Maybe the Hornets should be nervous. They’re about to collide with the nation’s fifth-ranked team, a hugely talented Houston Yates squad that has sat atop Texas’ Class 4A poll all season.
Yikes, Yates (26-2) scores more than 90 points on average. The Lions reached triple digits in scoring for the seventh time in their last eight games on Friday. The Lions rolled over Austin McCallum 100-67 in the area round.
Senior E.J. Kirby led the way with 25 points; Anthony Jones, a 6-10 senior who can shoot the 3, tossed in 20 more points for coach Greg Wise’s Yates team.
The Lions’ last loss came on Dec. 22. They followed that with two wins over nationally ranked teams at the Houston vs. The Nation tournament. First, the Lions shot down Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va., then dropped St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J., during the huge Christmastime tournament.
Strangely, the Hornets don’t look worried. Most of them have played in big games before, and Tuesday’s game at the Merrell Center in Katy is just one more.
Can Huntsville keep it close and possibly upset the Lions?
Absolutely, but it will take a total team effort — a dozen guys and their coaches working together for 48 minutes, and maybe more.
What will it take for the Hornets to pull off the improbable?
Defense. The quick kind of defense they played in the first quarter of Friday night’s game against Houston Jones, and the in-your-face kind of defense that has become their trademark.
Guards Drae Murray and Justin Ennis have to hit shots and inside players Kirby Ennis, George Perry and Justin Gilbert must stay out of foul trouble.
On Friday, Murray and Ennis both popped a pair of 3-pointers, but Huntsville will probably need more production from the perimeter against Yates.
Kirby Ennis picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter against Jones, then sat for the rest of the half. The refs hit Huntsville’s strongest inside player with two more fouls early in the third quarter, but fortunately, Perry stepped up and gave the Hornets some terrific minutes guarding the Falcons’ 6-8 junior Ray Turner.
Simply put, Huntsville cannot have any breakdowns or lapses in concentration. Not against Yates.
Hungry and hunting their first state championship since 1949, the Lions have the talent to roll all the way to Austin unbeaten. Before they get there, they’ll have to tangle with a Huntsville bunch that has some talent, too.
• • • •
Talking about a Huntsville team with talent, how about those Lady Hornets, who advanced to the Region III semifinals this season? They lost to a Dickinson bunch that could be on its way to a state title, and there’s no shame in that.
Dickinson (33-4) cruised past the girls from Houston Yates 76-36 in the regional finals Saturday. Like they did against Huntsville, the Lady Gators found a groove in the second quarter and turned a close game into a rout.
Before dropping an 83-49 decision to Dickinson, the Lady Hornets rolled past Austin Crockett and Houston Jones. Huntsville edged Austin LBJ in the Region III quarterfinals.
Great season, girls. Led by seniors Jaleesa Thomas, Nicole White, Shelsea O’Bryant, Scottie Ward, Amanda Spivey and Candice Pace, the Lady Hornets and their new head coach Devin Gabbard improved on the foundation set down a year or two before by former boss Mia Cook.
Those players will be long gone next year, but Huntsville should be all right with Destini Henderson and Ronisha Major returning.
Gabbard, a pleasant guy who became the early frontrunner for the Item’s coach of the year award, has some work to do finding replacements for Thomas, White, Ward and others, but he’s got time on his side now.
Congratulations again Lady Hornets. You all did a super job and made Huntsville proud.
• • • •
If you haven’t gotten on the basketball bandwagon yet, there’s still time and a few teams alive and well. The Huntsville boys, well, you know now they will play Houston Yates on Tuesday night at the Merrell Center in Katy. That game will tip off at either 7:30 or 8 p.m., depending on whether it’s a single game or the second game of a playoff doubleheader.
The New Waverly boys, 59-54 winners over Vanderbilt Industrial on Friday, clash with District 26-2A foe Hempstead for the third time Tuesday. The Bulldogs and Bobcats battle at Navasota High School starting at 7:30 p.m.
