Cowgirls defeats Kats 5-0
The Bearkats softball team lost to Oklahoma State Cowgirls 5-0 in their season opener at the Hilton Houston Hilton Classic Tournament in Houston, Texas.
Junior Tamara Brown’s RBI single in the bottom of the first inning gave the Cowgirls a 1-0 lead. Freshmen catcher Taylor Woodall’s three-run homerun in the bottom of the fourth increased their lead to 4-0 and added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on Brown’s RBI single.
Sophomore pitcher Simone Freeman went the distance as she struck out 15 batters and gave up only four hits. Two of those four hits went to the Pre-season All-Southland Conference centerfielder Tori Benavidez.
Senior pitcher Tomi Garrison went six innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, and struck out two batters. Sophomore pitcher Shelbi Lancaster came in and work one inning in relief.
The Bearkats will face North Texas at 9 a.m. and the University of Houston at 3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit gobearkats.com.
Bearkats defeats Lions 67-46
Sam Houston State Bearkat women’s basketball team defeated Southeastern Louisiana Lions by the score of 67-46. The win increase their Southland Conference record to 6-3 (11-9 overall).
Junior forward Sequeena Thomas led the Bearkats with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 assists while junior forward Britni Martin contributed with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
“We bring different things to the floor,” sophomore guard Jasmine Johnson said. “ We do what we can to help the team win.”
The Bearkats started the game on a 9-4 run behind Martin’s three straight three-pointers to make it 9-4. But the Lions went on a 7-0 run to take the lead 11-10.
The Bearkats responded with an 8-2 run to regain the lead by the score of 18-13 and would maintain the lead to close the first half by the score of 26-23.
“I told them that they better come out with intensity in the second half because if they don’t, we are not going to win this game,” head basketball coach Brenda Nichols said.
Came out they did as they started the second half with a 16-4 run to increase the lead to 42-27 and would go on to win the game by the score of 67-46.
The Bearkats shot 41.1 percent for the game while the Lions shot only 24.2%. They shot 86.7% from the free throw line against the Lions’ 68.8%.
Senior guard Kelli Jenkins led the Lions with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in the losing effort.
The Bearkats next game will be against the University of Texas at Arlington on Wednesday, February 8 in Arlington, Texas. Game time will be at 7 p.m. For more information, visit gobearkats.com.
Preparation Is The Key To Success
To be successful, you got to have quality preparation. For the SHSU Orange Pride Dance Team, their preparation is at Bearkat sporting events.
The team have won back-to-back National Championships and will be going for their third at the National Dance Association (NDA) Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida from April 11-15.
“It’s bigger than I can describe,” senior co-captain Hannah Shields said. “We have all of the talent and have been working very hard to be where we are.”
The team is part of the Spirit Programs under the Department of Student Activites that includes the All-Girl Cheer Squad, the Co-Ed Cheer Squad and Sammy The Bearkat Mascot program.
The team trains everyday in preparation for the football season, the basketball season, special events and for the NDA competion that is held every year in Daytona Beach.
They placed first in the NDA National Competition in 1998 and 2005. In 2008, the team came up short in the competition and it taught the team a very important lesson about hard work.
“We had a big wake up call and had to step up our game,” Shields said.
After the season, they hired Sarah Pritchard as their head coach. Under her leadership, the team improved on their technique and learned new dance routines that helped them win back-to-back national championships at the NDA competition in 2010 and 2011.
“They have a lot of pride in Sam Houston and the dance program,” Spirit Programs Coordinator Brian McColpin said. “They want to go out there and win for their coach.”
They know that the competition are aiming at prevent them from winning their third straight championship. But for the dance team, they are more determine to achieve their goals because of the coaching and the leadership that each person brings to the team.
“I want to leave here with three rings on my finger,” Shields said. “I chose not to get a senior ring because I want another national championship.”
It’s The Little Things That Counts
The free throw is the most overlooked stat in basketball, it is the most important part of the game.
The Bearkat women’s basketball team defeated the UTSA Roadrunners by the score of 67-55 and increase their Southland Conference record to 5-2 (10-8 overall).
The Bearkats shot 33.9% from the field and was 7-19 from three point range while the Roadrunners shot 26.4% from the field and was 3-15 in the three point department.
Free throws were a different story as the Bearkats shot 64.5% from the line. The Roadrunners on the other hand, shot 80% from the free throw line.
“It’s something that we work on everyday,” head women’s basketball coach Brenda Nichols said. “It’s a mental thing and they got to step up and make them.”
The Hall Of Fame Is Not The Same Without Bill Parcells
Photo courtesy of Bing Images, a search engine of Microsoft
It boggles my mind that former National Football League (NFL) head coach Bill Parcells was not selected to the Hall of Fame this past week.
I can understand if the person did not do well in the league or coached a team to a Super Bowl to get selected after they have retired from the league.
But Parcells is different because he has turned around four teams when he took over as head coach and made them into playoff contenders.
The New York Giants had only one winning season prior to 1983 when Parcells became head coach. Under his leadership, the Giants won two Super Bowls in 1986 and 1990.
He became the head coach of the New England Patriots in 1993 after a two-year break. The Patriots made two playoff runs in the three years that Parcells was head coach including making the Super Bowl in 1996, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
The New York Jets had a dismall 4-28 record prior to hiring Parcells. After they hired him, the team had a 17-15 record in two seasons under Parcells.
The final team that he took over as head coach was the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys finished each of the three previous seasons with 5-11 records prior to 2003 when Parcells was hired. He led the Cowboys to a 34-32 record in three seasons and made the playoffs only once.
Parcells is a true innovator in the NFL and hopefully, he will get the nod when the NFL Hall of Fame Committeee votes again next year.
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