At the very least, Howard’s players obviously listen to what coach Walter McGary is preaching.
As the inexperienced Hustlin’ Tigers opened the Henry Bowles holiday tournament they are hosting, McGary emphasized the importance of defense and finding more than one or two scorers.
Howard responded by shutting down Martin Luther King High’s offense, allowing just 19 points through three quarters, and had 10 players contribute offensively in a 56-31 win Monday night.
“I hope they’ve been listening, because that’s the only way we’re going to grow and be the type team to compete with other good teams,” McGary said. “That’s the best defense I’ve seen us play this year. If we keep that up, we’ll be in about any game, no matter who we play.
“The guys really put the clamps down on MLK tonight, and we had a lot of guys step up to score. I liked the way the kids were relying on each other, playing very unselfish ball. This was the kind of game that hopefully we can gain some confidence from and build on for the next game and even into the rest of the season.”
Barry Griffin, the only returning starter from last season for Howard, led the scoring with 12 points.
Once the Hustlin’ Tigers took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter, they continued to build on it. They will play Maplewood for the championship tonight at 7:30. Maplewood defeated Austin-East 82-76 behind Jakeel Queary’s 33 points.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.