Hendrickson beats Copperas Cove in free-throw duel Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 22 2009 05:37 AM By Nick Talbot
Killeen Daily Herald

PFLUGERVILLE – It was a flat-out foul fest.

Copperas Cove and Pflugerville Hendrickson combined for 71 foul shots in what looked more like a free-throw contest than a basketball game Saturday at Hendrickson High.

Hendrickson won both that contest and the game, hitting 21 of 29 from the line en route to taking down the Bulldawgs, 79-64.

Cove, meanwhile, was a dismal 22-of-42 at the line.

And that was not their biggest problem. The Bulldawgs could not stop turning over the ball when Hendrickson imposed its full-court press.

"It really was not what they were doing," said Copperas Cove coach Billy White Jr. "We were handling the ball horribly. We want to catch the ball and dribble right away and then we throw the ball all over the gym."

"We were not taking care of the basketball and not taking care in each possession."

Down 6-5 in the first quarter, Hendrickson went on a 12-2 run and never looked back. The Hawks (1-0) used their full-court press to force turnover after turnover from the Bulldawgs, who struggled just to get the ball up the court.

The only saving grace for Cove was that Hendrickson hit the double bonus less than a minute into the second quarter. The constant trips to the free-throw line enabled the Bulldawgs to keep the score close – even if they were not hitting them all that well.

Cove (0-2) shot 27 free throws in the first half, but only made 14.

"We talked about that at halftime as well," said White. "If we knock our free throws down, we are up two at half. We have to get to the line, concentrate on what we are doing and make the free throws."

Antonio Clemons, who led Cove with 14 points, cut the Hendrickson lead to two, 32-30, with a three-point play with less than a minute remaining in the half.

However, Jalen Washington hit a 3-pointer and Rivera drove to the basket for a bucket as Hendrickson ended the half on a 5-0 spurt. Washington led Hendrickson with 20 points.

In the third, Cove managed to cut the lead to 45-41, when Clemons twice drew the defender and then dished to Jonathan Bridges for an easy layup.

Then, all of a sudden, it seemed Cove ran out of gas against the hawkish Hendrickson press.

The Hawks went on an 11-2 run and took control of the game for good, never letting the lead slip below 10 points again. Hendrickson outscored Cove 16-9 to start the fourth as it pushed its lead to 20, before the Bulldawgs scored 11 of the last 14 to make the final more respectable.

"I don't think it was (that we were worn out)," White said. "When you don't take care of the basketball, when you have 30-plus turnovers and throw it all over the gym, you are not going to be very successful."

Florence girls 40, Cedar Park JV 36 – At Florence, Kasey Button dominated down the stretch and the Lady Buffs won the third-place game in their own Florence Lady Buffs Tournament.

Button who led Florence (3-3) with 27 points, scored 15 of Florence's 17 fourth-quarter points to keep Cedar Park at bay. She was 11-of-13 at the free-throw line in the period, and 15-of-17 for the game.

Paige DeLeon added eight points for the Lady Buffs.

Contact Nick Talbot at ntalbot@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7569.