By Tom Waddill
On a night when the visitors from Alief Hastings had plenty of second chances, the Hornets finally got their hands on a few extra rebounds as the clock ticked toward 0:00 in overtime.
Huntsville could not capitalize, though. The Hornets missed three shots at the end of the overtime period and Hastings hung on for an exciting 56-54 victory.
The Hornets (1-1) took a 53-50 lead early in the extra period when senior Marvin Dunbar swished an open 3-pointer from the left corner. Huntsville had a chance to put the game away, but five missed free throws gave the Bears a chance.
Hastings (1-1) made the most of its opportunities, outscoring Huntsville 6-1 after Dunbar’s 3-pointer.
“We let this one slip away,” said Dunbar, who scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds. “All of those missed free throws, plus we had at least three chances to win the game there at the end. I missed a floater, Quentin (Merritt) rebounded and missed one right under the goal, then (Adrian) Boudreaux’s 3-pointer got blocked.”
After Huntsville missed its third shot, Hastings forward Clinton Newosh yanked down a rebound and held the ball until the buzzer rang.
Three days after smoking Lufkin 74-49 in the season opener, Huntsville found itself in a nip-and-tuck struggle that wasn’t decided in four quarters. The Hornets hung tough against a speedy and extremely scrappy Hastings squad.
Huntsville senior Jeremy Laday scored 30 points, but he also had seven turnovers and seven missed free throws. Laday and Dunbar were the only Hornets to score in double digits. Merritt came off the bench to score six points for the Hornets.
Jason Nwisienyi grabbed six rebounds and scored two points for HHS. James Driscoll also scored two.
Hastings guard Deandre Hayden scored 19 and Newosh added 12. Ashton Harrell tossed in seven points and ripped down 12 rebounds for the Bears.
Hornets coach Larry Carlson was upset about his team’s 12-of-26 shooting from the free-throw line and Hastings’ 46-31 edge on the boards, but he was thrilled with his team’s desire to battle with the Bears.
“That was a great game for our kids,” Carlson said. “They didn’t back down and they didn’t give up. There were times when we could have gotten blown out, but our guys didn’t let that happen.
“I think we were intimidated by their speed and their tradition. That’s a Houston powerhouse right there. They’re consistently in big tournaments, and they’re consistently in the top 25 in the Houston area.
“We need to improve our rebounding and our free throws. ... Their advantage on the boards, I think that was effort. Really and truly, we played a seven-man rotation and we were tired.”
Dunbar admitted to being gassed toward the end of the game.
“I think everybody was getting tired,” he said. “They had people coming in and coming out and that just wore us out.”
Huntsville trailed 44-38 early in the fourth quarter, but when the Bears tried to slow the pace and hold the basketball, the Hornets cranked up the defensive pressure. Laday and Dunbar teamed up on a pair of steals and three straight baskets to even the score at 44.
The game went back and forth for the final three minutes of regulation. Hastings held a 50-48 lead with a minute to go, but Laday drained a couple of free throws to send the game into overtime.
Carlson said his players, eight of whom are newcomers to the varsity level, got a taste Friday of what playoff basketball is like. The coach stressed that the Hornets would have won had they hit more free throws and hustled more on the boards.
“The dagger was us not making free throws,” Carlson said. “Free throws are a lot like grades in school: If you aren’t hitting 70 percent, you’re failing. It’s not acceptable. We had a chance to seal the game but we missed five free throws.
“I’m not disappointed. In fact, I’m happy. Our guys showed poise, they didn’t back down and they were in it to the end against a team that had all their guys.”
