Based purely on the facial reactions to everything that went well for Veterans High’s basketball Warhawks Saturday, Chris Kothe had a team out there that was more than inspired to play a game against Houston County High.
More than inspired, and more than shorthanded.
A team with only one starter available wound up dominating things from the second quarter on, Veterans taking the win 57-39. That came one night after another convincing victory in Region 2-AAAA at home against Mary Persons, but one that also resulted in the ejection of seven players.
Kothe said afterwards that indeed, Houston County High is a neighboring rival, but Saturday’s outing was more about “taking care of the family.”
“We brought some JV players up, and they stepped it up,” he said. “We all played as a team.”
No more was that intensity evident than in guards Niam Kishun and D.J. Rozier. They combined for 25 points, but what may have been more of an impact play was Rozier’s steal and heads-up timeout in the fourth quarter. Still only down by 12, the Bears tried to have the basketball roll down the court to save time, but Rozier dove on it to take away a vital possession.
The one Warhawk starter who played was center Malik Broughton, and he only had three first-half minutes due to foul trouble. Any pent-up energy in him was taken care of in the form of four powerful dunks, each from a different angle, in the second half to give him 10 points.
“We know how good a finisher he is,” said Kothe of Broughton.
Houston County only had leads in the opening quarter, which began with a fine steal by forward A.J. Burton and Andrew Graham’s assist to Parris Jester. Taran Wooten’s teammates also found him open on the weak side for two.
Veterans’ early scoring came from Myles Harden, Elijah Milteer and Maalik Leggette. The Warhawks went on a 9-2 run when Rozier scored from a blocked shot and Jeffrey Allen sank a 3-pointer. Rozier took a takeaway and used a reverse move inside to put the game at 13-9 going into the second quarter.
Veterans did not make a shot from the field for the next eight-minute stretch, all eight points coming on free throws. Six such makes in a row put the home team ahead 19-12. The Bears made a move in the final two minutes on Taylor Boyett’s penetration assist to Jester and Jamarkus Williams’ offensive rebound of a free throw.
At the half, the Warhawks held the advantage at 21-16. For the second half, Kothe’s troops were all about out-running the Bears, especially after so many misses inside by the visiting offense. Kishun scored in transition as part of a 6-0 run to begin the third period.
Mykel Harris of Houston County stole an inbound pass to get a three-point play and help bring his club within six at 27-21. Veterans answered with seven straight, Rozier sinking a 3-pointer at the quarter’s halfway mark. Nick Burnett, one of the varsity newcomers, put in an offensive board, and Broughton finally made his presence known with the first authoritative dunk (34-21).
The Bears didn’t get shaken like the backboard, putting together eight points in a row with two takeaway baskets registered by Graham. Veterans’ decisive run, however, went from the end of the third to the start of the fourth period.
In scoring 10 points in a row to lead 44-29, Milteer’s outlet pass to a running Broughton turned into the second major slam. Harden used a good pivot move in the paint for score, and Rozier lobbed the ball off the glass for Broughton to dunk a third time.
Kishun had the assist when Broughton went baseline for slam No. 4. After the hustle steal play by Rozier, Allen sank a 3 for 51-36 at 1:20.
The Bears had 12 points from Graham and eight from Jester.
Veterans improved to 9-6 overall, and Friday’s win made it 3-3 in 2-AAAA. Kothe was without the same seven players when the Warhawks faced Perry High, also 3-3 in the region after Friday’s 63-58 loss at Rutland.
LADY BEARS WIN
Houston County girls basketball has not found sub-region play, especially against city rivals, to its liking so far this season. But, things turned around in non-region action Saturday against one other fellow county school, Veterans High.
Alexia Williams scored 21 points and Brittany Greene 11 as the Lady Bears handled the Veterans Lady Warhawks 47-30.
Williams and Veterans guard Aspen Coggins traded 3-pointers early in the game, but Houston County never trailed after ending the opening quarter with six straight. Greene connected from 3 at 1:22, and center Justice Wright used her first touch in the post to cap the run and double up the Lady Warhawks 14-7.
Even being held without a field goal in the second quarter, the visitors maintained the advantage going into halftime 17-13. Houston’s first point of this period didn’t come until 1:41, and before that Kerrigan Poe-Cochran gave the home folks a 3-ball. Afterwards, at 1:11, the point guard scored from the offensive boards, but Veterans could only get as close as two, 15-13.
Veterans in fact had four steals in the quarter – two by forward Jalyn Slaughter – but none resulted in points.
It only took 13 seconds of the third period for the Lady Bears to score from the floor, and that was a 3 by Williams from a corner spot. Greene stopped at the top of the key in her team’s next possession and scored from long range for 23-13.
Courtney Palmer would be the first to score for Veterans, and it was a trey at 5:09. At the 4:24 mark, Wright hurt an ankle in a battle for a rebound and had to leave the game. Right afterwards, Poe-Cochran stole the inbound pass and cut the lead to six, 24-18.
At 3:02, Williams provided a big boost with her third 3-pointer. Veterans coach Nicole Miranda was urging her team to get the ball inside, and it was Khayla Owens responding. From the opposite bench, coach John Roddie was looking for one shot to end the third, and Williams took it – still with 12 seconds to play – but it was 3-pointer No. 4 (32-22).
Wright was able to play in the fourth, and she helped put the visitors up 13 early, 37-24. It was one of only two field goals for Houston, the last coming from Williams with six seconds left. But the Lady Bears were 11-for-19 in foul shooting after going 9-for-15.
Veterans had eight points from Owens and seven each from Coggins and Poe-Cochran.
The Lady Warhawks slipped at home in 2-AAAA Friday as Mary Persons won 55-49 in a game where the visitors scored 20 in the first quarter, one in the second for 21-16 at the half. Owens had 17 in this game.
HHJ News
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Houston County (16-6, 7-1 Region 2-5A) had an 11-point lead in the third quarter, but Lee County (13-9, 6-2 Region) had the last laugh in the 64-61 final after more than 10 ties or lead changes in the fourth quarter.
Houston County (0-20, 0-8 Region 2-5A) started Tuesday’s contest against Lee County (16-7, 7-1 Region) looking like they were ready for a competitive game, and hopefully their first win. But soon their turnovers went from troublesome to overwhelming, and the Lady Bears lost in a lopsided 61-22 final
Basketball is winding down and soon enough region tournaments will start, and there are plenty of Houston County programs looking to make some noise in the postseason.
