BOYS HOOPS: Honaker handles Lebanon School Community

BOYS HOOPS: Honaker handles Lebanon

Written by Hamish Costello on December 8, 2010 – 6:33 am

A rematch of last season’s Region D, Division 2 title game proved to be a very different outcome at A.P. Baldwin Gymnasium as Honaker garnered an impressive 68-45 win over arch-rival Lebanon.

The Tigers simply controlled every facet of the game from start to finish.

Lebanon had problems getting the ball into the frontcourt against Honaker. The Pioneers had 19 turnovers in the first half and finished the contest with 29 turnovers.

“We’re still searching for someone to be a ball handler and lead the team,” Lebanon coach Thad Lambert said. “We didn’t find anyone tonight. We tried two or three and nothing seemed to pan out. We just couldn’t get in a groove. For 32 solid minutes Honaker played the game harder than we did.”

Chris Belcher sank a free throw with 4:11 to play in the first quarter to pull Lebanon within one point at 7-6. The quarter ended without the team scoring again as the Tigers went on an 11-0 run to take an 18-6 lead after the first eight minutes. Honaker kept a double-digit lead the rest of the contest.

“The fast start was real important,” said Honaker post Jeremiah Dye. “That’s the way we play; we’re a fast-tempo team. We don’t have a lot of size so we know we have to constantly run and get after teams from the get go.”

Honaker led 33-17 at halftime. Kaylynn Cobb tried to spark a little run for the Pioneers at the start of the third quarter, but it wasn’t to be.

Dye took over the game, scoring 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Dye, who stands 6-foot-2, used his quickness and a variety of moves inside to seemingly score at will.

“I got in foul trouble in the first half,” Dye said. “I hate sitting on the bench, so I thought as soon as I get back in, I’ll try my best to give us a spark. They kept getting me the ball and I was able to get open shots.”

There may not be a bigger win for Honaker first-year head coach Marcus Dunham. The Tigers started late after advancing to the regional championship game in football. But in their first game they looked in midseason form.

“Before the start of this game I was a nervous wreck,” stated an elated Dunham. “It’s just a whole different atmosphere and game from the JV level. The win is just now sinking in, but it’s a great feeling.”

Another huge advantage for the Tigers was the play of point guard Ty Hall. He finished with 14 points, was 4-of-5 from the free throw line and also dished out six assists. The other guard Blake Gent added 11 points and disrupted the Pioneer offense with his persistent defense.

“We have a really good one-two punch out there,” Dunham said. “Ty has such a quick first step. That’s a huge asset, when you have a point guard that can get the ball down the floor.”

Ben Hendrickson led the Pioneers with 15 points and five rebounds. Cobb added 11 points for Lebanon.

Lebanon (1-1) doesn’t play again until next Wednesday at the Virginia High tournament. Honaker (1-0) will host the Bearcats on Tuesday.

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