Hornets head into the break with a win

Dec. 19—HUNTSVILLE — With the Christmas Holidays right around the corner, Huntsville basketball will head into its break on the right side of things.

After a strong fourth quarter, the Hornets left the Paul Bohan Gym with a 68-56 win over Aldine MacArthur.

"I wish it would have been a lot cleaner. I know the kids are probably ready for Christmas break, and I didn't get to see them for a shootaround," Huntsville head coach Jay Oliphant said. "We never got going until the fourth quarter. The energy and intensity were bad. I thought we missed some easy shots. It wasn't the game I wanted going into the break."

While the Hornets have now played a few games at full strength, this game allowed Oliphant to give bench players several minutes on the court. The Hornets used every guy on the roster against MacArthur.

Off the bench sophomore Caleb Franklin showed why he deserves more playing time. Against the Generals, Franklin had four points and a handful of rebounds. But more importantly, he was a strong defender and limited his turnovers.

The turnovers were something that the rest of the bench players struggled with against the Generals and for a majority of the non-district schedule.

"Some of them have come in and impressed me. Caleb [Franklin] didn't play much at the beginning, but he's protecting the rim and doing some good things," Oliphant said. "Some guys are turning the ball over too much and are uneasy when in the game."

As Huntsville brings experience to the court, the members are still young, as a majority of the starters are underclassmen. Junior guard Ayden Pierson has been the focal point of the offense thus far, but he struggled against MacArthur.

The Hornets got a lot out of sophomore Chad Johnson when they needed it the most.

Johnson was a starter last season and was the second-highest scorer for Huntsville against the Generals. He finished with 12 points, going 2-3 from a three-point range. But Johnson brings more to the court than his ability to score.

The sophomore is almost an extension of the coaching staff for Oliphant as he stays calm and collected through the game.

"Chad is very mature. He was a starting point guard last year as a freshman and a good leader. When things get out of control he can help calm the kids down. It keeps me from doing a lot of talking," Oliphant said.

Huntsville also had sophomore Brett Butler come through with 13 points. He hit three shots from behind the arc and shot 50% from the field.

While Huntsville is coming off a win, they send the players into the Christmas Break. as the Hornets will be away from the program until they play in the Conroe Christmas Classic on Dec. 27. Until then, Oliphant wants them to stay in basketball shape.

"We need to come back focused and make sure we are doing some conditioning to stay in basketball shape," Oliphant said. "We have to come back and get things tuned up for district."

Huntsville will open the Conroe Christmas Classic on Dec. 27. The Hornets will return home on Jan. 5 against Episcopal. But the important part of the season is looming. Huntsville will open its District schedule on Jan. 12 with a home game against Nacogdoches.