Howard Basketball Defeats Hixson, 81-46

The Howard Hustlin’ Tigers turned their game into a layup-line drill midway through the first quarter of their 81-46 win over the host Hixson Wildcats. The game started in the home team’s favor, with Braxton Burton nailing a three from the wing to open the matchup. That was the high-point of the game for Hixson.

After that first punch, Howard began to relentlessly press the Wildcats, forcing them into a bevy of turnovers and mistakes. Xavier Fisher, who ended the night with nine points, had an impressive sequence during their run. He sank a shot from distance, and then stole the inbound and assisted on yet another Howard layup.

His teammates Calvin James and Demetrius Bowens, the high scorer with 14, got on the stat sheet early too. James netted an easy layup off the turnover, and then Bowens picked another Hixson ball-handler for a layup of his own. After what seemed like an eternity, Wildcat forward Reginald Hunter finally broke Howard’s vicegrip press and banged in a midrange jumpshot in semi-transition.

While the second quarter saw the Hixson attack somewhat learn how to handle fullcourt pressure, little could be done to stop Howard’s offense, as Howard rolled up another 20 points in the quarter to Hixson’s 14. K. Thorne had the defining play of the first half when he skied for an alley-oop dunk that even drew murmurs from the home crowd. A few seconds later, he attempted to repeat his aerial feat, but he clanged the following slam off the back of the rim. 

The second half was a brisk affair, with Hixson continuing to play hard, but Howard never really losing control of the game. Before the Howard starters were subbed out midway through the third quarter, Fisher dished out an insane assist from midcourt, bouncing the ball 45 feet through the defense to an open teammate under the basket. 

Hixson guard Kaden Herman gave the Wildcats a bit of a spark in the second half, and seemed mostly comfortable handling fullcourt pressure. He hit a three and made some slick passes to open teammates like Justin Smith, who ended with 12 points. Their good plays were not enough to overcome such a massive deficit though, and the Hustlin’ Tigers walked out of the gym with a 35 point rout.

HIXSON GIRLS 46, HOWARD 35. Chihiro Nakata was the smallest player on the floor, but the diminutive point guard may have been Hixson’s most impactful player during their 46-35 win over the Howard Hustlin’ Tigers. The first quarter was relatively “normal,” with the two teams ending it at a close 13-11 score. That is when Nakata and Hixson’s pressing defense took over. 

In what was a frankly dominant eight minute stretch of defensive basketball, Nakata had four of her seven steals on the night, a number that seemed low. The point guard’s quick hands made it almost impossible for Howard’s guards to dribble past midcourt, and she pestered them into a number of errors. Many of her steals came from jumping the passing lanes, which often started a fastbreak for Hixson.  

Of course, defense is not a one-person show. The rest of her teammates had seven steals of their own, with Kirby Brown having 2 of her own, and goaded Howard into a litany of other turnovers. Hixson’s defense was so all-enveloping that the Hustlin’ Tigers went almost four minutes without a shot attempt, despite Hixson playing a fast-paced style on offense. Hixson carried a 30-17 halftime lead that they would not relinquish.

Of course, Howard came out in the second-half and handled the press much more effectively. The Knox sisters combined for 14 in the game, and they did most of their damage in the quarter. They began to pass the ball up the court before the trap could come, and garnered several open layups as a result.

However, Hixson’s offense continued to hum along, with the vast majority of the scoring coming from two sources. Kirby Brown supplied most the interior scoring, bedeviling the Tigers with a series of whirling post moves en-route to a 21 point night. On the perimeter, Za’Riya Hunter poured in four triples on her way to 18 points, keeping the Howard defense from packing the paint. 

Howard made a good effort to close the gap in the fourth quarter, but Brown did just enough on offense to keep Howard at bay. He totaled five points in the quarter to go along with two rebounds, an assist, and a crushing block in the waning minutes. Her play, along with two more fourth quarter Nakata steals, was good enough to lock up the Hixson victory.