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Hornets do it all
Laday, Driscoll combine for 47 points as Huntsville routs Lufkin in opener
For about two minutes Tuesday, the Hornets looked like a team playing its season opener.
The rest of the night, Huntsville looked a lot like the teams that have won three consecutive district championships and made thrilling runs in the Class 4A state basketball playoffs.
The Hornets did it all Tuesday in a thorough 74-49 trouncing of Class 5A Lufkin. They ran the floor, played defense, hit long-range bombs and posted up inside against a big and strong Lufkin team that has been picked to win its district this season.
In their first official outing, the Hornets had only 11 turnovers and they outrebounded Lufkin 45-31.
“I liked that,” Hornets coach Larry Carlson said of his team’s debut. “It was kind of a surprise, but we played pretty well tonight.”
Senior Jeremy Laday poured in 27 points and ripped down 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who play at home again Friday against Alief Hastings.
Classmate James Driscoll added 20 points and six boards, while junior Jason Nwisienyi scored six points with eight rebounds and senior Adrian Boudreaux tossed in eight points with three rebounds.
Junior Michael Jones scored six points for Huntsville and senior Marvin Dunbar added four points and six boards. Sophomore Kriston Minor scored three with two rebounds.
Jadarius Davis, a 6-7 senior post, scored 21 points for the Panthers, but he had only seven rebounds. Eleven of his points came from the free-throw line, too.
“Davis is no light load down on the block,” Carlson said. “We needed that to break in our big guys. Brady (Nichols) came in and played some good defense for us. Michael Jones gave us some good minutes and Nwisienyi showed some good signs, blocking shots and blocking out.”
After having trouble with the Panthers’ full-court press and falling behind 6-0 in the first two minutes of the game, the Hornets settled down and started lighting up the scoreboard.
Driscoll got Huntsville going when he hustled for an offensive rebound and scored. A minute later, the 6-5 forward hit the first of his four 3-pointers and that seemed to spark the Hornets’ offense.
“I know people had some jitters,” Driscoll said. “Boudreaux told me he almost missed a layup because he was nervous. But once we started playing, we settled down and got after them.”
By the end of the opening period, Huntsville had shot out to a 19-12 lead. At halftime, the Hornets stretched their advantage to 11 points, and by the end of three, the game was decided at 51-28.
Laday hurt Lufkin in a lot of ways. He used his quickness to break the Panthers’ press. He leaped high to grab rebounds and swat a shot. And like most of his teammates, he was hot shooting the ball.
“We shot the ball very well,” said Laday, who missed Saturday’s four-team scrimmage because he was running in the state cross country meet. “We got some good wide-open looks and we knocked them down.”
Driscoll added, “We didn’t shoot with any hesitation. Our young guys, if they were open they shot it.”
Carlson was glad to see all of his players get the season off to such a strong start.
“Having Jeremy here was different because he’s so hard to guard,” Carlson said. “And when Driscoll’s hitting shots, that opens things up for us. You have to guard him out on the perimeter.
“The thing that really pleases me is we’re still missing seven guys,” the coach said of the Hornets who are still playing football. “Hopefully when those guys get up here we can keep this going and be that much more athletic. ... We’ve got a lot of work to do, but this was a good step in the right direction.”
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Top-ranked Cubs bring big bats to Huntsville
On a night when Brenham’s Chase Wellbrock nearly threw a no-hitter, Huntsville head coach Jeff Brumbelow shook his head more about the Cubs’ impressive hit parade.
Brenham came to Kate Barr Ross Park on Wednesday and quickly took control on the District 18-4A baseball game against the Hornets. The top-ranked Cubs banged out 16 hits in the first three innings and scored 13 runs on their way to a commanding 18-1 win over Huntsville. -
Just deserts
Seniors Jeremy LaDay, Marvin Dunbar and Justin Gilbert refused to listen to the people who said the Hornets were headed for a subpar season in 2009-10.
Huntsville’s run was done, some folks said last fall. That only fueled the fire for LaDay, Dunbar and Gilbert. -
Lady Hornets bound for playoffs
The Lady Hornets are in the state soccer playoffs.
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Cooper to take over Hornet defense
Shane Martin did not have to look far to find the guy who will fill his old shoes with the Hornets football program.
Huntsville’s new head football coach promoted David Cooper, one of his hard-working assistants, to defensive coordinator, the job Martin held for the past two seasons. -
Huntsville's Baggett jumps at chance to play in Space City Classic
Out of the blue, Huntsville senior Forbes Baggett got some good news Tuesday.
An all-district offensive and defensive lineman, Baggett received an invitation to play in the Space City Classic, an all-star football game featuring Houston-area players. The game is scheduled Saturday evening at Delmar Stadium in Houston. -
Trying to make history
The floor at Hornet Gym sure looked crowded Wednesday afternoon. That’s because there were 13 players running around like crazy — five on offense and eight on defense.
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Fish in the water
Huntsville freshmen Matthew Bitara and Sierra Wagner could hardly contain their excitement Thursday afternoon when talking about their upcoming meet.
The young Huntsville duo will be among the state’s top swimmers as they race in the UIL Swimming and Diving State Championships, which begin this morning at the Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin. - Hornets excited about area-round clash with No. 25 C.E. King
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Alive and kicking
HOUSTON — Kingwood Park hung around and hung around, but the Lady Hornets were just too strong down the stretch.
Huntsville finally wore down a feisty Lady Panthers squad in the fourth quarter to cruise to a 69-54 victory in the area round of the Class 4A girls basketball playoffs Friday night at the Campbell Center. -
Huntsville girls to put Panthers in pressure cooker
While the Lady Hornets were taking care of Elgin in the bi-district round of the playoffs Tuesday night, Huntsville assistant girls basketball coach Mike Ray was scouting Huntsville’s next opponent.
The Lady Hornets (23-7) are set to battle Kingwood Park in the area round today at 6 p.m. at the Campbell Center in Houston. - More Hornet Sports Headlines
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Top-ranked Cubs bring big bats to Huntsville
