Dec 1, 2007
New-look Cats
Loaded Hendersonville runs past the Falcons
| West Henderson's Mike James is blocked by Hendersonville's Adam Roper, left, and Lance Allen during Friday night's game at Hendersonville. MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS |  |
Times-News Staff Writer
What a difference a year can make.A year ago Hendersonville's boys basketball team was mired in a 23-game losing streak that stretched back to the 2005-06 season. But the Bearcats finished strong last season, including a second-place finish in the Western Highlands Conference tournament, and have rode that momentum into a fast start this year.Showcasing a newfound swagger and utilizing their trapping, aggressive defense, Hendersonville (2-0) collected 31 steals and built a 20-point halftime lead on their way to a 68-56 win over county rival West Henderson (1-1) at Hendersonville."These guys are starting to gain some confidence in themselves and their abilities," said Bearcats coach Robert Strong. "You know confidence can take you a long ways and for us this is a big win because West has been for the last several years the dominant team in the county."Led by their dynamic backcourt of seniors Stephen Clay (21 points) and Robert Beal (13), Hendersonville frustrated West and created a bevy of turnovers in a fast-paced first half.Clay finished with nine rebounds and seven steals while Beal finished with four steals."Tonight's performance is my fault," said West coach Rob Bliss. "I didn't have us prepared to handle their pressure."Though the Falcons held an 8-7 lead midway through the first period, the Bearcats ended the quarter on a 17-7 surge."I think our defense definitely wore them down a bit," Strong said.The Bearcats held the Falcons to only seven second-quarter points and took a 42-22 lead into the break."The Hendersonville kids pretty much drug us around the whole first half. I'm not sure the final score was an indication of the type of whipping we took tonight," Bliss said.West slowly inched back in the second half and trailed 58-50 with 4:55 remaining in the final period.But West only made one bucket over the next four minutes and never fully threatened the Bearcats.Hendersonville junior forward Torian Sitton had 13 points, while sophomore Keyvon Young finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and seven steals.Buddy Hutchinson led West with 16 points. Zach Corliss added 11 while Dallas Ducote finished with eight points and eight boards.In girls action, West (1-1) took a 21-3 lead 16 seconds into the second quarter and never looked back in a 59-36 win over the Lady Bearcats (1-1)."I told my girls 'We gotta start looking for our shots,' and I think they did a better job of spreading it around and making some shots tonight," said West coach Stephanie Scott-Gaddy.Hendersonville had no answer early for West's Brittany Fennell. Fennell used her long frame to score nine first quarter points and dominate the offensive glass. She finished with 13 points and 13 boards."Brittany is a big asset for us in more ways than one. If she can produce we are gonna do well," Scott-Gaddy said.West's Summer Kremer added a double-double of her own with 10 points and 10 rebounds."We didn't do a good job of hitting the boards in the first quarter and that was the difference in the game," said Lady Bearcats coach Mike Norman.Hendersonville got within 11 in the second period, but West stretched the lead back out for a 29-15 halftime advantage. The Lady Bearcats again used a 7-0 run in the third to get within nine before the Lady Falcons reeled off a 14-4 run of their own to hold a 45-26 lead after three.The Lady Bearcats had one last surge and rode a 9-0 run to pull within 10 at 45-35 with 5:37 remaining.But West's Erica Cantrell scored six straight points to end the threat. She finished with eight points and eight boards."I thought when we cut it to ten there in the fourth I felt like we had a chance. I was real proud of the way we scrapped all night long. Everytime we would come back and cut it to ten or twelve, they'd square up and knock down six points in a row," Norman said.Brooks Walz led Hendersonville with 14 points. Tiffany Westmoreland collected a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.Hendersonville will host Blue Ridge on Monday. West will travel to Enka on Tuesday.SummariesBOYS
WEST (56) -- Hutchinson 16, Corliss 11, Hyatt 9, James 8, Ducote 8, Staggs 3, Roberts, Isgett.HHS (68) -- Clay 21, Beal 13, Sitton 13, Young 9, Dominique Whiteside 8, Allen 2, Perry 2, Desmond Whiteside, Roper.Halftime: HHS, 42-22.GIRLS
WEST (56) -- Fennell 13, Kremer 10, Ashley Rogers 10, Cantrell 8, Combs 4, Brown 4, Turlington 4, Foster 2, Dinardo 2, Springer 2, Eckley.HHS (39) -- Walz 14, Westmoreland 13, Stoney 5, Lilly 4, Ward 2, Massagee, Hubert, Johnson, Sheiry.Halftime: West, 29-15.
Copyright © 2007 BlueRidgeNow.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment