Area basketball teams hit the court for tournament action

[KFDM COOP]

Area basketball teams hit the court for tournament action

By Cody Pastorella

The Port Arthur News

Area high school basketball teams will be spread out and very busy this weekend with tournament play.

Nederland, West Orange-Stark and Little Cypress-Mauriceville boys travel to Barber’s Hill for the Gulf Coast Classic, while Memorial, Port Neches-Groves and Nederland girls will all play in the Lady Eagles Tournament, which is also in Barber’s Hill.

Also starting today is the Bridge City Tournament where local teams such as Vidor and Orangefield will join Bridge City in a six-team bracket.

Bridge City’s tournament will start with pool play today and then go into a regular bracket format on Friday.

Orangefield and Buna will meet at 9 a.m. today. The Cardinals will host Shepherd at 10:30 a.m. and Vidor will play Shepherd at 1:30 p.m. Later in the afternoon, Orangefield will meet Liberty at 3 p.m. and Vidor and Bridge City will square off at 4:30.

Friday’s action will start at 9 a.m. with the championship game slated to start at 12 p.m.

In the Gulf Coast Classic, Nederland (9-7 overall and 1-1 in District 22-4A) will take on Cleveland at 1:30 p.m today in the Auxiliary Gym. There are 14 teams in the tournament. WO-S is set to play Spring Dekaney at 10:30 a.m. in the Competition Gym and LC-M (12-4 overall and 1-1 in District 22-4A) will meet Montgomery at 4:30 p.m. in the Competition Gym.

Regardless if the Bulldogs win or lose today, they are slated to play at 12:30 p.m. Friday. They will either play WO-S or Spring Dekaney in either the Competition or Auxiliary Gymnasiums. If the Bulldogs win today, they will in the Competition Gym and if they lose, they will play in the Auxiliary Gym.

Nederland head coach Brian English said the tournament looks evenly matched and doesn’t seem to have any teams that should run away with the competition.

“Whoever gets over Christmas Dinner the fastest will be in the best shape,†English said. We’re (for the season) about where we thought we would be. I felt pretty good about our last game-and-a-half or so but I think we are playing pretty well right now.â€

The Gulf Coast Classic will continue through Saturday.

The girls, meanwhile, will start at 9 a.m. today when Spring plays LaMarque and Mayde Creek meets Baytown Sterling. There are a total of 16 teams, including area squads such as LC-M, Vidor, Lumberton, PN-G, Nederland, West Brook and Memorial.

Nederland (8-10 overall and 1-3 in District 22-4A) will square off with West Brook at noon today while PN-G (7-10 overall and 2-2 in District 22-4A) plays Huffman at 6 p.m. The Lady Titans (10-5 overall and 2-0 in District 21-5A) also play at 6 p.m. when they matchup with Crosby.

Scores and pairings from all the tournaments will be posted throughout the weekend.

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[BHFAN]

BH boys return to play in own tourney

By Dave Rogers

 

Published December 27, 2007

MONT BELVIEU – The Barbers Hill boys are hoping for a pair of successful comebacks at this weekend’s Gulf Coast Classic.

For starters, just playing in the annual three-day boys’ and girls’ roundball festival put on by the coaches and boosters at Barbers Hill will be an improvement on a year ago when a scheduling snafu left the Eagles in the uncomfortable position of hosting a tournament they couldn’t play in.

“That was just my mistake,†said second-year Eagle head coach Nathan Toon. “I scheduled too many games, so we had to pull ourselves out of it at the last minute, so we wouldn’t be in violation of UIL rules.â€

Without Barbers Hill’s boys to defend their title, Dayton won the 2006 tournament.

“It was a stupid mistake on my part,†Toon said of the scheduling goof. “It was weird for the community, since community members and coaches work it. But it was most disappointing to last year’s seniors. They look forward to it. That’s what I most regret.

“But we’re back in it now. I joke to the team, ‘We’re still defending champs. I haven’t lost a game in it.’

“Honestly, we’re glad to be back in it.â€

As much as seeing the Eagles playing during the tournament and not just watching, Toon and the Barbers Hill fans are looking forward to seeing another comeback at the tournament, the return of Brooks Ybarra.

The 6-foot-4 senior guard, a first-team all-district player last year who can do it all when he’s healthy, has missed the fall portion of the schedule after breaking his foot in Barbers Hill’s final preseason scrimmage.

The three-year letterman got his doctor’s release a week ago and has been practicing with the team since.

“He’s ready to go, but we’re being cautious with him,†Toon said. “We’re going to play him in the Gulf Coast Classic. I don’t know how much — it will be based on how he feels – but we’ve got to get him ready to go so we can have him for the last 12 games of district.â€

Toon and the Eagles yearn for Ybarra’s skills.

“He’s our tallest player,†the coach notes. “He plays guard, but he also plays big. He’s a real good rebounder. He can guard inside. He can guard outside. He can hit the outside shot or he can take it to the basket.

“I think he’ll fit in well with Jon Daniels and Ian Hamlin.â€

The Eagles have so far done OK without Ybarra, getting off to a 10-5 start that includes a 1-1 beginning in District 21-4A play.

“I’ve talked to a lot of coaches who are surprised we’ve been 10-5 without him,†Toon said. “We have been playing really well without him. Therefore, we didn’t feel rushed to get him back. But a guy who is talented like him, obviously we want him back for the second half of the season.

“We’ve got to make sure the chemistry works. That’s my job.â€

A total of 13 boys’ teams are entered in the Gulf Coast Classic and, as the only Class 5A varsity team in the boys’ division, Baytown Sterling is one of the favorites, along with Barbers Hill and Dayton.

Other teams entered on the boys’ side include Huffman, Coldspring, Spring Dekaney, West Orange-Stark, Cleveland, Nederland, Liberty Hill, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Montgomery and Splendora.

“Really, they’re all pretty good,†Toon said. “There’s no easy teams. I don’t think there’s a favorite. It’s going to be good for everybody in it. If you ask me, it’s pretty wide open.â€

Sterling opens play at 1:30 p.m. today at the Auxiliary Gym against Liberty Hill, one of five Class 3A schools in the boys’ division. Barbers Hill takes on Splendora at 7:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.

UIL rules require that all soccer and basketball teams take a break of five consecutive days from practice and games over the Christmas holidays.

Three of those days must be Christmas Eve, Christmas and Dec. 26. That means the teams in the Gulf Coast Classic will be coming in cold.

But Toon has a morning workout set for his Eagles in advance of their game tonight.

“That’s the advantage we have of having our own tournament,†he said. “You get to have your own practice.â€