And finally, the Sam Houston State Bearkats have four regular-season games remaining, two at home and two on the road. Bob Marlin’s team plays at Texas-Arlington on Wednesday, then comes back to Johnson Coliseum on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against Texas State.
Even though the Bearkats got bounced by Stephen F. Austin last week in Nacogdoches, they are still sitting pretty for a spot in the Southland tournament, which will be held at the Merrell Center in Katy. Huntsville hoop fans who find their way down there this week can return in March when the college madness begins.
It’s a fun time of year, especially for those who get out of the house and join the crowd.
Sports
It’s not too late to jump on Basketball Bandwagon
Hornets ready to battle salty Yates squad; Lady Hornets cap remarkable run
- Sports
-
-
Outright champs, again
Even with a little bit more difficulty, the Lady Hornets weren’t going to be denied another outright district championship, especially not on their own floor. Despite a first quarter filled with turnovers, the Huntsville girls turned up the heat and eventually wore down Kingwood Park on Friday night. Led by seniors Ceidra Coleman, Breanna Fuller and Dequayla Terry, the Lady Hornets beat the Lady Panthers 64-43 to clinch their second straight outright District 18-4A girls basketball title.
-
Hornets struggle in 4-1 loss to Pasadena Dobie
The problems with Huntsville’s boys soccer team are fixable, head coach Robert Taylor said after a 4-1 loss to Pasadena Dobie on Friday night.
-
Lady Hornets make progress in shortened golf tourney
The Huntsville girls cut a substantial amount of strokes off their score from a week ago and finished fourth in the College Park Invitational that was shortened to one round because of wet conditions at the River Plantation Country Club in Conroe.
-
Bulldogs primed for today’s powerlifting meet
The first-year powerlifting program at New Waverly High School is embracing the underdog role, especially at today’s meet in Shepherd.
-
Rivalries Renewed
Starting this fall, Huntsville will be back in a district that includes Montgomery, Magnolia, Magnolia West and Waller. The new District 18-4A also will include Bryan Rudder and Brenham. That’s going to make it tough on all sports, from volleyball and football in the fall, basketball and soccer in winter, to softball, tennis, track, baseball and golf in the spring.
-
Not many changes for Bulldogs
Bulldogs athletic director and head football coach M.K. Hamilton couldn’t sleep for nervousness Wednesday, the night before the latest realignment plan was released. It happens every two years, when the University Interscholastic League announces its classification and alignment adjustments by conferences in each region around Texas. As a result of this year’s realignment, the Bulldogs will travel less during the football season, where the district remained relatively intact, but substantially more in all other sports.
-
Hornet wrestlers ready for district
The Hornet wrestlers enter the District 20-5A meet today with a high level of experience compared to this time last season. Huntsville wrestlers have more than 20 matches under their belts, whereas they only had eight a year ago. That experience, the Hornets believe, is what allows them to have a little more confidence than expected as they travel to Conroe today for a meet that begins at 9:30 a.m.
-
Hornets RB Ford and OL Long headed to Kingsville
Huntsville teammates Henry Ford and Aundra Long knew exactly what they were going to do after taking a visit to Texas A&M-Kingsville. In limbo about where their college football careers would kick off, Ford and Long found a home as soon as they stepped foot on the campus in Kingsville.
-
Huntsville's Blount, Hazlewood and York earn academic scholarships
Huntsville linebacker Bridge Blount described the recruiting road he recently trudged as rough and rocky at times, full of twists, turns and changes in direction. When Blount finally reached the end of the road Wednesday morning and accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Sam Houston State coach Willie Fritz, he was thrilled beyond belief.
-
Bearkats building for the future
On the heels of a trip to the Football Championship Subdivision title game, Sam Houston State coaches had very little time to square away their 2012 recruiting class. In a span of less than a month, Bearkats coach Willie Fritz and his staff did some last-minute selling and signed 17 recruits on Wednesday on national signing day.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
