Coahoma Bulldogs boys basketball team fights hard but falls to McCamey
COAHOMA - The Coahoma Bulldogs used the "if you can't beat them, join them" theory here Friday night. It almost worked . In the end however the McCamey Badgers were able to escape with a 41-37 victory in a non-district contest.
For the first half, McCamey , 2-0 for the season, utilized a zone press that gave Coahoma fits. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 11 times and never seemed to get in rhythm, scoring only 12 points on a 5-for-24 shooting performance.. McCamey, led by senior forward Brayden Fuentes, led 28-12 at the break.. Fuentes scored 11 of his game high 19 points in the half.
In the second half the Bulldog turned the tables on the Badgers, going to a trapping pressure defense of its own, gradually whittling away at the Badgers lead. The Bulldogs
' offense woke up as Raheem Ashford exploded for three baskets inside and Tavyn Hipp contributed by hitting some shots from the outside. The McCamey lead was 35-28 going into the final period.
"We really didn't have a choice. We got so far down," said Coahoma coach Brandon Lucas of his second half strategy. "They (McCamey) were super hot in the first half and we just had to calm them down. Offensively we started to move the ball better. We made an adjustment and started feeding Raheem n the block."
Hipp started Coahoma on the right foot in the final period by nailing a three-pointer from the corner. Ashford hyped the home crowd with a dunk, Billy Bailey made a free throw and Ashford fed Ryan Shifflet inside for a basket. The McCamey lead was 34-33 with 3;09 left in the game. That's as close as Coahoma would get
" We've been practicing on our man defense a lot. We still have a ways to go though. Offensively we must stay calm and move the ball around,; Lucas said.
Coahoma, 2-2 for the season, next game will be Tuesday night at Dorothy Garrett Coliseum against the Forsan Buffaloes at 8 p.m. The girls game starts at 6
.COAHOMA - Arian Emerson 1 0 2; Tavyn Hipp 3 1 9; Ky Kemper 2 1 5; Billy Bailey 1 1 3; Raheem Ashford 6 0 12; totals 16-46, 2-5 37.
McCAMEY - Oscar Salinas 2 0 4; Devin Acosta 2 1 5; Braden Fuentes 8 1 19; Jose Moto 3 0 7; Nico Gonzales 3 0 6; totals 18-44, 2-5, 41.
Coahoma 08-08-13-12 - 37
McCamey 14-14-04-09 - 41
Turnovers - Coahoma 15, McCamey 8, Three Pointers - Coahoma (Hipp 2, Shifflett 1) McCamey (Fuentes 2, Moto 1), Rebounds - Coahoma 30 (Ashford 8. Bailey 6); McCamey 26 (Fuentes 8, Gonzales 7); Assists (C0ahoma 9Kemper 2, Ashford 2);McCamey - Gonzales 2); Blocked Shots - Coahoma (Shifflett 1, Ashford 1), McCamey (Fuentes 2, Gonzales 2); Steals Coahoma (Shiflett 2, Ashford 1); McCamey (Fuentes 2, Acosta 2).