**HARDIN-JEFFERSON vs. MEXIA Broadcast/Mexia advances**

[no-look]

mexia hit the free throws down the stretch......I think they missed one the whole game..

[BADSANTA]

I'm all over Evadale! They will go to state as well!

[Guest ECBucFan]

[quote name="First Down" post="977930" timestamp="1299289506"]
Congrats to Mexia, you still have work tomorrow.
[/quote]

Don't sleep on Mexia!    :D

[WOSgrad]

Congrats to the Hawks and Coach Sutherland on a great season.

[Guest cbosha]

Great game Hawks! You guys went a lot futher then most people thought you guys would!!!

[Lazeek]

Sometimes it is just easier to admit when you were wrong!!!

I was wrong tonight.....I honestly thought the Hawks would go in and take advantage of a under sized Black Cat team.  But I can honestly say this without hesitation.  Mexia win or lose tomorrow is the best team HJ has played this year.  They are faster, quicker and shoot the ball better than any team I have seen all year.  Those kids from Mexia played their tails off tonight.  Don't get me wrong, HJ did what they do every game it seems and made adjustments at half and actually took a one point lead after trailing by 19 at one point.  But that can be a little bit skewed.......I honestly believe HJ with heart, coaching and will got back into the game but it was more of the fact that DJ Weathers was on the bench after suffering a leg injury.

Mexia only had one player on the floor that played that was "listed" over 6"0 and that was Weathers.  The others relentlessly crashed the boards and got hands in on lose balls.  Congrats to Mexia on a great win, and best of luck tomorrow in the Regional Final!!!!!

Now for my Hawks..........what more can you say than this group of 8 Seniors!!!  Gus, Grey, Sadien, Chase, Brody, Korey, Will and Robert it has been a pleasure to watch all of you over the last 4 years.  You guys make it so easy to enjoy being a Hawk fan!!!  Best of luck to you eight on whatever your career has in store for you!!!!

Congrats to Coach Sutherland, Coach Davis and Coach Lee on a great run this year.......you guys never cease to amaze me or any other Hawk fans!!!  Job well done and you should all be proud!!!

Now for the Hawks coming back next year............Joe, Zjori, Shawn, Sammie and Cade....don't forget the feeling you have tonight.  Remember how it feels and next year will be another year for the Hawks and deep playoff run.

Gonna be a few days for me to realize that hoop season is over my Hawks!!!!! :( :( :(

[bugjune]

BADSANTA STAY WITH 3A BASKETBALL. IN OUR LITTLE WEAK DIST. IN EVADALE  WE DONT NEED YOU. AMEN

[Lazeek]

SCORING---


Mexia                   26-13-7-20----66
Hardin-Jefferson     12-11-19-18----60



Mexia---(30-4)

Robinson      16 (Three 3s)
Weathers     15 (Three 3s)
Strain          12
Carroll         11 (Three 3s)
Gray           10
Foreman       2



Hardin-Jefferson---(34-7)

Prudhomme    15
Bosha            13 (Four 3s)
Persohn         11
Sutherland      9 (Three 3s)  
Harmon          7
Gustafson       5


FREE THROWS---

Mexia      11/13   85%
HJ           7/13   54%


FOULS---

Mexia         14
HJ             15

[AggiesAreWe]

Don't sleep on Mexia!! ;D

[no-look]

Wonder if Weathers will play tomorrow against Athens?

[east texas bb]

Great season HJ.  The ideal basketball program.  Congrats to the kids, and coaches on another Regional Tournament.  They dont just come by chance.  Nothing to hang your head about, most teams would love to make it to Regionals, yall have just set your standards so high making Regionals seems like it is a givin.  It was like that in the 90's when I was at Troup.  But because you set your standards so high is one of the reasons you always end back at the Regional Tournament, knocking on Austin.  Congrats again.

[Lazeek]

[quote name="no-look" post="978052" timestamp="1299298014"]
Wonder if Weathers will play tomorrow against Athens?
[/quote]

Not sure.........he tried to come back into the game twice and ended up only staying one or two trips down the floor each time.  Hope he can play.....will be a great game if he does.  Athens and Mexia are very similar.  Size, speed, and quickness.  If Weathers is out anything can happen, if he plays and is close to 100% then I fully expect Mexia to move on to Austin!!!!

[setxslam]

Lazeek and Pappabear: thanks for the broadcasts this year.  Keep 'em going forever, please.  I'm already looking forward to next year.

We just got home from Huntsville feeling sad, yes, but gratified for another great season of HJ hoops.

Congrats and best of luck to Mexia.  Not many teams withstand our comeback surges in the playoffs.  Great job.  Seemed like a bunch of really good kids, too.

HJ Seniors: thanks for the memories, and so many nights of driving home happy.  Work as hard in your future endeavors as you worked for your coaches.  The sky's the limit for you guys.

Coaches: you guys know how I feel about y'all.  Many, many thanks.  Best of luck next year.  We'll see y'all at the games.

[bmrm]

[quote name="AggiesAreWe" post="978050" timestamp="1299297881"]
Don't sleep on Mexia!! ;D
[/quote]

Nice little jab - at least we made it to Huntsville. 

