Continuing to move forward

Sports

Discussion

November 7, 2007

New coach believes Lady Hornets have what it takes to make another trip to Class 4A playoffs

By Cody Stark The Huntsville Item Wed Nov 07, 2007, 10:55 PM CST

Last season was one to remember for the Huntsville girls basketball team and it left a future full of optimism for the Lady Hornets.

Years of heartbreak and frustration were washed away when the Lady Hornets became the first squad since 2001 to make the playoffs after tying for the top spot in District 18-4A.

The girls did it one better by winning the program’s first postseason game since 1996, when Huntsville knocked off Houston Sterling 57-44 to advance to the Class 4A Region III quarterfinals.

Huntsville’s improbable playoff run ended the following week, but the stage was set for bigger things to come.

With several returning veterans and some young talent joining the team, new Lady Hornets head coach Devin Gabbard is determined to keep things moving forward.

“I think we are in good shape to make another run in the playoffs,” Gabbard said. “We are in a district with great coaches, and when you start looking at rosters, a lot of teams lost some key players. We lost some people, but we still have some key players and some new kids coming up. Last season’s JV team had a successful season and stars from that team have stepped up for us.

“This was a good time for me to come in. They are coming off a successful season and have a good mix of players to fill in certain positions. It’s a fun time to be here with a lot of promise.”

Gabbard wants the Lady Hornets to be an up-tempo team, running and gunning up and down the court. Huntsville is going to continue to play man-to-man defense and plans to press more to make other teams make mistakes.

The Lady Hornets got things rolling Tuesday night with a 56-42 victory on the road at Lufkin Hudson.

Freshman forward Ronisha Major sparkled in her debut, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Senior guard Jaleesa Thomas added 11 points, six assists, six steals and two blocks. Destini Henderson chipped in 10 points and six boards, while senior Nicole White finished with eight points and three steals to help the Lady Hornets start the season 1-0.

Gabbard was pleased with his team’s performance, but still sees room for improvement.

“I have been talking to them about being patient and last night at times we were very patient, almost to the point where we weren’t looking to score,” the coach said. “We were more worried about passing the ball. If they see the big picture and continue to be patient, then we will get easy scores like layups because of their abilities. I see a light come on a different face every day, and if we can get all 13 on the same page, we will be in good shape.”

It’s been tough for the Lady Hornets to adjust to a new coach and a new system in a short period of time. But the girls appear to be having fun out on the court.

At Wednesday afternoon’s practice, there was a lot of smiling and joking. There was also a lot of listening when Gabbard would break down a play and make adjustments.

The Lady Hornets are ready to show they belong to be in the playoffs every season and that last year wasn’t a fluke.

“It was tough at first, to learn new people and to learn a new coach and what he wants to do,” Thomas said. “But after awhile, we came together as a family. We have a lot more athletic people on the team this year, and we want to go even further.”

The Lady Hornets play Spring Westfield in the opening round of the Conroe tournament today at noon.

Text Only

Sports

Big week ahead for Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs
To say that this is an important week for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball team would be a big understatement. With the regular season winding down, much is at stake for the New Waverly boys and girls.

February 6, 2012 2 Photos
Bulldog lifters gain experience at Shepherd meet
Looking back on his lifters’ performance at last Saturday’s meet in Shepherd, New Waverly powerlifting coach Mike Carolan lauded his team’s efforts. Senior Tucker Saxton won the 220-pound classification and freshman Dillon Silvis took fifth in the 114-pound division.

February 6, 2012
Running Shorts: First 50-miler in the books
February 6, 2012
Hornet powerlifters fare well at Shepherd meet
February 5, 2012 2 Photos
Huntsville’s Thompson cruises at Willis tennis tourney, wins singles title
Hard rain, blustery wind and a change of venue could not stop Huntsville senior Kyle Thompson last Friday. The Hornets’ top tennis player cruised to three consecutive victories and earned the championship trophy in boys singles at a dual match in Willis.

February 5, 2012
Who ya got, Pats or Giants?
February 4, 2012
Bearkats back on top
The Bearkats got caught playing down to Southeastern Louisiana’s level in the first half, but a lights-out second half led to a 67-46 victory over the Lions on Saturday.
Sam Houston State turned the ball over 10 times, which resulted in nine Southeastern points at the break. That’s why the Lions trailed by only three at halftime, though they only shot 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from the floor.
Southeastern played even worse in the final 20 minutes, but most of that had to do with Sam Houston’s raised intensity level, thanks to a firm halftime message that stuck.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Hornet wrestlers make marked improvements at district meet
Exhausted but still exhilarated, the young wrestlers on the Huntsville High School team are already talking about what they can accomplish next year.
Last-place finishers at the District 20-5A meet last winter, the Hornets made a major move in 2012, finishing fifth in the 13-team varsity boys field at the district meet Friday.
Huntsville’s girls finished sixth in the team standings and Lady Hornets freshman Marissa Dixon won a district championship in the girls 128-pound division.

February 4, 2012
Hornets fall in OT, must win three in row now
The Hornets had their chances in regulation and in overtime, but they couldn’t quite get a much-needed win at Kingwood Park on Friday night.
In a basketball game that was slowed to a crawl, Huntsville dropped a 51-46 decision to the Panthers in overtime.
The pressure’s now on Huntsville in the final week and a half in order to get into the postseason.

February 4, 2012
Whispering Pines golf pro Rowe recognized as one of country’s top 50 kids’ teachers
Whispering Pines golf professional Chris Rowe is among the class of the Top 50 Kids Teachers for 2011, as selected by U.S. Kids Golf.
Rowe has been a junior golf instructor for 22 years and is currently the head professional at Whispering Pines Golf Club near Trinity. This is the first time Rowe has been named a Top 50 Kids Teacher by U.S. Kids Golf.

February 4, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Continuing to move forward

New coach believes Lady Hornets have what it takes to make another trip to Class 4A playoffs

Site Map

Contact Us