CONROE — The Hornets looked pretty good prior to the Christmas holiday. They looked better Saturday in the championship game of the Conroe Christmas Classic.
In a 68-61 win over Atascocita, the Huntsville boys captured their second consecutive first-place trophy from the Conroe tournament. Unlike their 38-point victory over Livingston on Dec. 21, the Hornets (14-5) had to work like Trojans from start to finish to get past the pesky Eagles (16-4).
“We played four very good quarters against Atascocita,” Hornets coach Doug Anderson said. “We knew that’s what it would take to beat that team because they are very good.”
After edging Crosby 61-60, Anderson challenged his team, which, according to the coach, gave a ho-hum performance in the first gold-bracket game Saturday and barely got away with it.
“In the locker room, I wrote the letter C and the letter A on the board,” Anderson said. “Against Crosby we played like a C team. I told the guys they better play like an A team against Atascocita, because if they play like a C team again, they were going to get beat by 30.
“They stepped up and answered the challenge.”
The Hornets definitely did that.
In a matchup fitting a tournament championship game, Huntsville and Atascocita went toe-to-toe for 32 minutes.
Thanks to a 3-pointer from senior guard Drae Murray, the Hornets led 21-19 after one period. Huntsville stretched its lead to as many as seven points in the second quarter, but Atascocita fired back and cut the Hornets’ lead to two at the break.
The Hornets built a 10-point lead in the third quarter only to have the Eagles soar back and get within two early in the fourth. Down the stretch, the Hornets took control by going inside to big man Kirby Ennis. The 6-5 junior scored six of his 14 points in the final period and helped Huntsville regain its double-digit lead.
A tip-in by Ennis put the Hornets on top 66-56 with less than two minutes to play. Teammate Justin Ennis added three successful free throws in the final 20 seconds to put the game on ice.
Murray led the Hornets in the championship game with 20 points. He dished out four assists with no turnovers and pulled down four rebounds.
Justin Ennis had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Howard Brown, the fourth Hornet to score in double figures, had 11 points with four boards and two blocks.
George Perry yanked down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with his five points. Marcus Irving scored three with three boards. Lonny Lipscomb added two points.
Atascocita had three players hit double digits in scoring. Austen Nickell had 14 points and six boards. Everett Pleasant added 13 points and four rebounds. Cristian Driver had 11 points, while Shawn Toran and Jamal Branch threw in nine points apiece.
Anderson said he liked the way the Hornets played in Conroe, especially in wins over Morton Ranch and Atascocita. Huntsville also beat Oak Ridge on Friday.
“We played four very physical games. Hopefully, that’s really going to help us,” Anderson said. “Our guys know now that when they get after it on defense, they know we can go.
“We got some really good things off the bench this weekend. Lonny Lipscomb sparked us in the fourth quarter against Crosby with a couple of steals, and Justin Gilbert came in (against Atascocita) and let us rest Kirby a little. Marcus Irving is also contributing and playing very well.”
As a unit, the Hornets played well both Friday and Saturday. With Murray back on the floor, Huntsville had more success shooting from the perimeter. Murray popped three 3-pointers against Atascocita; Justin Ennis and Irving added one each.
The Hornets also outworked the Eagles on the boards. Atascocita had a slight height advantage, but that did not show up in the final statistics. Huntsville grabbed 44 boards to the Eagles’ 34.
Additionally, the Hornets only turned the ball over five times.
“We’re playing well right now,” Anderson said. “We’ve just got to keep playing hard and continue making progress.”
Sports
Huntsville boys bring trophy back home
- 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



