New Hope boys coach Drew McBrayer didn’t have to really use a timeout Friday.
The only timeout the Trojans called a timeout was by a reserve with 6.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. McBrayer’s reason for not calling a timeout: he doesn’t want to over-coach his talented Trojan squad.
“There were times I could have when they made a little run, but early in the season I want our kids to try and figure out how to play through stuff like that without calling timeouts,” McBrayer said. “Later on in the season we might have to use timeouts in situations like that.”
The Trojans didn’t need his help with in-game adjustments. New Hope led for a majority of the game and knocked off Holly Springs 78-65 Friday night in a Mississippi High School Activities Association game in the Joe Horne Christmas Classic at Columbus High School.
McBrayer only has four seniors, but has a veteran team that has played a lot of basketball over the years. He has confidence in them figuring things out themselves on the court.
“Lately we have not been coming out playing with the energy that we come out with the end of the games,” junior Terryonte Thomas said. “But this game we figured it out. We came together in practice and started figuring it out.”
Thomas led the Trojans (9-0) with 22 points. Thomas said he is feeling really comfortable in his mid-range jump shot and is working on getting better defensively and being a better rebounder.
A good example of in-game adjustments made by the Trojans is the full-court pressure the Hawks implemented early and often. Holly Springs used the press some in the first half, but used it often in the fourth quarter, as it was behind.
The Trojans broke it time and time again and gave themselves easy layups to keep the Hawks from every making a push to get back in the game.
“We actually press each other and play full-court pressure in practice, so we’re used to it,” Thomas said. “In games, we’re just trying to slow it down and play our game.”
The Trojans scored the first four points of the game, but the Hawks scored the next seven to take a 7-4 lead. Holly Springs led again at 8-7, but New Hope went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-8 lead. The Trojans never surrendered that lead.
New Hope led 21-12 after the first quarter and outscored Holly Springs 16-14 in the second quarter to lead 37-26 at halftime.
The Trojans held a 14-13 advantage in the third quarter and led comfortably at 51-39 before the final quarter. New Hope outscored Holly Springs 27-14 in the fourth quarter and made easy work on the Hawks’ full-court pressure.
McBrayer said it’s normal to see opposing defenses pressuring them.
“We know for us to be successful, do things that we want to go do down the line and on into the division playoffs, we’re going to see it,” McBrayer said. “We’re going to have to beat it and we know we’re going to have to handle pressure.”
Thomas has 10 Division I scholarship offers already, including Southern Mississippi, VCU and Xavier. He is the catalyst that makes the Trojan offense go, but his supporting cast is coming together.
Toddy Jennings scored 14 points, Jay Shinn chipped in 11 and Heratio Jackson added 10 points to take some pressure of Thomas.
The season is young, but if Jennings, Shinn and Jackson can continue to be threats on the offensive end and make defenses guard them, that will make Thomas that more dangerous.
“When you put him (Thomas) out there with some really good role players around him, we can be good,” McBrayer said. “We’ve been really balanced. You can’t take just one of us away.”
DeQuan Smith led the Hawks with 19 points. Both DeAndre Finley and Juwoyn Lyles had 14 points for Holly Springs.
n, The New Hope girls lost 62-36 to Horn Lake.
The Lady Eagles led 13-7 after the first quarter and 30-15 at halftime. Horn Lake took a 45-27 lead into the final quarter and never looked back.
The Lady Trojans were led Jada Jamison’s 10 points. Chrissah Shaw scored 13 points to lead Horn Lake, as Ericka Richardson chipped in 11.
On Saturday, New Hope fell 47-42 to H.W. Byers.
Jada Jamison had 12 points for the Lady Trojans.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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