’s battle.  “They’ve kept their heads up, and their hard work is paying off.  It’s good to see them happy with this success,” Zimmerman said.

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