MAGNOLIA — The look on Drae Murray’s face Wednesday was not as long as the one he wore following the Hornets’ season-ending loss to Beaumont Ozen earlier this year. It was close.
With a scowl, Murray said he didn’t like the way the Hornets played during their first basketball scrimmage of the new season. Huntsville lost to Stratford 25-18 in one half, then the Hornets beat Magnolia 27-13 in the second 20-minute period of Wednesday’s three-team scrimmage.
When the teams played regular eight-minute quarters, the Hornets let Stratford rally for a 13-12 win, then they closed out the scrimmage with a tight 13-11 victory over the host Bulldogs.
Murray said he realized Wednesday’s workout was just that, a workout. But he was far from impressed by the Hornets’ performance in the first of two scrimmages.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Murray, the Hornets’ lone returning starter from last season’s team that went 30-3 and reached the Region III semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs.
“There weren’t too many good things out there tonight,” Huntsville’s talented point guard added. “It was good for us to go against somebody else and see what we’ve got to do before our first real game Tuesday.”
Before the Hornets tip off the 2007-08 season at Tomball next week, coach Doug Anderson said they must address some of the areas that were severely lacking Wednesday.
The Hornets have to clamp down defensively and play the smothering style that helped them win a district championship in 2006-07 and advance to the fourth round of the postseason.
Huntsville also has to take better care of the ball. Against the Spartans and Bulldogs, the Hornets made too many silly mistakes, forcing passes and trying to do too much with the ball. Those mistakes, Anderson noted, could be chalked up as preseason lapses in judgment, but there’s an even more critical area where the Hornets showed a weakness Wednesday.
In 56 minutes of basketball (the 20-minute halves were played with a running clock), the Hornets missed 21 shots within five feet of the basket. Most of the missed shots were layups, which Anderson pointed out, cost Huntsville 42 points.
“It was unbelievable how many layups we missed,” Anderson said. “We were also trying to steal the ball too much instead of playing good, solid defense.”
For the night, Murray led the Hornets with 16 points, but he had eight turnovers, too. Junior post Kirby Ennis scored 11 points with four rebounds, while junior guard Justin Ennis added 10 points.
George Perry contributed nine points and four rebounds. Andrew Nichols, a newcomer to the Hornets’ program, had eight rebounds and three points. James McAdams added six points and three boards. Marcus Irving threw in four points with four rebounds.
“We’re a work in progress,” Anderson said, repeating the comment he made about his current team the day before its first scrimmage. “Our football guys have only been with us for a day or two. We’ll get two more days of practice in and hopefully we’ll show some improvement against Oak Ridge on Saturday.”
The Hornets host the War Eagles in a Saturday morning scrimmage starting at 10.
Sports
Hornets not happy with scrimmage
Huntsville falls to Stratford, tops Magnolia in three-team workout
- Sports
-
- Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
-
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark. -
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark. -
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.
-
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds
-
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.
-
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.
-
SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.
- RUNNING SHORTS: New study confirms the benefits of running
-
BEARKATS BASEBALL — Sam Houston wasn't going to be denied regular-season title
With four conference games left to play, all that kept Sam Houston from a Southland Conference regular season championship was just one win. Whether it was at Central Arkansas later in the week or in the Kats’ conference home finale on Sunday, just one victory would hand Sam Houston it’s first regular season conference title in 23 years. Relaxed and ready to pounce, Sam Houston jumped all over Southeastern Louisiana’s pitching staff early and relied on a strong starting pitching performance from senior Michael Oros. The Kats cruised to an 8-3 victory over the second-place Lions and the celebration was on.
- More Sports Headlines
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