[bmrm]

[quote name="LAZEEK" post="978029" timestamp="1299296854"]
Sometimes it is just easier to admit when you were wrong!!!

I was wrong tonight.....I honestly thought the Hawks would go in and take advantage of a under sized Black Cat team.  But I can honestly say this without hesitation.  Mexia win or lose tomorrow is the best team HJ has played this year.  They are faster, quicker and shoot the ball better than any team I have seen all year.  Those kids from Mexia played their tails off tonight.  Don't get me wrong, HJ did what they do every game it seems and made adjustments at half and actually took a one point lead after trailing by 19 at one point.  But that can be a little bit skewed.......I honestly believe HJ with heart, coaching and will got back into the game but it was more of the fact that DJ Weathers was on the bench after suffering a leg injury.

Mexia only had one player on the floor that played that was "listed" over 6"0 and that was Weathers.  The others relentlessly crashed the boards and got hands in on lose balls.  Congrats to Mexia on a great win, and best of luck tomorrow in the Regional Final!!!!!

Now for my Hawks..........what more can you say than this group of 8 Seniors!!!  Gus, Grey, Sadien, Chase, Brody, Korey, Will and Robert it has been a pleasure to watch all of you over the last 4 years.  You guys make it so easy to enjoy being a Hawk fan!!!  Best of luck to you eight on whatever your career has in store for you!!!!

Congrats to Coach Sutherland, Coach Davis and Coach Lee on a great run this year.......you guys never cease to amaze me or any other Hawk fans!!!  Job well done and you should all be proud!!!

Now for the Hawks coming back next year............Joe, Zjori, Shawn, Sammie and Cade....don't forget the feeling you have tonight.  Remember how it feels and next year will be another year for the Hawks and deep playoff run.

Gonna be a few days for me to realize that hoop season is over my Hawks!!!!! :( :( :(
[/quote]

Here is a Cliff Notes version of the game tonight:

Mexia shot lights out early from the three point line while HJ was hit and miss.  Then, as usual, HJ struggled from the foul line.  Mexia was up double digits @ the half and as customary, HJ cut the lead to four or six after three.  Both teams battled back & forth with HJ taking a one point lead with a minute and a half to go, but Mexia got a three point play with an and one to retake the lead and then HJ forced a possession that lead to the outcome being determined.

What really killed the Hawks was Gus picking up two fouls in the first quarter - HJ was not in a rhythm offensively and led to turnovers that Mexia was able to capitalize on.  I wish the blackcats all the luck in the world & hope #23 is able to play in the regional final game tomorrow.     

[FanintheStands]

This is the first team I've seen this year that matched, if not exceeded, the Hawks in discipline and fundamentals.  Nederland would come the closest.

While the Hawks were turning the ball over time and time again in the first half (was it because they were tired or timid?), Mexia was cutting through our press like a hot knife through butter.  Did they ever make a bad pass?

And like Lazeek said, Weathers absence hurt them, but I think trying to go into a semi-stall hurt them even more.  When you've got a team overplaying on defense, like the Hawks do, you can't simply throw the ball around 10-15 times before someone steals it.

With that said, I am once again so proud of that bunch of kids that left their hearts out there on the floor.  Great game by both teams.  I'm going to miss those seniors!

And one more thing, the Mexia players one with class.  There was no chest-thumping.  Shawn blocked a Mexia players shot, and he turned around and patted Shawn for making a good play.  I was sitting too far away from the Mexia fans to see how they acted, but I imagine they were just as classy as the boys on the floor.

[cornhusker]

Great year period.

[shooter]

Who are the graduating seniors on HJ's team?

[no-look]

How many seniors did Mexia have(Weathers?)

[bmrm]

[quote name="shooter" post="978129" timestamp="1299332935"]
Who are the graduating seniors on HJ's team?
[/quote]

Sutherland, Gustafson, Harmon(Robert), Anderson, Valery, Villason, Colbert, Brody(drawing a blank for a last name), who else am I missing?

[bmrm]

And this crappy weather isn't helping the mood in Sour Lake this morning either. :( :( :(  At least I get to take in some more basketball this morning - daughter playing Little Dribblers in the Nome Dome!!! ;D ;D ;D 

[Guest jettyman]

Mexia was very well coached and prepared.  If I didn't know any better I would think they watched countless hours of game film on us. The heart and determination of the Hawks cannot be denied. 

[KHSAlum400]

[quote name="no-look" post="978147" timestamp="1299335423"]
How many seniors did Mexia have(Weathers?)
[/quote]

Weathers is a Junior. They lose 7 seniors but their #1 and #2 scorers return.

[Lazeek]

Weathers was easily the best player in the tourney!!!!

[Guest hjlonghorn]

Well HJ finally came soaring down. I loved watching yall play every game guys and yall made me proud to be Hawk. Great year HJ! Nobody expected yall to even go as far as yall did and yall proved everybody wrong. Congrats to all 8 seniors, Gus, Grayson, Sadion, Will, Robert, Brody, Korey, and Chase. I wish yall the best of luck in college and thanks for all the great games this year guys.