BADGERS HEATING UP
LHS boys enter tournament on two-game win streak

Clay Tyner: Senior guard had five rebounds and five assists for the 3-1 Badgers.

After just four games, the Lampasas High School boys' basketball team is already one-third of the way to matching its 2006-07 win total.

The Badgers went on the road and put the defensive clamps on Taylor Tuesday night to come away with a 49-35 win and improve to 3- 1 on the season. The Badgers finished 9-21 last year.

The Badgers didn't need much in the way of offense, holding Taylor to 13 first-half points. On the night, the Badgers limited the Ducks to 8 of 43 shooting from the field while connecting on 19 of 35 shots themselves.

"We played a great defensive game," LHS head coach Scott Harrelson said. "We completely shut them down in the first half."

When the Badgers needed points, junior post Heath Hopson provided consistency inside.

Hopson hit 9 of 15 shots from the floor, scoring a game-high 21 points. He also provided a defensive presence with eight rebounds and two blocks.

"Heath Hopson was strong for us throughout the game," Harrelson said.

Heath Cofield: Senior post tallied seven points and seven rebounds against Taylor.

LHS led 23-13 at the half, and outscored Taylor 26-22 the rest of the way.

Senior post Heath Cofield got into foul trouble early but contributed anyway, scoring seven points. He was 3 of 3 from the field and recorded seven rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal. Perhaps more importantly, Cofield did not commit a single turnover in the paint, a consistent theme for the Badgers on both ends of the floor.

"We took very good care of the ball with just 16 turnovers, and we were playing against the press all night," the coach said.

Senior guard Clay Tyner, the Badgers' primary ball-handler, set the tone for error-free play, and it carried over to the rest of the lineup.

Tyner, who played despite being sick, had five assists and added five rebounds. He relentlessly attacked the basket in the fourth quarter, spurring what was at one time a 20- point LHS lead.

With Tyner not 100 percent, Jordy Carnes and Jacob Maceyra helped take up the ball-handling slack with two assists apiece. Carnes also had a bucket and two steals.

Heath Hopson: Junior post led the Badgers with 21 points and eight rebounds.

Sophomore guard Vann Millican had his most productive night from the bench, connecting on 2 of 3 shots from the floor and registering two steals.

The Badgers were scheduled to open play in the three-day Lorena Tournament on Thursday. They will return home Tuesday to play host to Rockdale at 8 p.m.

"We had a good overall team effort with limited turnovers," Harrelson said. "While I think we could have done better, I cannot complain about anyone's effort or team desire to succeed. I played everyone off the bench in the last 5:30 of the game, and that is the only time they had any success against our defense. It was a good win to take into the tournament this weekend."

Lorena Tournament

The LHS boys were scheduled to start play in the threeday Lorena Tournament on Thursday.