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The Hornets first hoops playoff game was close at halftime; AHS led Little Elm by just four points, 31-27. But when Azle (26-4) came out for the second half, the Hornet defense smothered the Lobos, allowing them a paltry three points.
When the Hornets put up 19 in those eight minutes, AHS had settled things, cruising to a 68-41 victory.
The squads traded points early on Feb. 23 at the Decatur HS gym. Azle was carried by sophomore Drew Charles who scored 11 of his 17 points in that opening period. Joe Richards got two of his four in the first frame – including a huge dunk that thrilled the large, loud Hornet followers. Only a long three by Charles at the buzzer gave Azle a 17-15 lead after one quarter. The game stayed close in the second period as well.
Then came the third quarter. Coach Eddy Bradley said, “The Hornet defense took over.” Putting Charles on Little Elm’s premier scorer – which shut him down – made a difference. So did Richards’ nine points in thatany Lobo hopes were certainly dashed. Richards finished with a game-high 26 points, including an 8-of-9 performance from the free throw line. Charles, who earned high praise from Prather for his defense, scored 17 points. Kellen Myers and Jimmy Walter added eight each – with the latter leading AHS with nine rebounds – and Dillon Bagwell got all of his seven points in the fourth quarter. Next up – Fort Worth Trimble Tech got revenge on a 2009 loss by beating Mansfield Timberview. The Bulldogs will be “a handful,” Prather said. “They run the press full court and force turnovers. They play a lot of kids. We must handle the pressure,” the coach said. |
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