By Tom Waddill
WALLER — The Hornets certainly didn’t have a cakewalk Tuesday night, but because they buckled down defensively and started hitting shots, they didn’t wear egg on their faces back to Huntsville.
The Hornets (7-0 in District 18-4A, 19-5 overall) shook off a lackadaisical first half and wrested control from a pesky Waller squad after the break. Guards Drae Murray and Justin Ennis combined to hit five 3-pointers in a decisive third-quarter run that helped the Hornets pull away for a 76-58 victory over the Bulldogs.
Murray hit a pair of 3-pointers and Ennis added three more during Huntsville’s 29-19 third-quarter spurt that gave the Hornets a 60-49 lead heading into the final period. Equally important was the Hornets’ decision to sport their brand of in-your-face defense, which was glaringly absent in the first half.
Murray finished with 25 points, nine assists, seven steals and four rebounds. Ennis had 19 points, three rebounds and four assists. Marcus Irving and Kirby Ennis added 10 points and three boards apiece, while Howard Brown scored six, all in the second half. Justin Gilbert, Jercolby Gamble and George Perry scored two points each for HHS.
Trent Thomas led Waller (5-2 in 18-4A, 16-8 overall) with 15 points. Stephen Williams scored 14, and big man Isaac Watson added 12 for the Bulldogs.
Murray said after the game that the Hornets may have taken Waller a little too lightly. With a chance to tie Huntsville for the district lead, the Bulldogs were fired up and ready for Tuesday’s game. The Hornets, by their own admission, were not.
“I’ve got to agree with what coach said. We didn’t get off the bus ready to play tonight,” said Murray, who showed off his senior leadership skills after the Hornets fell behind by as many as seven points in the second quarter. “In the second half, we had a lot more intensity and played like the Hornets. We picked up our defense and started running and gunning.”
Huntsville actually made a nifty little run in the last three minutes of the first half. Trailing 26-19 after Watson muscled in a basket, Murray put the Hornets on his back and led them on a 12-4 run to close the second period. In that span, Murray scored 10 points. Gamble scored the Hornets’ other two points after Irving stole an inbound pass.
When Murray turned another steal into a basket at the buzzer, suddenly the momentum shifted to the visitors’ side.
“One thing I liked about the first half was, after nothing was going our way — fouls and not playing hard defense — still we had a one-point lead,” Anderson said. “I told them at halftime, if we would just play like we’re capable of playing we would win the game by 20.”
The Hornets played to their potential in the second half and nearly hit their coach’s prediction on the money.
Huntsville started stretching its lead when an intentional foul was called on a breakaway play involving Justin Ennis and Thomas. Ennis was on his way to an easy layup when Thomas grabbed the Hornet guard from behind. The two players got in each other’s face, and the Bulldogs were hit with an additional technical foul.
On what became a six-point possession, Ennis made three of four free throws, then Murray swished a 3 from the left corner to make it 40-33.
Murray hit another 3 on the Hornets’ next trip down. Before the period ended, Justin Ennis found his touch and netted three 3s.
“I hit one shot early, then I kind of hit a drought,” Ennis said. “In the second half, the shots started falling again. My point guard didn’t lose faith in me.”
In the closest district game yet, the Hornets never panicked. They kept their cool, even when Waller was leading and seemingly getting most of the breaks.
A Huntsville team that turned the ball over 10 times in the first 16 minutes, only had two turnovers after intermission. The Hornets forced 23 Waller turnovers, 12 in the second half.
“We needed a close game,” Murray said. “The final score doesn’t look like this one was close, but it was close the whole way. We just pulled together and played as a team in the second half. That’s how we pulled it out.”
The Hornets are back at home Friday for another district game against Livingston. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
