Defense stings ‘Jackets
Big Sandy basketball took a 44-22 win over Chester Friday afternoon in a game where their defense shined.
“The first half was pretty bad. I thought we were too impatient on offense,” Wildcat coach Dalton Flowers said. “That comes from a lack of experience. We get big eyes at the first shot available, as opposed to getting a better shot deeper into the possession. We kind of talked about it and talked about some things we could do better, and I thought we came out a lot better and a lot more patient in the second half. In the second half, probably 12 of 16 minutes we had four freshmen on the floor. That was encouraging, and we kind of pulled away in the second half. I was impressed and thought it was much better.”
The ‘Cats output in each half equaled Chester’s points for the game. Big Sandy held the Yellowjackets without a point in the fourth quarter.
Shudey Beene-Williams led all with 16 points, Jamesley Flowers had seven, and Jake Shotwell six.
Big Sandy is now 5-4 overall.
Shooting provides win
Big Sandy Lady Cat basketball was successful as tournament host Friday afternoon with a 49-32 win over Coldspring.
Big Sandy didn't miss much from the field in the first half, and a 3-pointer at the buzzer put the Lady Cats up 14 going into the break.
Shanaya Poncho led the game with 19 points and five 3-pointers, Amberlee Smith had 10 points, and Yaheira Battise eight.
“We've been streaky this year, as far as shooting the ball,” Big Sandy coach Ryan Alec said. “Different girls across the season have caught fire at times and it is somebody different each game. Shooting the three and making them consistently helps us out a lot. I thought we started out great in the game and we were knocking down shots and executing our offense. In the second quarter, we kind of got stagnant a little bit on offense. We let them get some offensive rebounds and some second-chance opportunities. Against teams that are athletic and quick with some size on the inside, we have to make sure we block those girls out. I thought we did a better job in the fourth quarter. Shooting the ball for us helped tremendously.”
Goodrich girls get opening win
The host Lady Hornets were victorious in their opener Thursday night versus the Shepherd J.V. with a 33-27 win.
Goodrich held as much as a 10-point lead at 25-15 late in the third quarter. They began slow, but a 12-1 second period established a lead and seemed to energize the team.
“We still struggled defensively – well, and offensively too,” Lady Hornet coach Pinellafie Johnson said. “We've got to learn to look at the basket. We get the ball, and we tend to just put our head down and won't look up. We got the win, but there are still lots of things that we've got to work on. They’ve just got to learn to even want the ball. We're not really even wanting the ball, and it is like we are afraid to be out there. If they will just look at the basket, there are looks there all night long.”
Liseidy Balbuena topped Goodrich with 11 points, as Arly Balbuena and Aaliyah Wright had seven each.
In addition to the win Thursday, the Lady Hornets have also defeated North Zulch on the year.
Getting in game shape
The final contest of Thursday’s action saw the host Hornets take a 48-37 loss to the Shepherd J.V.
The Hornets held a lead through the first half, getting scoring contributions from all five participants. That would be lost in the second half, as the team was outscored 30-16 in those two quarters. They also struggled at the free-throw line, connecting on just 5-of-14.
“We're getting better, but close only counts in horseshoes,” Hornet coach Lester King said. “They were a little out of gas there, but I'm going to take care of that before district. We are going to get in better condition. We played a lot better defense, but then I think we ran out of gas. We've got to get better.”
The Hornets will need to be in good shape, with just six suiting up. Sky Wrightson led the Hornets with 16 points, and Zatavius Bowens added 13.
Goodrich is 0-7 to this point, playing multiple schools in larger classifications.
In it until the end
The Corrigan-Camden Lady Bulldogs tipped off the 2024 edition of the Goodrich basketball tournament, falling to Hull-Daisetta 33-28.
Points were at a premium, and Corrigan never totaled more than eight in a period.
The Lady Bulldogs did manage to take a lead halfway through the third quarter at 15-14, but Hull-Daisetta answered quickly. Both teams played well defensively and struggled shooting.
The contest was a one-point difference heading into the final quarter, but a 12-point period by the Lady Bobcats would seal it.
“They’ve just got to finish,” Lady Bulldogs coach Jack Arneson said. “They make shots, but we miss too many easy shots under the basket and there are too many turnovers.”
Ava Burks led the Lady ‘Dogs with eight points, while Jenna Robbins had seven, and Mazaiya McQueen five.
Corrigan has begun the season 0-8. However, the team is playing tough defense and Arneson feels they are moving in the right direction.
“It is just a little bit at a time.”
Lots of learning
The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs took an 80-29 loss to Tarkington Friday morning at the Big Sandy tournament.
Tarkington started the contest on a 21-4 run and the rout was on from there. The Class 4A school has a tall, long team that shut down passing lanes and contested most of Corrigan’s shots.
“I think that we've still got some growing up to do and it shows,” Bulldog coach Avante Smith said. “We need to learn how to prepare and be focused before a game. That is on us as coaches to get them ready. Tarkington is good, and I knew coming in. I didn't think it was going to be that bad, but I knew it was going to be one of those games. Hopefully, we can keep learning and that is what the tournament is pretty much about for us right now. It is just learning. We have to learn how to win, even if it is a 9 a.m. start, you have to show up and be locked in. The main thing is that we bounce back from this and don't tank, and trying to focus on getting better.
Top scorers for the ‘Dogs were Aiden Heredia with 10 points and Da’Tavin Love with five.
Waking up late
Leggett basketball were stung by the Hardin Hornets 70-49 on Thursday at the Goodrich tournament.
The Pirates waited far too long to begin playing well, held to 21 points through three quarters of play. Meanwhile, Hardin never scored less than 15 per quarter.
The Hornets opened the contest with a 19-2 run that had Leggett playing from behind all 32 minutes. After scoring just 21 through three, the Pirates made a furious run to put up 28 in the fourth.
“They want to play in the last quarter, but we have to play the whole game,” Pirate coach Ra’Shod Jefferson said. “I am missing two starters, with one out because of injury and the other because he got ejected the last game. If I had those two, it would have been OK. There is still a lot of learning and conditioning (to go). Playing here against competition, I like the way Hardin was hustling and were aggressive. That will get us ready for district play.”
Jace Railey was Leggett’s leader in the scoring column with 23, and Kris Rodriguez produced nine.
Leggett takes on big challenge in opener
Leggett girls basketball dropped its opening game of the Goodrich tournament 56-29 to the Lady Pirates of Shepherd.
Leggett drew a tough opener, playing up three classifications versus the Class 4A Lady Pirates of San Jacinto County. It took the team a bit to adjust to the game’s speed, with just three points through the first eight minutes.
“No legs,” Leggett coach Terri Barlow said of her team’s early play. “We had no hustle in the first half and we were not finishing our shots. We are not hustling back on defense.”
Leggett's effort did seem to increase about midway through the second quarter.
“They gave up, then they started back playing,” the coach said. “But, then they give up again. This team is not 27 points better than us, so we really should have been closer. Even if we would have lost, it should have been closer that it was.”
Bianca Perkins had 12 points to top the team, while Tamara Henderson put up 10 for Leggett.
