Post by FB fan on Feb 28, 2014 12:14:19 GMT -6
CORPUS CHRISTI — It should not be far-fetched to think that, at one point or another, Flour Bluff’s boys basketball team is going to encounter an opponent that can combat 6-foot-6 Cody Brewer and 6-8 Tyler Barlow with its own pair of towering big men.
But, that day has yet to come — and Friday will be no different.
The Hornets (22-12) have a date with the No. 11 Schertz Clemens Buffaloes (31-4) at 6 p.m. for a Region IV-4A semifinal showdown at San Antonio’s Blossom Athletic Center, where they hope their size advantage and experiences against teams similar to Clemens can be the difference.
The Buffaloes’ tallest listed player checks in at 6-4.
“They lack the height that we have,” Barlow said. “It’ll be a major advantage, hopefully. As far as their offense, it’s very similar to a lot of the Laredo teams we played, so if we run the proper defense and don’t relax the whole game, we should be fine.”
Flour Bluff coach Robert Dodd compared Clemens to Laredo Nixon, a District 31-4A rival, and San Antonio Harlandale, a team the Hornets dispatched by nine points in the area round.
Nixon and Harlandale were undersized compared to Flour Bluff and relied on outside shooting, guard play and pressure defense, components that Ray, Laredo Martin and Edcouch-Elsa — all of whom played Flour Bluff within the past month — share on the hardwood.
Clemens does those things better than all of them and has the luxury of playing a virtual home game. Clemens, located 16.9 miles from the Blossom Athletic Center, also has some momentum on its side after beating No. 7 San Antonio Brennan on Tuesday.
“I feel like, since we’re not state-ranked, people don’t feel like we’re supposed to be in this tournament,” point guard Kirk Logan said. “It just makes us feel a lot better that we could still be playing in March and they say the best teams play past February.”
Dodd plans on replicating game plans he used against Nixon and Harlandale, in particular, which involved steady doses of Brewer and Barlow on offense. The production of the Hornets’ interior duo, however, is dependent on the efficiency of guards Logan, Nick Jones, Ryan Fluegge and Aaron Dilworth, the team’s sixth man.
In the win against Harlandale last Friday, Logan, Jones and Fluegge combined for 32 points and five 3-pointers.
“Our big guys have done a good job this year because our guard play is so good,” Dodd said. “You can’t be a great post team without some great guards. We’ve got to have some guys knocking down perimeter jumpers at times and we’ve got to get to ball to them.”
But no matter how well the Hornets are playing as of late, they’re the underdogs.
They may just prefer it that way.
“We don’t have to play these guys in a seven-game series,” Dodd said. “We’ve got to be better than them for 32 minutes. That’s it.”
REGION IV-4A tournament
at Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
SEMIFINALS
Flour Bluff (22-12) vs. Schertz Clemens (31-4), 6 p.m. Friday
But, that day has yet to come — and Friday will be no different.
The Hornets (22-12) have a date with the No. 11 Schertz Clemens Buffaloes (31-4) at 6 p.m. for a Region IV-4A semifinal showdown at San Antonio’s Blossom Athletic Center, where they hope their size advantage and experiences against teams similar to Clemens can be the difference.
The Buffaloes’ tallest listed player checks in at 6-4.
“They lack the height that we have,” Barlow said. “It’ll be a major advantage, hopefully. As far as their offense, it’s very similar to a lot of the Laredo teams we played, so if we run the proper defense and don’t relax the whole game, we should be fine.”
Flour Bluff coach Robert Dodd compared Clemens to Laredo Nixon, a District 31-4A rival, and San Antonio Harlandale, a team the Hornets dispatched by nine points in the area round.
Nixon and Harlandale were undersized compared to Flour Bluff and relied on outside shooting, guard play and pressure defense, components that Ray, Laredo Martin and Edcouch-Elsa — all of whom played Flour Bluff within the past month — share on the hardwood.
Clemens does those things better than all of them and has the luxury of playing a virtual home game. Clemens, located 16.9 miles from the Blossom Athletic Center, also has some momentum on its side after beating No. 7 San Antonio Brennan on Tuesday.
“I feel like, since we’re not state-ranked, people don’t feel like we’re supposed to be in this tournament,” point guard Kirk Logan said. “It just makes us feel a lot better that we could still be playing in March and they say the best teams play past February.”
Dodd plans on replicating game plans he used against Nixon and Harlandale, in particular, which involved steady doses of Brewer and Barlow on offense. The production of the Hornets’ interior duo, however, is dependent on the efficiency of guards Logan, Nick Jones, Ryan Fluegge and Aaron Dilworth, the team’s sixth man.
In the win against Harlandale last Friday, Logan, Jones and Fluegge combined for 32 points and five 3-pointers.
“Our big guys have done a good job this year because our guard play is so good,” Dodd said. “You can’t be a great post team without some great guards. We’ve got to have some guys knocking down perimeter jumpers at times and we’ve got to get to ball to them.”
But no matter how well the Hornets are playing as of late, they’re the underdogs.
They may just prefer it that way.
“We don’t have to play these guys in a seven-game series,” Dodd said. “We’ve got to be better than them for 32 minutes. That’s it.”
REGION IV-4A tournament
at Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
SEMIFINALS
Flour Bluff (22-12) vs. Schertz Clemens (31-4), 6 p.m. Friday