Ville
02-16-2013, 09:46 AM
BOYS
Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2013 10:10 pm
By BRAD KEITH brad.keith@empiretribune.com
Stephenville(24-7) had six double-digit scorers and poured in 30 third-quarter points to thump Mexia 88-62 in a non-district game that amounted to a playoff prep contest for the 3A No. 7 Yellow Jackets at Robinson High School Thursday.
Arbnor Kelmendi was hot early, hitting four first-half 3-pointers and scoring 13 of his 16 before halftime. Grayson Sweet matched his 16, and the junior balanced his scoring, knocking down at least three points in each quarter.
Brandon Stevens, B.J. Walker and Juder Stidham scored 11 each. Stevens had all his in the second half, including nine in the big third quarter. Walker hit three second-half 3-pointers, as the Jackets knocked down 10 shots from outside the arc on the night.
Malik Taylor was the sixth Jacket in double figures, but the second to get there behind Kelmendi. Taylor scored all 10 of his points before halftime.
Head coach Jonathan Normand said he had a checklist of things he wanted his District 7-3A champions to see before opening UIL state playoff action next week.
“We wanted to see a good full court press, and I knew Mexia had that,” Normand said. “We also needed to face an athletic half-court man-to-man defense and I knew they would do that.
“Well, we forced them out of their press about halfway through the first quarter, then we got them out of their man defense and into a zone for the last three quarters,” he added.
The third-quarter explosion was reminiscent of the Jackets’ 37-point second quarter at HIllsboro in their 7-3A finale.
“In the third quarter we got hot and everyone was scoring,” said Normand after watching eight different players put points on the board in the period. “We pressed them hard in the third, then we got out of it and worked on our zone in the fourth.”
The Yellow Jackets have their official playoff prep game - the Mexia game replaced their second 7-3A bye - against Fort Worth Dunbar on Saturday. Tipoff at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center is set for 6 p.m.
The Jackets will have a first-round bye in the state playoffs and face either Mineral Wells or Springtown from District 6-3A or Graham from 5-3A in the area round.
GIRLS
Bees bomb Burkburnett after slow start
Area champs to face Burnet or Hirschi next
RUSSELL HUFFMAN/E-T
Merideth Culpepper
The senior forward led all scorers with 19 Thursday.
Related Galleries
Photos: No. 1 Bees are area champs
No. 1 Stephenville slammed Burkburnett 53-24 in a 3A area playoff Thursday. All photos by RUSSELL HUFFMAN/E-T
Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:29 pm | Updated: 10:30 pm, Thu Feb 14, 2013.
By BRAD KEITH brad.keith@empiretribune.com
JACKSBORO - Sheridan Stokes said on Wednesday that the starters for No. 1 Stephenville (26-8) were confident any time they turned the game over to their bench players.
Tiara Green showed everyone why in the Honeybees' 53-24 rout of Burkburnett (16-11) in the 3A area playoffs Thursday.
Green came off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws for eight quick points early in the second period, igniting the Honeybees after they were just 3-18 shooting and trailed 7-6 through the first.
Meagan Parsons had five off the bench in the second, also helping to get the Honeybees on track. They started the period on an 11-0 run for a 17-7 advantage. Burkburnett finally scored, but the Bees went right back to work with seven of the final 11 for a 24-11 halftime lead.
Then it really got ugly. Stephenville shot 71 percent from the start of the second half until head coach Alan Thorpe pulled out his starters for good with 4:22 left in the fourth. The Bees had just gained their largest lead of 53-19 before Burkburnett scored the final five.
The Bulldogs had as many turnovers (19) as points until its closing run. Stephenville, conversely, gave the ball away just six times.
Merideth Culpepper poured in 19 points to lead all scorers. She had six points, four rebounds and three steals to keep the Honeybees from being shut out in the opening period, and erupted for 11 points in the third, when the Bees were 8-10 from the floor.
The third ended with Stokes - all in one motion while diving to the floor - stealing the ball and touch passing it ahead to Dally Friedrich for a transition layup and a 45-15 lead entering the fourth. At that point, Stephenville had outscored Burkburnett 39-8 since the end of the first.
Green and Breyana Diaz each scored nine for the Bees, who won their sixth straight. They face Wichita Falls Hirschi or Burnet in the 4A regional quarterfinals next Monday or Tuesday.
