Cougars put Hurt on Lions in blowout
By Tommy Williams Post-Tribune correspondent January 10, 2013 11:27PM
Bowman Academy head coach Rob Gross poses for a portrait during practice Monday, Aug. 9, 2011, in Gary, Ind. | Scott M. Bort~Sun-Times Media
GARY — For two schools that have not been in the varsity basketball business very long, Gary Lighthouse and Gary 21st Century sure brought back some old memories in their game Thursday night.
The game was played at Lighthouse’s compact gym before an extremely loud crowd, which was whipped into a frenzy early after a Theodore Robinson 3-point shot at the buzzer gave the Lion’s a one-point victory in the JV game.
“This did take you back,” 21st Century coach Rodney Williams said. “More than likely will will see these guys in the sectionals and we wanted to send a message to them.”
The varsity game? Let’s just say 21st Century put the hurt on Lighthouse in the first half and cruised to a 100-72 win, taking advantage of several Lighthouse mistakes on the way to victory.
“We played terribly tonight,” said Lighthouse coach Thomas Smith. “Too many turnovers, too many missed layups. We just didn’t play our game.”
Dantrell Hurt had his A-game in the first half for the Cougars, scoring 19 points in the first two quarters to give 21st Century a 46-32 halftime lead. The guard finished with a game-high 23 ponts.
“We’ve been waiting fo him to do that all season long,” Williams said of Hurt. “I know he can play like that so we’re happy to see him play this way tonight.”
Louis Brown scored 19 for the Cougars.
Alex Johnson had a team-high 19 for the Lions while Jaquan Robinson added 13.
“We will see 21st Century in a few weeks in the sectionals and it will be a totally different game,” Smith said. “We know what to expect and what they’re going to do and we will adjustments, so we will win the game. Yes, that’s a prediction.”
