City hoopsters brace for campus clash

[KFDM COOP]

City hoopsters brace for campus clash

By Dave Rogers

 

Published January 4, 2008

Their coach says there’s no way Sterling’s boys will get caught looking past the Lee Ganders when they square off in the 5:30 p.m. opener of tonight’s District 21-5A double-header at Lee College.

“I told our guys they’re going to come in playing hard,†Rangers coach Mark Patton said of the Ganders. “They’re playing a lot better and they’ve got a lot of pride.â€

Apparently.

Wednesday night, Lee’s Ganders jumped out to a 13-2 lead over Kingwood — the defending district champion and the state champ or runnerup each of the past three seasons – only to get caught in the second half and lose 51-40.

“It was probably the best game we’ve played since I’ve been here,†said second-year Lee head coach Dote Williams, a statement he’s made at least a couple of times since mid-December.

“In the second half, they played the way we’d like to play. They controlled the tempo and limited the possessions. They played with discipline and they played smart.â€

Lee, just 2-17 for the season and 0-2 in 21-5A, got 18 points from guard Darrius Cooper Wednesday night, all on 3-point shots.

He hit four of them in the first quarter as the Ganders took a 16-5 lead after one quarter on their homecourt.

“We made some shots early and they just came out cold,†Williams said.

It was Lee’s first game since a 47-44 win over Houston Davis at the Houston Jaycees tournament Dec. 22. Kingwood, 17-5 overall and 2-0 in district, was coming off a 5-0 sweep of last weekend’s Texas vs. the Nation tournament in Aldine.

“Cooper played well offensively, but he made some mistakes on defense,†Williams said. “We’re still trying to get him to play defense. Cornelius Laday played well also.â€

Against Davis, Cooper scored 17 points and Laday 14.

Kingwood outscored Lee 13-6 in the second quarter to get within 22-18 at halftime, then the Mustangs outscored the Ganders 33-18 in the second half.

Nick James, who led Kingwood with 19 points, hit five second-half 3-pointers, four in the third quarter.

The two teams missed only nine field-goal attempts combined in the second half as Kingwood passed the ball endlessly, seeking the best shot. Lee had only seven second-half field goals and the Mustangs hit 11 of 13 second-half free throws, seven of which came in the final period as Lee fouled in an unsuccessful attempt to catch up.

For the game, Kingwood hit 19 of 23 free throws while Lee was 6 of 9 from the charity stripe.

Sterling, winner of the Gulf Coast Classic at Barbers Hill last weekend, stubbed its toe in its first game against 5A competition since Dec. 17.

At Humble Wednesday night, the Wildcats raced out to a 22-10 lead after one period and hung on for a 72-67 win over Patton’s Rangers.

The loss dropped Sterling to 13-8 overall and 0-2 in district.

“We came from behind,†said the Sterling coach. “They were up 17 at one point in the first half and 13 points (41-28) at half.

“We got it to one point twice in the fourth quarter and had a couple of chances to take the lead, but missed free throws.â€

Cartavious Kincade scored 22 points and Adrian Fontenot 19 to lead the Rangers.

“We just came out flat,†Patton said without speculating why. “I’m disappointed with the outcome, but we played well enough to win.

“Now we’re looking to get back into the swing of things Friday night.â€

Sterling scored a 3-0 sweep over Lee last year, beginning with a 69-39 win at the Lee College Classic. The Rangers beat Lee 62-39 Jan. 5 and 58-48 Jan. 30 for their only two District 21-5A wins last year.

Williams missed the final game to be with his wife, LaKeisha, for the birth of daughter Chloe. He joked that he might try being absent again, because assistant coach Trent Manuel did such a good job last year.

He didn’t find a lot of comfort in the notion that the Kingwood game would help his team against Sterling.

“We don’t have momentum here,†he said. “We have a 12-step program and what we’re trying to do is move to the next step. Right now, we’re like my daughter Chloe, who just learned to walk two weeks ago.

“We’re stumbling all over the place.â€