MBB: No.2 Tigers prove too much for Center
(left) and Keontas Davis (15) during Friday's game in Roughrider
Gymnasium. (Photo by Ray Jackson)
CENTER,Tx -- It isn't often that a Class 1A program take on a 3A opponent in any sport, so when it happens, it draws a lot of interest. Add the fact that the two schools sit ten miles apart in the same county and they both have large basketball fan bases and then a packed house is expected.
More often than not, the Class 3A team, with a school enrollment more than triple that of its opponent, is expected to be a heavy favorite in this contest, especially on its home court, but not when No.2-ranked Tenaha is the visiting opponent, a team that returns all five starters from last year's Class 1A D-II State runner-up squad. The end result in this heated cross-county affair was Tenaha pulling away for a 59-42 victory.
Nevertheless, Center fans packed the home side of Roughrider Gymnasium here Friday night, with intentions of cheering their team to an upset victory over the Tigers, who are still shaking off the 'rust' after getting a late start on basketball season due to their Class 1A D-II state football championship.
With the home crowd behind them, the Riders came out swinging, never allowing the Tigers to get more that two unanswered baskets in the first quarter, and led 14-13 at the end of the opening period.
However, the Tigers showed why they are expected to return to Austin this year as they exploded in the second quarter to outscore Center 20-5 and lead 33-19 at the halftime break. The third quarter provided more of the same, as Tenaha stretched its lead to 49-30, before cruising to the win in the fourth quarter.
Tigers' head coach Todd Bodden said he is pleased with his squad's progress and likes the fact that his team was challenged in the contest.
"We schedule teams like Center because they are a solid program year in and year out," Bodden explained. "They are the type of team we can expect to see come playoff time. They are very athletic, very well coached and they get after you on defense. That's part of the reason we didn't score as many points tonight as we usually do."
"We're still getting our basketball legs under us and it shows because we don't look as crisp as we need to all the time. We are still having trouble getting our shots to drop. But it will come together."
The Tiger coach said he was pleased with the way his players hit the boards
"We won the battle under the boards and that was the key to the game, along with creating turnovers and converting those into points. We just need to keep working on shooting and ball handling and we will be fine."
The Tigers were led by senior guard Reginald Davis, who scored 12 points. Chavis Gregory and DeAaron Roland each added 10, while Octavius Griffith and Shaquille Mitchell scored nine and seven, respectively. Demon Horton and Keontas Davis scored five apiece.
Jercarius Berry led the way for the 'Riders, hitting two three-pointers to finish with 11 points. Tony McCollister added eight, Miguel Johnson III tossed in six and Johnny Sudds and DeJalen Preston scored four each.
The Tigers improved to 7-2 on the year, while the 'Riders dropped to 6-15 with the loss. Tenaha will travel to Gladewater Tuesday night to take on another 3A squad. The JV boys will tip-off at 5 p.m., with the varsity to follow.
Center will host Diboll, with JV boys starting at 5 p.m. and the varsity at approximately 7:45 p.m. The Center/Diboll contest was originally scheduled for Diboll, but has been moved to Center due to issues with Diboll's gym.