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Sunday, February 28, 2010 Waxahachie Daily Light 5B
Photo by Alex Riley/The Daily Light
Red Oak guard Dominique Harris shows his jersey in celebration of the team’s 62-55 win over Marshall in the area finals at Navarro Junior College on Friday. Red Oak will travel to Mansfield Timberview to face Midlothian on Monday in the regional quarterfinals with the winner advancing to the regional tournament.
Pressing forward
Hawks hold off Marshall push to move on to regional quarterfinal vs. Midlothian By ALEX RILEY Daily Light sports writer
Photo by Alex Riley/The Daily Light
Junior Branden Hebert scored 13 points through the first three quarters to help keep the Hawks in it.
CORSICANA – When his team needed a boost in the first half, Branden Hebert was happy to give a lift. So as Red Oak clung to a slim margin with time running out in the game, it was only appropriate that Hebert get the chance to close the door. Up by five with just under 40 seconds left, the junior forward was fouled after grabbing a rebound on a Marshall miss and sent to the line for free throws. He connected on the first shot to put the Hawks ahead by two possessions as Red Oak (24-9) went on to win 62-55 in the area finals at Navarro Junior College. “It was great especially when the crowd blew up. That was great,” Hebert said of his final shot. “I was ready. We got in the second round of the playoffs, we hadn’t been here in a long time, this was my first time getting this far in the playoffs and I was just pumped, ready to win. And with a whole lot of crowd (noise) and stuff, I came out with it and was ready.” That lone shot might have helped seal the win but it was his other 13 points that helped the team get there. With the Marshall defense attacking center Earl Graves each time he touched the ball, Hebert was left wide open for looks at the basket throughout the game. And early on it was the junior who made the Mavericks pay. A sluggish start on both sides offensively allowed the junior to score the first two Hawk buckets of the game as the two teams finished the first period tied at 9-9.
Leading scorers Red Oak: Gaylon Edwards 16, Branden Hebert 14, D.J. Brady 10 Marshall: Booma Dade 16, Matt Holmes 13, Eddie Allen 12 Score by quarter Red Oak: 9 15 20 18 Marshall: 9 14 18 14 “We started real slow. It was like 2-2 for a long time so I was like, ‘You’ve got to pick it up baby.’ And I did it,” Hebert said. Down by three, which turned out to be Red Oak’s second biggest deficit of the night, Hebert hit the first of a pair of free throws that sparked a quick turnaround. The Hawks went on a 10-6 run capped by a pass from Dominique Harris to Hebert for a lay-up that allowed the team to retake a 24-22 lead which turned into a one-point lead at the half. Over the first three minutes of the second half, Hebert was at it again hitting four free throws and drawing an offensive foul that allowed Gaylon Edwards to knock down a 3 for a 36-32 lead. Up by two at 37-35, the bench once
Brady takes flight Daily Light sports writer
CORSICANA – Quiet. That’s the best way to describe D.J. Brady’s numbers on the court since the Mabank game on Feb. 2. On that night, the senior guard scored 14 points in the blowout district win. Since then, his biggest game was a four-point outing in the bidistrict game against Waco. But in the fourth quarter of the area finals against Marshall, Brady made up for lost time, not in quantity but quality. Down by one with 4:28 left to play in the game, Brady scored seven of Red Oak’s nine points in a 9-4 swing that ultimately turned the game back in the Hawks favor and allowed for a 62-55 win over the Mavericks to advance in the playoffs. “I just stepped up there the best I could and shot it,” Brady said with a relieved smile. After taking a 48-44 lead on a lob pass from Domonique Bonner to Earl Graves for the lay-in, the Hawks fell prey to a 5-0 spurt by Marshall to create a one-point deficit.
