Lady Hornets fall to Conroe
Nov. 9—CONROE — Huntsville's girls basketball team made the short trip down Interstate 45 to face off against Conroe in an early non-district game.
The Lady Hornets (0-2) were unable to complete a comeback against the Lady Tigers despite Huntsville's 21 turnovers. The Lady Hornets were defeated 44-39
"Turnovers, we had too many turnovers," Huntsville head coach LaToya Bennett said. "We had some late in the first quarter, lots of them in the second quarter and the other team capitalized. They did what they do and they shot the ball well. They were able to take care of the basketball and score when we couldn't."
The Lady Hornets opened the game and were able to grab a quick lead. Huntsville would hold on 17-8 after the first eight minutes, but things would quickly change.
Huntsville would start the turnovers giving the Lady Tigers an advantage.
Conroe would outscore Huntsville 17-7 in the second frame to take the lead at the half by one.
"In the third quarter our turnovers continued and it was kinda like a series," Bennett said. "It's a young team, but there are no excuses because we are heavy at the top. We just have to take care of the basketball."
However, despite being down Huntsville never gave up. The Lady Hornets tried to mount a comeback late but were held off in the closing seconds.
Huntsville was led by junior Mahalia Twine who had a team-leading 13 points. Twine would also add four rebounds in the game. Senior JaNavia Gage was a big factor under the goal as she hauled in nine rebounds with six of them being defensive.
"They have a lot of tenacity," Bennett said. "They have a lot of grit and we are talented. Like I said, just coming together early on and I think it's going to take a little work on my part, but once we figure out the camaraderie we are going to be okay."
Huntsville has now cleared off two games from its schedule but has been on the opposite side of both. With a very similar team from last year, the Lady Hornets will need a bit of time to get things figured out on the court and to figure out their roles.
The Lady Hornets will return to the court over three days as they will play in the Gander tip-off classic at Robert E. Lee High School. Huntsville will play in three different games over Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
"In our first game out, we hustled hard and we were in it," Bennett said. "We weren't able to close it out and we hit a shot at the buzzer and lost by two. I think the girls' momentum was up but I think we had so many turnovers that I think it was hard mentally to get back in it. That happens when you are young, and hopefully, we can take care of some of those mental mistakes early."
