The Texas Stampede wrapped up the 2014 calendar year with a 2nd and 3rd place respectfully at the Metal and Muscle Invitational in Houston, Texas.  The event hosted by Houston Parks and Rec and Texas Regional Paralympics Sport provided the Stampede a chance to take two teams – Orange and White to compete. “We were excited to have 2 competitive teams in the tournament”, said coach James Gumbert. “It certainly gave some lines that we needed to evaluate an opportunity to get quality minutes and game experience”.

The Orange team started the weekend against Heartland hopeful the Lakeshore Demolition.  The Stampede played a tight game going back and forth with the Demolition but eventually the Orange wins a thriller 47-46.  Game 2 for the Orange Crush saw the Stampede match up against an Atlantic squad – the New York Strykers.  The match was a great game for some of the youth on the team and saw Texas come away with a 56-44 victory.  The last match of the day was against 2013 D2 runner up and MaM host Houston.  In a carryover from last week’s Texas Cup, the Orange side used the benefits of tendencies learned last week that Houston used and applied it to a 50-33 win.

The White team began their tournament against #2 seed Tampa Generals. The Stampede team which boasted newcomers and veterans jumped to a small lead that expanded to a 4 point margin.  The Stampede withstood a late charge by the Generals and won 46-41. Game 2 saw the White go head to head with in state rival North Texas Cowboys.  The game proved to be another opportunity for the youth of the team to step up.  The Stampede answered the bell and defeat North Texas 56-44.  The night cap on Friday saw Texas square off against up and coming Brooks Bandits.  Texas wasted no time and left nothing to chance as they hit the Bandits quickly with solid play and a tough defense.  Texas White overmatches Brooks 62-35.

Day 2 saw a great match up with the Orange facing powerhouse Ninjas.  The Ninjas were in fact 3 past and present USA deuces (Delagrave, Melton, McBride, and 1.5 Engelby). The two sides traded goals for most of the game. The match was only decided in the final minutes as team Orange pulled away to a 55-53 victory. With a crossover game against Sierra left on the Saturday schedule, the Stampede wanted to make sure they took care of business to make sure they made it to the final. The Orange squad brought their A game and advanced to the final defeating Sierra 58-46.

Team White’s day began against Sierra.  With an unbeaten record on the line the Stampede tried to improve their play from day 1 and cut down on turnovers.  The White came out with purpose and was able to play the bench in a lopsided game. The final Texas 52-43 Sierra.  The crossover for the White would have them going against the proven Ninjas. “We played them well”, said Gabe Garcia. “We just made some bad passes and didn’t talk that well”.  The combination of the 2 issues proved to be too much and the Stampede drop their first match 44-53.

Day 3 would see 2 rematches - White vs Sierra and Orange vs Ninjas. White came out and rebounded from Saturday’s loss with a team victory 49-39.  “All team members contributed and it was good to see the team come back and win” said assistant coach Norm Lyduch. 

The final saw a great match with both teams going back and forth and with 4 mins left in the game the Ninjas took a 2 point lead.  The Stampede clawed and fought but could not get the game even and in the end lost to a good team 47-51. “The weekend was great for us on and off the court” said coach James Gumbert.  “We were able to learn so much and get ready for the 2nd half of the season”. 

Huge thanks goes out to our families and fans. Special thanks goes to Pam, Hez and Norm for their unselfish work in keeping the teams rolling and ready to go.  For more information go to www.fearthesteer.com