Center Hill needs 2nd half surge to defeat Hernando
Center Hill had a week off before Tuesday night’s matchup against Hernando, and its head coach, Newton Mealer, expected his team to be fresh coming off a long layoff. But, the Mustangs had a hard time getting into rhythm offensively…
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Continue ReadingCenter Hill had a week off before Tuesday night’s matchup against Hernando, and its head coach, Newton Mealer, expected his team to be fresh coming off a long layoff.
But, the Mustangs had a hard time getting into rhythm offensively because of the whistles that were blown on almost every possession.
It would take a late surge in the second half to propel Center Hill (19-1) to the 78-62 win over the Tigers (13-8). These two teams met on Nov. 30, 2018, and in the first meeting, the Mustangs rolled over Hernando by the final score of 102-36.
But, in the second meeting, the game was a lot more intense.
Center Hill built a 59-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Two of the Mustangs’ most reliable players, Calvin Temple and Kevin Henry, each had four fouls. Both also received technical fouls during the game. Temple’s technical came towards the end of the second quarter when he threw up three fingers after he made a 3 from the wing.
Henry picked up his technical foul late in the third quarter.
The Tigers quickly cut Center Hill’s lead to seven (60-53) after a 3 from Derrell Pickens and a score from Malik Wallace. By that time, Henry, who finished with eight points and 12 rebounds, had fouled out for the Mustangs and Temple had just come back into the game at the 6:19 mark. That would be the closest Hernando would get in the final quarter.
Center Hill was finally able to distance itself from its opponent.
Kenneth Lewis and Kaeden Laws combined to go 5 for 6 from the free throw line, and Braxton Morris, who came in for Henry, connected on a 3 late in the game to give the Mustangs a comfortable 71-56 lead. Two possessions later, Laws connected on a 3 then Lewis made one of his own for the finishing touch on a tough road win.
Center Hill had four players to score in double figures. Temple led the way with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Lewis had 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Decorian Payton added 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Laws provided 10 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
The Mustangs weren’t able to get into their up-tempo offense until late midway through the third quarter, but by that time, some of Center Hill’s key players were in foul trouble, which forced Mealer to tweak his lineup.
A total of 43 fouls were called in Tuesday’s game.
“For us, it’s very frustrating from a coach’s standpoint, because we play a certain style of play,” Mealer said. “When there’s a stoppage in play on every possession, you can’t play the style of play that you need to play. You saw us get into half-court diamonds, you saw us get into half-court fives.
“Because, every time we were up, the officials would make a call on every single possession. So, it was very frustrating for us, because we weren’t able to push the tempo that way we needed to push the tempo.”
The Tigers had brief moments in the first half where they held a lead. Hernando’s largest lead was 14-7 in the first quarter after Wallace scored on back-to-back possessions. Pickens led the Tigers with 16 points. Wallace added 13.
Hernando had opportunities to keep its lead, but over-the-head passes, missed layups at the rim, and fouls doomed the Tigers in the end.
3 takeaways
- Mealer mentioned junior point guard Braxton Morris hasn’t played well in Center Hill’s last two games. His playing time has been limited, but when the Mustangs needed him in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, he delivered. Morris finished with six points. Center Hill doesn’t have a drop off at the point guard spot.
- Temple had a bad shooting night. His outside jump shots weren’t falling. Temple started the game with red tape over his right shooting hand, but he doesn’t have a significant injury. Temple made 6 of 8 shots from the free throw line.
- Hernando’s backcourt of Wallace and Pickens is solid. Both can make shots from different spots on the floor.