Kelly vs. S.A. Antonian Saturday

[KFDM COOP]

Henry steps up for Kelly

The Kelly Bulldogs are in for a battle today when the TAPPS basketball playoffs take them to Belton for the Class 6A regionals.

And there’s no one coach James Knowles wants battling for him more than junior Torrejon Henry.

“He knows how to play the game,†the former Port Arthur coach says of one of four Port Arthur students on his Bulldog roster. “He’s pretty smart.â€

Smart like a fox. So you can bet the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Henry will be looking for 6-4, 260-pound fellow junior Kheeston Randall and 6-3 senior Will Taylor to help him try to contain San Antonio Antonian’s Myles Walker today.

Walker, described by his hometown newspaper as “a beast,†is 6-foot-9 and averaging 18.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this year for the Apaches, the champions of District 2-6A.

“We’ve been trying to get a scouting report,†Knowles says. “One person says he (Walker) is 6-7, another says 6-8 and a third guy says he’s 6-9. We can’t get his height right, but he’s good. That’s what everybody says.â€

Kelly takes a 24-10 record into today’s 6:45 p.m. game. Antonian is 24-9. Winner advances to next week’s state tournament at the University of Texas at Tyler.

“We’re not worried about anybody’s height or size or anything,†says Henry, already a member of two straight state champion squads at Kelly. “People may think my height is a weakness but my jumping ability makes up for that.â€

Henry leads the Bulldogs in rebounding and is one of the team’s top scorers night in and night out.

He was named after a U.S. Air Force base in Madrid, Spain, and, for him, the sky’s the limit.

“I’m a guard, actually, but they put me down on the post and I like battling with the big men,†he says. “The key to rebounding is to box out.â€

“We need his quickness,†says Knowles, the head coach at Port Arthur Thomas Jefferson before moving the Kelly in 2003.

Also making the move from P-A to Kelly -- besides Henry – are sophomores Sherrod Narcisse, Roman Vaughn and E.J. Cockrell. Narcisse is the son of former Lincoln High great Earl Evans, Knowles says.

The Bulldogs have been to the state championship game each of Knowles’ four full seasons with the team. And they won the last three.

A year ago they beat District 3-6A rival Houston St. Thomas in the championship game, despite having lost to the Eagles earlier in district.

[Bobcatfan4life]

Best of luck to Kelly tonight!!!