Lamar State is home Saturday vs. Lone Star College-Kingwood

[LamarStatesports]

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team will play a non-conference home game at 1 p.m. Saturday against Lone Star College-Kingwood.

Lamar State is 3-0 after last weekend’s Chipola College Classic Tournament in Mariana, Fl., where the Seahawks defeated pre-season No. 21 Shelton State College, 76-69, on Friday night, and topped Enterprise State Community College, 82-69, on Saturday.

Lamar State head coach Matt Cross was pleased with his team’s performance, but is looking for improvement as they head toward conference play.

“We are coming off a big weekend, when our sophomore class upset their fourth nationally-ranked team since they’ve been here,” Cross said. “The Shelton State game was the biggest non-conference win in Lamar State history. We hope it will become the type of signature win that puts this program on the national map.”

Cross said the team gained a lot of confidence. But they still are not clicking on all cylinders or at full strength.

“Winning tends to take on an attitude of its own. The more you win, the better that winning attitude becomes,” Cross said. “There needs to be a since of urgency on this team, knowing we have only five weeks and 12 games left this semester. We have short-term goals in place over the next two weeks solely to prepare us for a four-game conference stretch.”

Cross likes some of what he sees from his team’s offense. Lamar State had four players in double figures in two of the first three games. Five Seahawks scored in double figures in the Nov. 6 victory over Enterprise State.

Freshman guard Markens Charles is the Seahawks’ leading scorer with 14.66 points-per-game. Sophomore center Gordon Ball is the top rebounder with 9.33 per game. Ball also is averaging 12.66 points has two double-doubles.

Lone Star-Kingwood, a member of the Lone Star College System, competes in the Lone Star Sports Conference, which includes club sports teams from the five LSC schools and other two-year and four-year schools in the Greater Houston area.

The Coyotes are 5-4 this fall, including recent losses to Lamar State’s conference rivals Lee College (88-84) and San Jacinto College (94-59).

Lamar State will be home again Monday night at 7 p.m. versus the Stephen F. Austin State University basketball club.

The Seahawks then will be home Saturday Nov. 20, for a final non-conference tune-up against Delgado Community College from New Orleans.

Lamar State begins its Region XIV conference schedule Tuesday, Nov. 23, at home against Lon Morris College.