Wins have been hard to come by for Herbert Hoover in recent weeks, so the Huskies probably didn't care how unusual Friday's victory looked.
Wins have been hard to come by for Herbert Hoover in recent weeks, so the Huskies probably didn't care how unusual Friday's victory looked.
Hoover went scoreless for more than six minutes to start the fourth quarter, but was never in any real trouble as it registered a 52-34 Senior Night victory against visiting Cardinal Conference rival Poca. It marked the sixth straight loss for the Dots (10-10).
Senior guard Charlton Gandee dropped in 23 points to pace the Huskies (11-9) in scoring, and 6-foot-6 junior Cody Morris grabbed 11 rebounds as Hoover held a 27-15 edge off the glass.
"We haven't been shooting the ball very well,'' Gandee said, "and we shot the ball well tonight. That was our first home game in about a month, and it was an all-around better effort.''
The Huskies shot 62 percent for the game, but they had to endure a bizarre start to the fourth quarter to protect their lead.
Hoover held Poca to 1-of-10 shooting in the third quarter to take a 42-26 lead, and opted to run clock with a weaving offense to start the final period. However, the first six possessions resulted in turnovers and the Huskies didn't attempt a single field goal or free throw until just 1:54 remained in the game.
Poca didn't manage to cut into that disadvantage much, though. It made just 1-of-6 shots and two free throws with one turnover and only came as close as 42-32 on a Clinton Parsons drive at the 2:56 mark.
Joey Forbes ended the dry spell for Hoover with a layup and a 44-32 lead with 1:54 left, and the Huskies iced it by sinking 8-of-11 free throws in the last 1:10.
"That's two good, full basketball games back-to-back at both ends,'' said Hoover coach Jeff Gandee, father of Charlton Gandee. The Huskies also won at Point Pleasant Tuesday and again looked like the team that began the season 7-2 and jumped into the Class AA state rankings.
"A lot of things are finally starting to come together that we've struggled with all year. We showed good patience on offense tonight, and that was the big thing. We had a 16-point lead going in [to the fourth quarter] and were running some time off the clock, but we weren't doing what we wanted to do on offense. They got careless, for lack of a better word. Of course, [Poca] stepped up their defensive pressure - they had to - and we gave two of our starters breaks. We were able to weather that storm and went back to an offensive set.''
The first half was close and well-played, with 12 lead changes and each team shooting better than 50 percent. Hoover led 27-24 at the break.
Wins have been hard to come by for Herbert Hoover in recent weeks, so the Huskies probably didn't care how unusual Friday's victory looked.
Hoover went scoreless for more than six minutes to start the fourth quarter, but was never in any real trouble as it registered a 52-34 Senior Night victory against visiting Cardinal Conference rival Poca. It marked the sixth straight loss for the Dots (10-10).
Senior guard Charlton Gandee dropped in 23 points to pace the Huskies (11-9) in scoring, and 6-foot-6 junior Cody Morris grabbed 11 rebounds as Hoover held a 27-15 edge off the glass.
"We haven't been shooting the ball very well,'' Gandee said, "and we shot the ball well tonight. That was our first home game in about a month, and it was an all-around better effort.''
The Huskies shot 62 percent for the game, but they had to endure a bizarre start to the fourth quarter to protect their lead.
Hoover held Poca to 1-of-10 shooting in the third quarter to take a 42-26 lead, and opted to run clock with a weaving offense to start the final period. However, the first six possessions resulted in turnovers and the Huskies didn't attempt a single field goal or free throw until just 1:54 remained in the game.
Poca didn't manage to cut into that disadvantage much, though. It made just 1-of-6 shots and two free throws with one turnover and only came as close as 42-32 on a Clinton Parsons drive at the 2:56 mark.
Joey Forbes ended the dry spell for Hoover with a layup and a 44-32 lead with 1:54 left, and the Huskies iced it by sinking 8-of-11 free throws in the last 1:10.
"That's two good, full basketball games back-to-back at both ends,'' said Hoover coach Jeff Gandee, father of Charlton Gandee. The Huskies also won at Point Pleasant Tuesday and again looked like the team that began the season 7-2 and jumped into the Class AA state rankings.
"A lot of things are finally starting to come together that we've struggled with all year. We showed good patience on offense tonight, and that was the big thing. We had a 16-point lead going in [to the fourth quarter] and were running some time off the clock, but we weren't doing what we wanted to do on offense. They got careless, for lack of a better word. Of course, [Poca] stepped up their defensive pressure - they had to - and we gave two of our starters breaks. We were able to weather that storm and went back to an offensive set.''
The first half was close and well-played, with 12 lead changes and each team shooting better than 50 percent. Hoover led 27-24 at the break.
Poca, however, never found the range after that, going 3-of-22 from the floor in the second half to end the game at 32 percent.
"That's two games in a row that we've had a great third quarter,'' Jeff Gandee said, "and that's what really put the game away for us, and what did the job at Point. We haven't had a good third quarter all year until these two games. We made them take the type of shot we hoped they'd take, and they didn't shoot well in the third quarter after they came out on fire.''
Poca, like Hoover, was also looking to reverse a trend. The Dots vaulted to a 10-4 start and were on the cusp of the AA state rankings, but now aren't even guaranteed a winning season.
"We've lost some really tough games,'' said Poca coach Allen Osborne, "and it's really taken a lot out of us. I'm very disappointed in their effort tonight. I didn't think we played hard, and that's my fault. I've got to motivate them and I've got to do a better job coaching.
"I told our guys we've worked hard for a long period of time and gotten better, and we've kind of hit a wall, and we've got to get over it.''
Parsons led the Dots with 11 points and Jake Payne added 10 points and five rebounds.
"They're better than that,'' Jeff Gandee said of the Dots. "We know that, and there's a good chance we may be seeing them again in a couple weeks. Just because this happened the way it did tonight certainly has no bearing on what happens the third time around in the sectionals.
"But I'm proud of these seniors. They've put up with me for a long time. They came out tonight with something on their mind, and I'm proud of their focus.''
Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
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