Moving up from his sixth-man role on last year's Class AA state-tournament basketball team, senior Calvin James continues to provide a spark for Howard.
The Hustlin' Tigers improved to 8-1 Monday as James scored 20 points to key a 75-71 home victory over East Hamilton. All 20 came in the first three quarters.
James had several signature moments, which included a half-court buzzer beater as a part of a stretch when he scored 10 straight points. He also stole a pass and turned it into an emphatic two-handed slam for his sixth dunk of the year.
"We came out here looking to lock down on defense and play the way that Hustlin' Tigers normally play," said James, whose 16 points helped build a 35-19 halftime lead. "We all feed off each other's energy, and we did that today.
"Our coach preaches the importance of playing hard defense, hustling, diving on the ground for loose balls and staying in front of your man and not reaching. When we do that well, we can have a lot of fun on the court."
James opened the nondistrict game with a steal and score and was matched in his defensive intensity by his teammates.
Chris Hall secured five rebounds in the first quarter and blocked a 3-point shot in the corner. Demetrius Bowens gave the Tigers a 13-2 lead halfway through the opening period as he too applied lockdown defense and scored off his forced turnover.
Howard's Dicorius Knight scored eight points in the second quarter as he used his length and athletic ability to get past defenders. He totaled 11 for the game.
James' last field goal before resting the fourth quarter resulted in a three-point play as he broke past defenders to get in the lane and make a slick finger-roll basket before hitting his free throw for a 14-point lead.
Junior Kerrick Thorne scored 11 points and had three dunks. Ending the third quarter, Knight drove the lane and handed off to the big man for a two-handed slam and a 54-41 margin.
"We have been waiting on Dicorius to arrive," Howard coach James Talley said. "We need him to be the player we know he can be to help us push through the rest of the season. He can do a lot of things for us on the floor. If all of our guys accept their roles and continue to stick together, we will be pretty tough."
East Hamilton (5-7) fought valiantly late, scoring 30 points in the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes' Darwin Randolph led all scorers with 21 points, while Marcus Long and Jordan Harris added 20 and 16. The trio accounted for 28 fourth-quarter points.
Howard now will prepare for a home District 6-AA showdown against 8-2 Tyner at 8 p.m. this Friday.
"It's going to be a big game," James said. "I feel like people forgot about what we did last year, but you can't speak about the past. It's always moving forward and what we are doing now and in the future. We have to have grit and play for the name on the front of our chest."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.