4A????? What up with that.
Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2013 10:10 pm
By BRAD KEITH brad.keith@empiretribune.com
Stephenville(24-7) had six double-digit scorers and poured in 30 third-quarter points to thump Mexia 88-62 in a non-district game that amounted to a playoff prep contest for the 3A No. 7 Yellow Jackets at Robinson High School Thursday.
Arbnor Kelmendi was hot early, hitting four first-half 3-pointers and scoring 13 of his 16 before halftime. Grayson Sweet matched his 16, and the junior balanced his scoring, knocking down at least three points in each quarter.
Brandon Stevens, B.J. Walker and Juder Stidham scored 11 each. Stevens had all his in the second half, including nine in the big third quarter. Walker hit three second-half 3-pointers, as the Jackets knocked down 10 shots from outside the arc on the night.
Malik Taylor was the sixth Jacket in double figures, but the second to get there behind Kelmendi. Taylor scored all 10 of his points before halftime.
Head coach Jonathan Normand said he had a checklist of things he wanted his District 7-3A champions to see before opening UIL state playoff action next week.
“We wanted to see a good full court press, and I knew Mexia had that,” Normand said. “We also needed to face an athletic half-court man-to-man defense and I knew they would do that.
“Well, we forced them out of their press about halfway through the first quarter, then we got them out of their man defense and into a zone for the last three quarters,” he added.
The third-quarter explosion was reminiscent of the Jackets’ 37-point second quarter at HIllsboro in their 7-3A finale.
“In the third quarter we got hot and everyone was scoring,” said Normand after watching eight different players put points on the board in the period. “We pressed them hard in the third, then we got out of it and worked on our zone in the fourth.”
The Yellow Jackets have their official playoff prep game - the Mexia game replaced their second 7-3A bye - against Fort Worth Dunbar on Saturday. Tipoff at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center is set for 6 p.m.
The Jackets will have a first-round bye in the state playoffs and face either Mineral Wells or Springtown from District 6-3A or Graham from 5-3A in the area round.
GIRLS
Bees bomb Burkburnett after slow start
Area champs to face Burnet or Hirschi next
RUSSELL HUFFMAN/E-T
Merideth Culpepper
The senior forward led all scorers with 19 Thursday.
Related Galleries
Photos: No. 1 Bees are area champs
No. 1 Stephenville slammed Burkburnett 53-24 in a 3A area playoff Thursday. All photos by RUSSELL HUFFMAN/E-T
Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:29 pm | Updated: 10:30 pm, Thu Feb 14, 2013.
By BRAD KEITH brad.keith@empiretribune.com
JACKSBORO - Sheridan Stokes said on Wednesday that the starters for No. 1 Stephenville (26-8) were confident any time they turned the game over to their bench players.
Tiara Green showed everyone why in the Honeybees' 53-24 rout of Burkburnett (16-11) in the 3A area playoffs Thursday.
Green came off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws for eight quick points early in the second period, igniting the Honeybees after they were just 3-18 shooting and trailed 7-6 through the first.
Meagan Parsons had five off the bench in the second, also helping to get the Honeybees on track. They started the period on an 11-0 run for a 17-7 advantage. Burkburnett finally scored, but the Bees went right back to work with seven of the final 11 for a 24-11 halftime lead.
Then it really got ugly. Stephenville shot 71 percent from the start of the second half until head coach Alan Thorpe pulled out his starters for good with 4:22 left in the fourth. The Bees had just gained their largest lead of 53-19 before Burkburnett scored the final five.
The Bulldogs had as many turnovers (19) as points until its closing run. Stephenville, conversely, gave the ball away just six times.
Merideth Culpepper poured in 19 points to lead all scorers. She had six points, four rebounds and three steals to keep the Honeybees from being shut out in the opening period, and erupted for 11 points in the third, when the Bees were 8-10 from the floor.
The third ended with Stokes - all in one motion while diving to the floor - stealing the ball and touch passing it ahead to Dally Friedrich for a transition layup and a 45-15 lead entering the fourth. At that point, Stephenville had outscored Burkburnett 39-8 since the end of the first.
Green and Breyana Diaz each scored nine for the Bees, who won their sixth straight. They face Wichita Falls Hirschi or Burnet in the 4A regional quarterfinals next Monday or Tuesday.
4A????? What up with that.