PLAYOFF BASKETBALL: Ready for rematch

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Huntsville senior Ceidra Coleman flies toward the basket during last Friday’s area-round playoff game against Dayton. Coleman helped the Lady Hornets pull out a 48-46 victory. Tonight, the Huntsville girls will try and make some noise that will be heard all across Texas. The Lady Hornets play top-ranked Beaumont Ozen in a Region III quarterfinal game at the Campbell Center. Tom Waddill

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February 21, 2012

Lady Hornets excited about opportunity to play top-ranked Ozen

By Tom Waddill Sports Editor The Huntsville Item Tue Feb 21, 2012, 12:02 AM CST

HUNTSVILLE — Some teams would be tense and more than a little uptight the day before tackling the No. 1 team in Texas.

Not the Lady Hornets from Huntsville.

These young girls are relaxed and upbeat, ready for the rematch they have been hoping for since the Region III tournament last season.

“We’ve just got to play our tempo, work hard and play defense,” junior forward Maya Perry said Monday. “Defense wins us games.”

Champions of District 18-4A for three consecutive seasons, Huntsville (28-5) meets Beaumont Ozen (32-0) tonight at 6:30 in the Region III quarterfinals at the Campbell Center in Houston. Ozen, which squeaked past the Lady Hornets 58-57 in last year’s regional final, has not lost since last season’s state semifinals.

“Ozen is extremely long and athletic,” Huntsville coach Jay Oliphant warns. “We’ve got to do a good job with our passes, everybody has to rebound and everybody’s got to block out. We’ve just got to take better care of the ball.

“If we play up to our potential, we’ll be just fine,” added the coach, who has led the Lady Hornets to the Region III tournament the past two years. Huntsville lost to La Marque in the region semifinals in 2010, then last year, Ozen scored four consecutive points to rally past the Lady Hornets in the final game before the state tournament.

The Lady Hornets say they owe Beaumont Ozen one. They’re not intimidated by Nekia Jones’ size, Asia Booker’s athleticism or Bealoved Brown’s speed.

Huntsville has size, skills and speed, too. And the Lady Hornets are anxious to unleash everything they’ve got on tonight’s opponent.

“We played them last year and almost beat them,” guard Demi Turner said of the Lady Panthers. “We’ve just got to come out even harder this time so we can get revenge.”

“The main thing we’ve got to do is shut down their key players,” added Myah Antwi. “Their point guard (Booker) is very good and their post is good. We’ve just got to play defense, run the ball and keep up our speed so we make them get tired.

“We’ve got to take them out of their comfort zone.”

The Lady Hornets feel a little lucky to be getting a shot at Beaumont Ozen. Late last week, Huntsville had to fight back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off upset-minded Dayton in the area round of the Class 4A playoffs.

“We had way too many turnovers. We were making stupid passes,” Turner said bluntly. “We were just throwing the ball away.”

On the same night, Ozen struggled to get past Summer Creek, the third-place team from District 18-4A. The Lady Panthers trailed by four in the third quarter, but they wisely went to their strength — Jones’ inside game — and that made the difference in a 55-43 win.

With Huntsville and Ozen both surviving scares last Friday, tonight’s match was set. The winner returns to the Region III tournament this weekend, back at the Campbell Center.

“We’ve got to come out stronger than we have been and get on top of them early,” Perry stressed.

Antwi added, “We’ve got to communicate, control the speed of the game, pressure the ball and play a tough mental game. If we do those things, we should be all right.”

HUNTSVILLE BASKETBALL

Today: Lady Hornets vs. Beaumont Ozen in Class 4A Region III quarterfinals, Campbell Center, 6:30 p.m.

Records: Lady Hornets are 28-5; Lady Panthers are 32-0

Last season: Ozen defeated Huntsville 58-57 in Region III final

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PLAYOFF BASKETBALL: Ready for rematch

Lady Hornets excited about opportunity to play top-ranked Ozen

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