HUNTSVILLE — NEW CANEY — Though it had been more than a week since the New Waverly boys played a meaningful game, the Dogs didn’t show an ounce of rust Thursday night.
With a strong defensive effort, the top-ranked Bulldogs cruised past East Chambers 78-36 and into the Region III quarterfinals where they’ll face either fourth-ranked Kountze or Buffalo early next week.
“We had a real good warm-up game against Coldspring last Friday. I think that kept the blood flowing,” New Waverly head coach Bill Goffney said. “We came out pretty intense and that’s what we emphasized the whole season.
“The guys I thought did a real solid job up front. I was real pleased with the effort.”
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, a lead they did not relinquish, with eight of their first points coming from inside the paint.
With a little less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Hank Jones scored East Chambers’ initial basket.
But the Bulldogs stuck with their inside-out offense, which was effective against the Bucs’ man-to-man defense, and outscored East Chambers 10-4 through the rest of the period.
Holding onto a double-digit lead in the second quarter, the Dogs (29-3) ran into foul trouble. Junior point guard Arthur Reece and senior guards X’Zavious Harrison and Tyren Watts each collected three fouls apiece and had to sit.
The Bulldogs’ offense suddenly ran cold. Through the first five minutes of the second quarter, New Waverly scored only seven points. But the Buccaneers couldn’t capitalize and managed just eight points in that span.
“The guys that came off the bench did a good job of not panicking and letting the lead slip away,” Goffney said. “They got us to the second half and let us get those guys back in there.
“The thing about us is that we don’t mind being patient. Not scoring doesn’t hurt us. We’ve had games where we just hold the ball and we’re able to do that. In those instances where we do go stagnant, it’s not that we’re in panic mode.”
Sophomores Johnathon Reece and Isaiah Gilliam and freshman Josh Durisseau entered the game and filled in nicely.
After the lead was whittled down to 10 points, the three underclassmen started to be more productive offensively.
Toward the end of the second quarter, they started to find their touch. Gilliam hit a 3-pointer and Durisseau drilled a couple of treys to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 18 points at 32-14.
“Everybody chipped in,” said Harrison, who poured in a game-high 24 points. “That was really good to see.”
In the second half, East Chambers went to a zone defense, preventing the Bulldogs from slashing their way through the lane, which is how the Dogs scored most of their points in the first and second quarters.
It was clear that if the Bulldogs were going to hold on to their lead and advance onto the next round, they were going to have to hit some shots.
The Dogs, though, found their shooting touch rather quickly with a collection of 3-pointers and mid-range shots, never cooling off the rest of the way. Harrison hit four 3s and Watts, who typically tries to find an open lane in the paint and drive between defenders to the basket, drilled one from downtown.
“Our shooters really found a groove in the second half,” Harrison added. “We just let it fly and it kept going in. We like days like today.”
Local Sports
Bulldogs pass first test
Top-ranked New Waverly rolls through East Chambers 78-36
- Local Sports
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- Tommy Vaughn
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Home, sweet home
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Huntsville coaches keep pushing
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Huntsville’s young bunch succeeded on both accounts. -
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Regardless, the Lady Lions took care of business, and despite a sluggish second game, cruised to a 25-15, 26-24, 25-16 victory over Northeast Christian Academy of Kingwood. Alpha Omega improved to 3-2 in district action with the win. -
Kats come to life
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Sam Houston State electrified the crowd with explosive plays in the passing and running games and the defense brought the heat as the Bearkats whipped the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb 30-14 at Bowers Stadium. - More Local Sports Headlines
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