That’s when Brady stepped up and stepped outside the 3-point arc for a shot from the left side that was nothing but net. Prior to that shot, his only bucket of the night was a pull-up jumper in the lane early in the third period. After Graves banked a shot high off the glass, Brady went back to work this time battling underneath the hoop on a teammate’s miss to come up with the rebound. The 6-foot guard would take the loose change back up for the bucket and a two-point lead. Moments later, Brady stuck a jumper inside the arc for his 10th point of the night and a 57-53 advantage. While his struggles recently were tough to go through late in the season, the senior knew he had the ability to hit when it counted the most. “It means a lot to me. It means a lot to the team. We’ve been looking to win a couple playoff games all year and it’s our first time getting to the third round and it’s like, ‘Yes!,’” Brady said. Along with the surprise play of Branden Hebert, there were two players who stepped up on the night as others found the Marshall
Worth the wait
A very slight snowfall forced the bi-district game between Red Oak and Waco High to be cancelled and moved to Wednesday. That game was originally slated to be at Navarro Junior College but was moved to Corsicana High School. The Hawks finally got a shot to play at Navarro with Friday’s game. (Red Oak’s upcoming regional quarterfinal with Midlothian is at the same place the girls basketball team played its bi-district game against Cleburne.)
Doling it out
Photo by Alex Riley/The Daily Light
Red Oak senior guard D.J. Brady scored seven points in the fourth quarter to help lift the Hawks in a 62-55 win over Marshall. He would finish with 10 points for the game. defense a little too tough. Graves, the team scoring leader at more than 15 points per game, was held to nine while Bonner, who usually provides eight off the bench, was held to five. Less than 48 hours earlier, Red Oak posted its second best scoring total of the season at 88 against Waco. The Hawks didn’t hit 60 points against Marshall until under 46 seconds in the game. It was the lowest scoring game since a 63-point effort against West Mesquite on
Jan. 29. That made having a guy like Brady hitting when it counted all the more important. “Huge, huge shots. He made some key, big shots. I’m very proud of him and that’s all those extra hours of shooting on his own that paid off right there,” coach Preston Foster said. Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469517-1456.
Senior guard Dominique Harris continues to lead the way in assists for Red Oak, as he handed out three first half aids to teammates. For the season, Harris is averaging 4.5 dimes per game.
Don’t I know you?
Monday’s game between Midlothian and Red Oak will take place at Mansfield Timberview with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. The Hawks and Panthers are no strangers to each other as the teams have been district partners numerous times in the past. The last time these two teams played each other, Midlothian went into Red Oak and won 70-49 to clinch a spot in the playoffs. The teams have played each other in the playoffs before as they squared off in 2003 at Cedar Hill with Midlothian winning 54-53. “It’s going to be fun. Coach (Glenn) Hartson’s a great coach. They are a very good, well disciplined team. And plus the little Midlothian-Red Oak rivalry, it ought to be a fun night. A lot of fun.” –Red Oak boys basketball coach Preston Foster on the regional quarterfinal match-up.
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Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews. com or at 469-517-1456.
Playoff Notes
Senior guard steps up to hit shots when it matters most in area win By ALEX RILEY
again stepped up as Domonique Bonner, Brandon Brady and Jeremiah Gaines combined for 11 straight points while Bonner and Claude Person each doled out an assist to help the team get a 4644 lead. A Graves drive for a lay-up had the Hawks up six while an Edwards free throw later made it seven. But a Marshall score cut the lead back to two possessions and five points setting up the finish for Hebert. After a miss on the Maverick end, the 6-foot-3 junior grabbed the rebound and was fouled where he would promptly ice the game by putting it at a six-point margin. “I knew our other big guys had a chance because they’re not real tall and I knew they’d be keying Earl so I’m thinking Hawkins, Hebert, Gaines and some of those other big boys would be able to get in and do some damage. Hebert played great,” coach Preston Foster said. While he more than doubled his average for the season on the night, Hebert was more concerned about the road ahead for the Hawks than his personal achievements. Following such a big win, he is confident the positive word about Red Oak is spreading. He is just happy to help. “At school this girl asked me, ‘I thought y’all were done with basketball?’ She didn’t even know. But people are going to know now and that’s what’s even better,” Hebert said.
Red Oak – 62 Marshall – 55
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